So, I was browsing the internet the other day when I came across this website: http://www.camcor.com/dissection.html. Camcor offers a variety of programs which mimic the dissections completed within biology classrooms. I found this to be an interesting concept, as it would cut down on expenses in the long run for many lab classes. Students no longer have to worry about getting messy, or grossed out, by cutting apart an animal. One would think this is a great innovation.
However, I have to disagree with that concept. As a biology major I've realized that even if dissections are seen as gross, and in extreme cases barbaric, there's something more too them than just looking for organs. The actual process, the exploration and hands on approach, is what helps you learn the anatomy of the specimen. While I think a computerized option is a great secondary, I feel that I would not learn as much without the intimate level involved with a hands on dissection. Don't get me wrong, I have complete respect for life itself and cannot stand people who do not take care of the specimens, but I think it's a necessary act for learning in biology. Maybe it's just a bio major thing, or perhaps having a family of hunters, but I'd much rather work on a lab specimen than on a computer.
In the end, I think this technology is a great way to get students involved in the process, to ready them for actual lab work. However, I do not think it should become our new standard in regards to replacing actual specimens. It may be archaic, and some may think it's barbaric, but honestly, it is something most serious students of science would mourn the loss of.
While a different company, here is a video of a virtual dissection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xc8D5AQCklU
Alex, I totally agree with the need for a hands-on approach. I've heard a lot of science teachers, particularly chemistry teachers, point out that students' motor skills aren't what they used to be. Nowadays kids are clumsier than ever with handling glassware and dissecting a frog, and some teachers attribute that to the fact that their thumbs are the only muscle in their hand that gets any development with all the texting they do. I find the virtual labs to be handy when you want to quickly illustrate something without going through a tedious set-up, but the real life hands-on skills are what our students need in the end.
ReplyDeleteAlex, thanks for your thoughts. It is definitely important to make sure that each technology chosen is not just being used for the sake of using technology.
ReplyDeleteI think it may actually be a "bio major thing". Every subject area has its "traditions" and this really comes of as one for me. I can absolutely understand the benefits of the hands on approach in an AP or college setting, but the computerized version seems almost an improvement for younger students. Not only is it less costly for the school, it allows for errors and removes much of the immaturity that came with the process when I experienced it more than a decade ago.
ReplyDeleteMaybe things have changed in that regard, but I'm actually a big fan of the digital version.