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A technique for creating laboratory work in chemistry using virtual laboratories is described. The creation of a virtual laboratory work consists of the stages of setting goals for laboratory work, choosing a virtual laboratory, identifying the capabilities of a virtual simulator, correcting goals, determining meaningful and didactic tasks, writing a script, testing, correcting a script, evaluating and analyzing the reliability of the process and the result of a virtual experiment compared to in-kind, drafting guidelines. A model of the methodology for creating a virtual laboratory work in chemistry is presented. The conceptual and terminological apparatus in the field of research has been clarified: definitions of a virtual laboratory work in chemistry, a virtual chemical laboratory, a virtual chemical experiment are given. Shows the methods of using virtual laboratory work in chemistry when studying at a university: when studying new material, when consolidating knowledge, in preparing for full-scale laboratory work both in the classroom and in the extracurricular independent activity.

chemistry training

virtual laboratories

virtual experiment

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2. Gavronskaya Yu. Yu., Alekseev V. V. Virtual laboratory work in interactive learning physical chemistry// Proceedings of the Russian State Pedagogical University them. A.I. Herzen. - 2014. - No. 168. - P.79–84.

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6. Federal state educational standard of higher vocational education in the direction of training 050100 Pedagogical education (qualification (degree) "bachelor") (approved by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation of December 22, 2009 No. 788) (as amended on May 31, 2011) [Electronic resource]. - URL: http://fgosvo.ru/uploadfiles/fgos/5/20111207163943.pdf (date of access: 03.10.15).

7. Virtual Lab / Chem Collective. Online Resources for Teaching and Learning Chemistry [Electronic resource]. - URL: http://chemcollective.org/activities/vlab?lang=ru (date of access: 03.10.15).

Virtual chemistry labs, virtual experiment, virtual chemistry labs is a promising area in chemical education, naturally attracting the attention of students and teachers. The relevance of introducing virtual laboratories into educational practice is due, firstly, to the information challenges of the time, and secondly, to the regulatory requirements for the organization of education, that is, educational standards. In order to implement the competency-based approach, the current Federal State Educational Standards of higher education provide for the widespread use in the educational process of active and interactive forms of conducting classes, including computer simulations, in combination with extracurricular work in order to form and develop students' professional skills.

In this area, in terms of prevalence and demand, the leader is “Chemistry grades 8-11 - Virtual laboratory” of MarSTU, intended for schoolchildren and applicants; also well-known interactive practical work and experiments in chemistry VirtuLab (http://www.virtulab.net/). At the level of higher education, among the Russian-language resources on the market of educational tools there are virtual chemical laboratories of the ENK, own (and, as a rule, closed) developments of universities and a number of resources on foreign languages. The description of the available virtual laboratories in chemistry has been given repeatedly, their list will certainly be replenished. Virtual laboratories confidently take their place in the practice of teaching chemistry and chemical disciplines, at the same time, the theoretical and methodological foundations for their application and the creation of virtual laboratory works based on them are just beginning to take shape. Even the term “virtual laboratory work in chemistry” itself has not yet received a reasonable definition that accurately indicates the relationship with other concepts, including the concept of a virtual laboratory in teaching chemistry and a virtual chemical experiment.

