mooooom Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 I've found several by searching, (SimBio, BiologyLabOnline) but was hoping to get a recommendation. This would be for my 2 sons who are of the very queasy sort and would prefer not to do any sort of hands on lab (they spend the entire time in chem lab this year worrying that something will blow up or contaminate them - these are NOT my children!). I'm not looking for simulated dissections but simulations that look they would appeal to "gaming" type kids. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 My daughter is working through Biology Labs Online (you can see a few graphics here) this year. Is that the one you're asking about? It's definitely written for an AP Biology course, and we would highly recommend it for that purpose. It covers material expected for the AP exam. My dd is using it along with the Campbell & Reece textbook. (She'd already taken a standard high school biology course with lab previous to this). ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) My daughter is working through Biology Labs Online (you can see a few graphics here) this year. Is that the one you're asking about? It's definitely written for an AP Biology course, and we would highly recommend it for that purpose. It covers material expected for the AP exam. My dd is using it along with the Campbell & Reece textbook. (She'd already taken a standard high school biology course with lab previous to this). ~Kathy Wow, those look great! And cheap too ~ only $30 for the Lab Manual AND a year's subscription to all 12 labs. Do you think they would be useful for someone doing introductory (as opposed to AP) bio? Jackie Edited January 30, 2010 by Corraleno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Yes, they're terrific and well-done labs! My dd has worked through half of them so far and likes them (& she's so not a bio person:001_smile:). I'm pleased that the lab workbook and TM make my life easier and that there is absolutely no mess! Would I use these labs for an intro biology class? Hmmm...probably not. If my student were planning to study advanced bio sometime later, I'd definitely wait till then. The student text is written at an advanced college level. It references the Campbell & Reece text in each lab description. The labs emphasize the more technical side of biology: lots of genetics, RNA & DNA, Krebs cycle, photosynthesis - in lots of detail. A basic knowledge of chemistry is required also. The labs expect the student to understand pH, catalysis, pressure, concentration, etc. There is a lot of manipulation of algebraic equations and plotting of results. The student needs to be quite comfortable with graphing. Maybe an example is best to illustrate what I'm trying to describe: The first lab is the Enzyme Lab. The bolded vocab words in this lab include metabolism, substrate, primary/secondary/tertiary structure, invertase, denaturation, hydrogen bonding, Van der Waals attractive forces, inhibitors, & hydrolysis. The prerequisites include a basic knowledge of thermodynamics, metabolism, sturcture of sucrose and its role as a source of energy, basics of enzymes and biological catalysts, temperature and pH effects on catalysis, & basic chemical kinetics. The activities in the Enzyme lab include (1) Setting Up the Experiment (2) pH Optimum for Invertase (3) Effect of Substrate Concentration on Invertase Activity (4) Effect of Inhibitors on Invertase Activity (5) optional group assignment (we don't do these). hth ~Kathy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corraleno Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 Thanks very much Kathy, that's very helpful. I think I'll save them for when we do AP Bio in 2-3 years. Jackie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melmichigan Posted January 30, 2010 Share Posted January 30, 2010 (edited) The only concern I could see is if they are are planning on going to college. Our new state guidelines will include mandated labs for graduation, I can't remember how many right now, two or three. I would check and see what is required by your state and any prospective college. Here they won't accept computer labs in place of hands on labs. Holt and Glencoe make some DVD labs and you can buy online access from what I hear for a reasonable seat cost. Edited January 30, 2010 by melmichigan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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