To clarify the conceptual and terminological apparatus, we use the term "chemical experiment", used in the scientific field of theory and teaching methods, as a starting point. A chemical experiment is a specific means of teaching chemistry, acting as a source and the most important method knowledge, he introduces students not only to objects and phenomena, but also to the methods of chemical science. In the process of a chemical experiment, students acquire the ability to observe, analyze, draw conclusions, handle equipment and reagents. There are: demonstration and student / student experiment; experiments (help to study certain aspects of a chemical object), laboratory work (a set of laboratory experiments allows you to study many aspects of chemical objects and processes), practical exercises, laboratory workshop; home experiment, research experiment, etc. A chemical experiment can be natural, mental and virtual. "Virtual" means "possible, not having a physical embodiment"; virtual reality - imitation of a real environment with the help of computer devices; used primarily for educational purposes; in this regard, a virtual experiment is sometimes called a simulation or computer experiment. According to the current GOST, “virtual” is a definition that characterizes a process or device in an information processing system that seems to really exist, since all their functions are implemented by some other means; widely used in connection with the use of telecommunications. Thus, a virtual chemical experiment is a kind of educational experiment in chemistry; its main difference from natural is the fact that the means of demonstration or modeling chemical processes and phenomena is computer technology, when performing it, the student operates with images of substances and equipment components that reproduce the appearance and functions of real objects, that is, he uses a virtual laboratory. We understand a virtual laboratory in teaching chemistry as a computer simulation of an educational chemical laboratory, realizing its main function - conducting a chemical experiment for educational purposes. Technically, the functioning of the virtual laboratory is provided by software and hardware of computer technology, a didactically - meaningfully and methodically justified system of assumptions about the course of the studied chemical process or manifestations of the properties of a chemical object, on the basis of which one of the options reactions of the virtual laboratory to user actions. A virtual laboratory acts as an element of a high-tech information educational environment, being a means of creating and performing a virtual experiment. Virtual laboratory work in chemistry - a virtual chemical experiment in the form of a set of experiments united by the common goal of studying a chemical object or process.

Consider the methodology for creating a virtual laboratory work in chemistry (its model is shown in Figure 1) using a specific example of a laboratory work on the topic "Solutions".

Rice. 1. Model of the methodology for creating a virtual laboratory work in chemistry

The creation of a virtual laboratory work consists of the stages of setting goals for laboratory work, choosing a virtual laboratory, identifying the capabilities of a virtual simulator, correcting goals, determining meaningful and didactic tasks, writing a scenario, testing, evaluating and analyzing the reliability of the process and the result of a virtual experiment compared to a natural one, correction scenario and drawing up methodological recommendations.

The goal-setting stage implies the process of selecting the goals of the planned laboratory work with the establishment of limits for permissible deviations to achieve educational outcome the most effective and acceptable means, taking into account material, technical, temporary, human resources, as well as personal and age features students. In our example, the goal was to prepare solutions and study their properties; work is designed for independent extracurricular learning activities students. The topic of solutions is covered in most university courses in chemistry, in addition, the skills of preparing and working with solutions are in demand in everyday life and in almost any professional activity. Therefore, the purpose of the work was to consolidate the ability to calculate the molar and percentage concentration of the solution, required amount substances and solvent for preparing a solution of a given concentration; development of the algorithm and technique of operations for the preparation of solutions (weighing substances, measuring volume, etc.); the study of the phenomena that occur during dissolution - the release or absorption of heat, dissociation, changes in electrical conductivity, changes in the pH of the medium, etc.

The stage of choosing a virtual laboratory. The choice of a virtual laboratory is determined by a number of circumstances: the mode of access to the resource, the financial conditions for its use, the language and complexity of the interface, and, of course, the content, that is, the opportunities that this laboratory provides or does not provide to the user to achieve the goals of the planned laboratory work. We focused on laboratories with open free access, for which computer skills at the user level would be sufficient, initially abandoning laboratories with a low degree of interactivity, that is, allowing only options for passive observation of a chemical experiment. Having studied several projects of both a multidisciplinary and thematic plan, we came to the conclusion that none of the laboratories known to us fully meets the requirements, namely: to allow the student to prepare a solution of a given concentration according to pre-calculated amounts of a solute and solvent, by carrying out weighing operations , measuring volume, dissolution, make sure the preparation is correct, and also observe the processes that accompany dissolution. However, we settled on the virtual laboratory IrYdiumChemistryLab, which has the advantage of being able to intervene in the program and design your own virtual experiment.

The identification of the capabilities of the virtual simulator of the selected laboratory showed the following. With regard to the set of reagents, there are solutions of various concentrations (19 MNaOH, 15 MHClO4 and others), water as the most important solvent, but practically absent solids; however, the Authoring Tool application allows you to introduce additional reagents into the laboratory using the thermodynamic characteristics of substances. The equipment includes a set of measuring utensils of varying degrees of accuracy (cylinders, pipette, burettes), an analytical balance, a pH meter, a temperature sensor, a heating element, and an applet showing the concentration of particles in a solution. The ability to study such characteristics of the solution as electrical conductivity, viscosity, surface tension is not provided. The processes in the virtual laboratory take place in a very short time, which limits the study of the speed of chemical processes. Based on the capabilities of the virtual simulator, the goals were corrected, in particular, the study of the electrical conductivity of solutions was excluded, but the study of the effect of temperature on the solubility of substances was added. When determining the objectives of the laboratory work, we proceeded from the expected results: students should develop a practical skill in preparing solutions, including mastering the algorithms of individual operations, they should come to conclusions about the change in the number of particles in a solution during the dissociation of strong and weak electrolytes, about the ratio of the number of anions and cations in the case of dissolution of asymmetric electrolytes, on the causes of thermal effects during dissolution.

We single out the stage of defining the objectives of the laboratory work being created as an important element in the process of designing students' activities, here it is necessary to plan what manipulations students will have to perform within the framework of this laboratory work and what to observe (meaningful tasks), and what conclusions and on what basis they should come after its completion (didactic tasks), what skills to acquire. For example, to master the algorithm of actions when preparing a given volume of solution according to a sample: calculate the mass of a substance, weigh it, measure the volume of liquid / bring it to the desired volume; to master the techniques of working with analytical balances and measuring utensils; observe how the concentrations of particles (molecules, ions) in a solution are related during the dissolution of electrolytes and non-electrolytes, symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes, strong and weak electrolytes, draw a conclusion about solubility, thermal effects during dissolution, and so on.

The next step in creating a lab is to create a scenario, i.e. detailed description each experiment separately and determining the place and role of this experience in laboratory work, taking into account what tasks it will contribute to, and how to work towards achieving the goals of laboratory work as a whole. In practice, the preparation of the scenario takes place simultaneously with approbation, that is, the trial execution of experiments that contribute to the refinement and detailing of the scenario. The scenario reflects each action and the reaction of the virtual laboratory to it. The scenario is based on tasks like "Prepare 49 g of 0.4% CuSO4 solution" or "Prepare 35 ml of 0.1 mol/L CuSO4 solution from its crystalline hydrate (CuSO4∙5H2O)". When drawing up the assignment, the availability of suitable reagents and equipment in the virtual laboratory and the technical feasibility of such an assignment are taken into account. In our example, the scenario, in addition to the calculation side, also included a number of actions and techniques that simulate the preparation of a solution in a real laboratory. For example, when weighing, the dry matter must not be placed directly on the weighing bowl, but a special container should be used; use the tare function; as in reality, the substance should be added to the balance in small portions, a possible accidental excess of the calculated mass will lead to the fact that the operation will need to be started again. The choice of chemical glassware of a suitable volume, accurate measurement of the volume of liquid “along the lower meniscus” and the use of other specific techniques are provided. After preparation, the applets of the virtual laboratory reflect the properties of the resulting solution (molar concentration of ions, pH), which allows you to check the correctness of the task. When performing a series of experiments, students will receive data on the basis of which they can draw conclusions about the concentration of ions in solutions of strong and weak electrolytes, the pH of solutions of hydrolyzable substances, or the dependence of the thermal effect of dissolution on the amount of solvent and the nature of the substance, etc.

As an example, consider the study of thermal effects in the dissolution of substances. The scenario includes experiments on the dissolution of dry salts (NaCl, KCl, NaNO 3 , CuSO 4 , K 2 Cr 2 O 7 , KClO 3 , Ce 2 (SO 4) 3). By changing the temperature of the solution, students should conclude that both endo- and exothermic effects of dissolution are possible. The wording of tasks in each case may vary and depends on the type of experiment - research or illustrative. For example, you can limit yourself to the conclusion about the presence of such effects, or include in the scenario the preparation of salt solutions with different masses of the solute with the same mass of solvent (prepare solutions containing 50 g of the substance in 100 g of water; 10 g of the substance in 100 g of water), and vice versa , experiments with a constant amount of a solute with a changing mass of the solvent; preparation of solutions from anhydrous salts and their crystalline hydrates and observation of temperature changes during their dissolution. When performing such experiments, students should answer the questions “How do temperature changes differ when dissolving equal amounts of anhydrous salts and their crystalline hydrates? Why does the dissolution of anhydrous salts occur with the release of more heat than in the case of crystalline hydrates? and draw a conclusion about what influences the sign of the thermal effect of dissolution. Depending on the goals and objectives of the work, the scenario will include several experiments or several series of experiments, while it should be borne in mind that in the virtual space everything is done much faster than in a real laboratory, and does not take as much time as it might seem at first sight.

In the process of approbation, it is necessary to evaluate and analyze the reliability of the process and the result of a virtual experiment in comparison with a full-scale one, that is, to make sure that the simulation and the generated results of a virtual experiment do not contradict reality, that is, they will not mislead the user.

Methodological recommendations are based on a compiled and tested scenario, but we should not forget that they are addressed to students, and in addition to clear instructions and tasks, they should contain a description of the expected results associated with the goals set, have references to theoretical material and examples.

The result of creating a virtual laboratory work is its implementation in the learning process, leading to an increase in the quality of knowledge acquisition and mastery of relevant competencies. There are several methods of "embedding" virtual laboratory work in chemistry in the educational process of the university. When studying new material for its better understanding and development, in our opinion, it is advisable to conduct short virtual laboratory work to update knowledge or to demonstrate the phenomena being studied, which creates objective conditions for the implementation of active and interactive forms of learning, which is required by the current educational standard. In this case, virtual laboratory work can replace the traditional demonstration experiment. In addition, we are considering the possibility of using virtual laboratory work to consolidate knowledge and skills both in the classroom and in extracurricular independent activities. Another option for using virtual laboratory work in the process of teaching chemistry is to prepare students for full-scale laboratory work. Performing a correctly composed virtual laboratory work in chemistry, students, firstly, work out the skills of solving calculation problems on this topic, secondly, they fix the algorithm and technique for performing a chemical experiment, and thirdly, they learn the patterns of chemical processes with active participation in the process. learning.

The proposed methodology for creating virtual laboratory work in chemistry equips teachers with evidence-based tools for conducting classes in chemistry and chemical disciplines in an interactive form, combined with extracurricular work in order to form and develop the professional skills of students.

Reviewers:

Rogovaya O. G., Doctor of Pediatric Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Chemical and Ecological Education, Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen, St. Petersburg;

Piotrovskaya K. R., Doctor of Pediatric Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of Methods of Teaching Mathematics and Informatics, Russian State Pedagogical University named after A.I. Herzen, St. Petersburg.

Bibliographic link

Gavronskaya Yu.Yu., Oksenchuk V.V. METHOD OF CREATING VIRTUAL LABORATORY WORKS IN CHEMISTRY // Modern problems of science and education. - 2015. - No. 2-2.;
URL: http://science-education.ru/ru/article/view?id=22290 (date of access: 01.02.2020). We bring to your attention the journals published by the publishing house "Academy of Natural History"

World education and the scientific process are changing so clearly in last years, but for some reason they talk more not about breakthrough innovations and the opportunities they open up, but about local exam scandals. Meanwhile, the essence of the educational process beautifully reflects the English proverb “You can lead a horse to a watering place, but you cannot make it get drunk.”

Modern education, in essence, lives a double life. In his official life there is a program, prescriptions, exams, a "senseless and merciless" battle for the composition of subjects in the school course, the vector of the official position and the quality of education. And in his real life, as a rule, all that is concentrated is concentrated modern education: digitalization, eLearning, Mobile Learning, learning through Coursera, UoPeople and other online institutions, webinars, virtual laboratories, etc. All this has not yet become part of the generally accepted global educational paradigm, but locally the digitalization of education and research work is already happening.

MOOC-learning (Massive Open Online Courses, mass lectures from open sources) is great for transferring ideas, formulas and other theoretical knowledge in lessons and lectures. But for the completeness of the development of many disciplines, practical exercises are also needed - digital learning "felt" this evolutionary need and created a new "form of life" - virtual laboratories, their own for school and university education.

A known issue with eLearning is that it teaches mostly theoretical subjects. Perhaps the next stage in the development of online education will be the coverage of practical areas. And this will happen in two directions: the first is the contractual delegation of the practice of physically existing HEIs(in the case of medicine, for example), and the second is the development of virtual laboratories in different languages.

Why do we need virtual laboratories, or virtulabs?

• To prepare for real laboratory work.
• For school activities, if there are no appropriate conditions, materials, reagents and equipment.
• For distance learning.
• For self-study disciplines in adulthood or together with children, since many adults, for one reason or another, feel the need to “remember” what was never learned or understood at school.
• For scientific work.
• For higher education with an important practical component.

Varieties of virtulabs. Virtual labs can be 2D or 3D; simple for younger students and complex, practical for middle and high school students, students and teachers. Their virtulabs are designed for different disciplines. Most often it is physics and chemistry, but there are also quite original ones, for example, a virtulab for ecologists.

Particularly serious universities have their own virtual laboratories, for example, the Samara State Aerospace University named after academician S.P. Korolev and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, MPIWG). Recall that Max Planck is a German theoretical physicist, the founder of quantum physics. The institute's virtual laboratory even has an official website. You can watch the presentation at this link. The Virtual Laboratory: Tools for Research on the History of Experimentalization. The online laboratory is a platform where historians publish and discuss their research on the topic of experimentation in various fields of science (from physics to medicine), art, architecture, media and technology. It also contains illustrations and texts on various aspects of experimentation: tools, experiments, films, photos of scientists, etc. Students can create their own account in this virtulab and add scientific papers for discussion.

Virtual laboratory of the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

Virtulab Portal

The choice of Russian-speaking virtulabs, unfortunately, is still small, but it's a matter of time. The spread of eLearning among pupils and students, the massive penetration of digitalization into educational establishments one way or another they will create demand, then they will begin to massively develop beautiful modern virtulabs in various disciplines. Fortunately, there is already a fairly developed specialized portal dedicated to virtual laboratories - Virtulab.Net. It offers rather nice solutions and covers four disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology and ecology.

Virtual laboratory 3D in physics Virtulab .Net

Virtual engineering practice

Virtulab.Net does not yet list engineering as one of its specializations, but reports that the physics virtulabs hosted there can be useful in distance engineering education. After all, for example, to build mathematical models, a deep understanding of physical nature modeling objects. In general, engineering virtulabs have a huge potential. Engineering education is largely practice-oriented, but universities rarely use such virtual laboratories due to the fact that the market for digital education in the engineering field is underdeveloped.

Problem-oriented educational complexes of the CADIS system (SSAU). Samara Aerospace University named after Korolev has developed its own engineering virtulab to strengthen the training of technical specialists. Center for New information technologies(TsNIT) SSAU created "Problem-oriented educational complexes of the CADIS system". The abbreviation CADIS stands for "System of Complexes of Automated Didactic Tools". These are special classrooms where virtual laboratory workshops are held on the strength of materials, structural mechanics, optimization methods and geometric modeling, aircraft design, materials science and heat treatment and other technical disciplines. Some of these workshops are freely available on the SSAU server. Virtual classrooms contain descriptions of technical objects with photographs, diagrams, links, drawings, video, audio and flash animations with a magnifying glass to examine the small details of the virtual unit. There is also the possibility of self-control and training. Here is what the complexes of the virtual system CADIS are:

• Beam - a complex for the analysis and construction of diagrams of beams in the course of the strength of materials (engineering, construction).
• Structure - a set of methods for designing power circuits of mechanical structures (engineering, construction).
• Optimization - a complex on mathematical optimization methods (CAD courses in mechanical engineering, construction).
• Spline - a complex of interpolation and approximation methods in geometric modeling (CAD courses).
• I-beam - a complex for studying the patterns of power work of thin-walled structures (engineering, construction).

• Chemist - a set of complexes in chemistry (for secondary schools, specialized lyceums, preparatory courses universities).
• Organic - complexes according to organic chemistry(for universities).
• Polymer - complexes in the chemistry of macromolecular compounds (for universities).
• Molecule Constructor - Simulator program "Molecule Constructor".
• Mathematics - a complex of elementary mathematics (for university applicants).
• Physical education - a complex for support theoretical courses in physical education.
• Metallurgist - a complex for metal science and heat treatment (for universities and technical schools).
• Zubrol - a complex on the theory of mechanisms and machine parts (for universities and technical schools).

Virtual instruments on Zapisnyh.Narod.Ru. The site Zapisnyh.Narod.Ru will be very useful in engineering education, where you can download virtual instruments on a Sound Card for free, which open up wide opportunities for creating technology. They will certainly interest teachers and will be useful at lectures, in scientific work and in laboratory workshops in natural and technical disciplines. The range of virtual instruments posted on the site is impressive:

• combined LF generator;
• two-phase LF generator;
• oscilloscope recorder;
• oscilloscope;
• frequency meter;
• AF characterograph;
• technographer;
• electric meter;
• meter R, C, L;
• home electrocardiograph;
• capacitance and ESR estimator;
• chromatographic systems KhromProtsessor-7-7M-8;
• a device for checking and diagnosing malfunctions of quartz watches, etc.

One of the virtual engineering devices from the site Zapisnyh.Narod.Ru

Physics virtual labs

Ecological virtulab on Virtulab .Net. The environmental laboratory of the portal touches on both general issues of the development of the Earth and individual laws.

Visualization is one of the most effective teaching methods that helps to understand the essence of various phenomena much easier and deeper. It is not without reason that visual aids were used in ancient times. Visualization and modeling are especially useful when studying dynamic, time-varying objects and phenomena that can be difficult to understand by looking at a simple static picture in an ordinary textbook. Laboratory work and educational experiments are not only useful, but also very interesting - with the appropriate organization, of course.

Not all educational experiments can or should be carried out in the "real" mode. It is not surprising that computer simulation technologies quickly entered this area. Now on the market there are a number of software packages designed for the implementation of virtual educational experiments. This review will consider a relatively new incarnation of such solutions: virtual online laboratories. With their help, you can conduct computer experiments without purchasing additional programs, and at any convenient time, there would be access to the Internet.

In the development of modern network projects of this kind, there are now several trends. The first is dispersion over a significant amount of resources. Along with large projects that accumulate a significant amount of content, there are many sites that contain a few laboratories. The second trend is the presence of both multi-industry projects offering laboratories for various branches of knowledge, as well as thematic specialized projects. Finally, it should be noted that laboratories dedicated to the natural sciences are best represented online. Indeed, physical experiments in general can be a very costly undertaking, and a computer laboratory allows you to look behind the scenes of complex processes. Chemistry also wins: there is no need to purchase real reagents, laboratory equipment, there is no fear of spoiling something in case of a mistake. No less fertile field for virtual laboratory workshops- biology and ecology. It is no secret that a detailed study of a biological object often ends in its death. Ecological systems are large and complex, so the use of virtual models makes it easier to perceive them.

Our review includes several of the most interesting online projects, both diversified and thematic. All web resources of this review are sites with open, free access.

VirtuLab

The VirtuLab resource is the largest collection of virtual experiments on various academic disciplines. The main unit of the collection is a virtual experiment. From a technical point of view, this is an interactive video made with Adobe Flash. Some laboratories are made in three-dimensional graphics. To work with them, you will need to install Adobe Shockwave Player with the Havok Physics Scene add-on. You can find this add-on at director-online.com. You need to unpack the resulting archive into the Xtras directory of your Adobe Shockwave Player, which is located in the Windows system directory.

The VirtuLab resource is the largest collection of virtual online
laboratoriesin Russian

Each video allows you to conduct an experiment that has a learning goal and a clear task. The user is offered all the tools and objects necessary to obtain the result. Tasks and tips are displayed as text messages. VirtuLab videos have a strong educational aspect, for example, if the user makes a mistake, the system will not let him go further until the error is corrected.

The collection of VirtuLab experiments is quite extensive and varied. VirtuLab does not have its own built-in search engine, so in order to find the desired experiment, you just have to scroll through the sections of the catalog. The archive is divided into four main blocks: "Physics", "Chemistry", "Biology" and "Ecology". Within them there are narrower thematic sections. In particular, for physics, these are sections of this discipline. There are experiments on acquaintance with mechanics, electrical and optical effects. A number of laboratories are made in 3D graphics, which helps to demonstrate a variety of experiments: from experiments with dynamometers to refraction and other optical effects.

In Biology, classes became the basis for division school curriculum. The content of the tasks here can be very different. So, there are tasks for studying the structural features of various living organisms (for example, a designer for assembling all kinds of organisms from the proposed “details”) and tasks that simulate working with a microscope and with preparations of various tissues.

The PhET site is a multi-industry collection of Java applets,
with which you can work both online and on your local computer

Separately, in the Cutting Edge Research section, there are demonstrations dedicated to the most modern research. New items in the archive appear regularly, the New Sims section is intended for them.

Pay attention to the Translated Sims subsection. This page contains a list of all languages ​​into which the proposed virtual labs have been translated. There is also a Russian among them - there are exactly fifty such experiments here today. It is curious that the number of demonstrations in English, Serbian and Hungarian is almost equal. If you wish, you can take part in the translation of demonstrations. For this, a special PhET Translation Utility application is offered.

What are PhET demos and who can benefit from them? They are built on Java technology. This allows you to run experiments online, download applets to your local computer, and embed them as widgets on other web pages. All of these options are provided on every PhET demo page.

All PhET experiments are interactive. They contain one or more tasks, as well as a set of all the elements necessary to solve them. Since the progress of the solution, as a rule, is disclosed in sufficient detail in text notes, the main purpose of the demonstrations is to visualize and explain the effects, and not to test the knowledge and skills of the user. So, one of the demonstrations of the chemical section suggests making molecules from the proposed atoms and looking at a three-dimensional visualization of the result. In the biological section there is a calculator for the balance of a person's calorie consumption during the day: you can specify the types and amounts of food consumed, as well as the volume exercise. Then it remains only to observe the changes in the experimental "little man" of a given age, height and initial weight. The math section boasts very useful graphing tools for various functions, arithmetic games and other interesting applications. The physics section offers a wide range of "laboratories" demonstrating a variety of phenomena - from simple motion to quantum interactions.

PhET
Grade: 4
Interface language: English, there is Russian
Developer: University of Colorado
Website: phet.colorado.edu

Wolfram Demonstrations Project

A very valuable source of online labs is the Wolfram Demonstrations Project, a multidisciplinary resource. The purpose of the project is a visual demonstration of the concepts of modern science and technology. Wolfram claims to be a single platform that allows you to create a unified catalog of online interactive laboratories. This, according to its developers, will allow users to avoid problems associated with the use of heterogeneous learning resources and development platforms.

The Wolfram Demonstrations Project catalog contains over 7,000 items.
virtual laboratories

This site is part of a larger Wolfram Internet project. The Wolfram Demonstrations Project currently has an impressive catalog of over 7,000 interactive demos.

The technological basis for creating laboratories and demonstrations is the Wolfram Mathematica package. To view the demos, you will need to download and install a special Wolfram CDF Player with a size of just over 150 MB.

The project catalog consists of 11 main sections relating to various branches of knowledge and human activity. There are large physical, chemical and mathematical sections, as well as those dedicated to technology and engineering. The biological sciences are well represented. The levels of complexity of the models, as well as the levels of presentation, are very different. The catalog contains rather complex demonstrations aimed at higher education, many laboratories are devoted to illustrating the latest scientific achievements. At the same time, the site also has sections intended for children. Perhaps the language barrier can become a certain inconvenience: the Wolfram project is currently purely English. However, there is not much text in the demos and labs, the management tools are quite simple, and it is easy to deal with them without prompts.

There are no specific tasks or control over their implementation. However, you can’t call the content just presentations or videos. Wolfram demos have a fair amount of interactivity. Almost any of them has tools that help to change the parameters of the objects represented, thereby conducting virtual experiments on them. This contributes to a deeper understanding of the demonstrated processes and phenomena.

Wolfram Demonstrations Project
Grade: 4
Interface language: English
Developer: Wolfram Demonstrations Project & Contributors
Website: demonstrations.wolfram.com

IrYdium Chemistry Lab

In addition to "diversified" projects in the modern Web, there are many specialized online laboratories dedicated to certain sciences. Let's start with The ChemCollective, a project dedicated to the study of chemistry. It contains a lot of thematic materials in English. One of its most interesting sections is its own virtual laboratory called IrYdium Chemistry Lab. Its device is noticeably different from all the projects discussed above. The fact is that no specific, specific experiments with their tasks are offered here. Instead, the user is given almost complete freedom of action.

IrYdium Online Chemistry Lab is different
high flexibility in setup and operation

The laboratory is made in the form of a Java applet. By the way, it can be downloaded and run on a local computer - the corresponding download link is placed on the main page of the project.

The applet interface is divided into several zones. In the middle is the workspace, which displays the progress of the experiment. The right column is given over to a kind of "dashboard" - it displays information about ongoing reactions: temperature, acidity, molarity and other auxiliary data. The left side of the applet contains the so-called “Reagent Warehouse”. This is a set of various virtual reagents, made in the form of a hierarchical tree. Here you can find acids, bases, indicator substances and everything else that an experimental chemist needs. To work with them, a good selection of various laboratory glassware, a burner, scales and other equipment are offered. As a result, the user gets at his disposal a well-equipped laboratory with little handicapped experimentation.

Since there are no specific tasks here, experiments are carried out in a way that is necessary and interesting for the user. It remains only to select the necessary substances, build an experimental setup using the proposed virtual equipment and start the reaction. It is very convenient that the resulting substance can be added to the collection of reagents to be used in subsequent experiments.

In general, it turned out to be an interesting and useful resource, characterized by high flexibility of use. If we take into account the presence of an almost complete Russian translation of the program, then the IrYdium Chemistry Lab laboratory can become a very useful tool for mastering basic chemical knowledge.

IrYdium Chemistry Lab
Grade: 5
Interface language: Russian English
Developer: The Chem Collective
Website: www.chemcollective.org/vlab/vlab.php

"Virtual Lab" teachmen.ru

This is the second Russian project in our review. This resource focuses on physical phenomena. The scope of virtual laboratories is not limited to the framework of the school curriculum. The online experiments offered in them, developed by specialists from the Chelyabinsk state university, suitable not only for schoolchildren, but also for students. Technically, this resource is a combination of Flash and Java, so you'll want to check for Java Virtual Machine updates on your machine beforehand.

The tasks of the Virtual Lab project are different
higher complexity

The design of the laboratories here is schematic and strict. It seems as if a kind of revived pictures from the textbook appear. This is emphasized by the availability of materials intended to accompany the training sessions. The main emphasis in such experiments is placed on performing specific tasks and testing the user's knowledge.

The project catalog includes a dozen main thematic sections - from mechanics to atomic and nuclear physics. Each of them contains up to ten corresponding interactive virtual laboratories. In addition, illustrated lecture notes are offered, some with their own virtual experiments.

The working environment of the experimenter is reproduced here quite carefully. Devices are demonstrated in the form of diagrams, it is proposed to build graphs and choose answers from the available options. Experiments in the "Virtual Lab" are more difficult than in VirtuLab. The collection of the resource includes experiments on atomic and nuclear physics, laser physics, as well as an “atom designer”, offering to assemble an atom from various elementary particles. There are experiments to find and neutralize the source of radiation, to study the properties of lasers. In addition, there are "mechanical" laboratories focused primarily on schoolchildren.

Online Labs in

In addition to large resources with dozens and hundreds of virtual test sites, there are many small sites on the Web that offer a number of interesting experiments on a specific, usually narrow topic.

A good starting point when looking for small virtual
laboratoriesable to become an Online Labs project in

In such a situation, in order to find the necessary demonstrations, catalog projects that collect and organize links to such sites will certainly come in handy. A good starting point is the Online Labs in directory (onlinelabs.in). This resource collects and organizes links to projects that offer freely available online experiments and laboratories in various fields of science. For each science there is a corresponding section. In the area of ​​interest of the project, first of all, physics, chemistry and biology. It is these sections that are the largest and well updated. In addition, those devoted to anatomy, astronomy, geology and mathematics are gradually being filled. Each of the sections contains links to relevant Internet resources with a brief annotation in English describing the purpose of a particular laboratory.

"Virtual Lab" teachmen.ru
Grade: 3
Language: Russian
Developer: Chelyabinsk State University
Website: