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Keller, H. (2009, June 2). Can Virtual Labs Replace Hands-On? Science Education. Retrieved from http://etcjournal.com/2009/06/02/can-virtual-labs-replace-hands-on/ This journal sums up the opinion of an educator who has used both labs and simulations to teach science education.  He has discovered that using a combination of both computer based science simulations hands-on experiments is the best method of science investigation education for students.  Since there are simulations that can be affected by the environment, the simulations can't all stand on their own.  By participating in a hands-on experiment students can witness the change in data due to environmental change.  Simulations supply a lot that we can manipulate, but they don't always have every aspect necessary. 

""It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education ... If we are to develop our students' sense of curiosity, we must be mindful to carve out time to allow our students to inquire and explore." -- Albert Einstein"

Schwarz, C. V., Meyer, J., Sharma, A. (2007, February 1). Technology, Pedagogy, and Epistemology: Opportunities and Challenges of Using Computer Modeling and Simulation Tools in Elementary Science Methods. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 18, 243-269. Doi:10.1007/s10972-007-9039-6 http://kristine.s.tripod.com/fulltext.pdf This article goes into explaining the importance of training our "preservice" teachers to be computer literate in their own schooling to assist in their role in passing the knowledge down to their students. Their hypothesis was that computer modeling and simulations might be a meaningful way to help "preservice" elementary and middle school teachers learn about these technologies in their own education, thus showing them the effectiveness it could have on their future students. They concluded that there was some conflict in ideas. In the end, time and money also stood in the way of this becoming an approach for training "preservice" teachers. It being left to districts to advance their own software for use in the classroom.

Gende, D. (2011, April 1). Science Simulations: A Virtual Learning Environment. [web log post]. Retrieved from http://plpnetwork.com/2011/04/01/science-simulations-a-real-way-to-learn/ This post is from an educator who published in The How of 21st Century Teaching.  Gende explains how time and money are always an issue in science education.  Technology simulations can be used as a helpful tool to supplement and enhance scientific learning within the classroom.  This is with the stipulation that it should not be a replacement for hands on lab work, but to be used as an engaging tool to support learning.  She explains how research has supported this idea, listing the advantages of using simulations.  Gende then proceeds to instruct on how to implement science simulations in the classroom with a multitude of website resources to assist anyone who would like to explore and use them.

Quellmalz, E. S., DeBarger, A. H., Haertell, G., Schank, P., Buckley, B. C., Gobert, J., Horwitz, P., and Ayala, C. (n.d.). Exploring the Role of Technology-Based Simulations in Science Assessment: The Calipers Project. Retrieved from http://calipers.sri.com/downloads/CalipersAERA07.pdf The Caliper Project has developed assessments to show evidence of growth using scientific simulations. They focus on science-based simulations, and believe that they can be used for testing content, providing inquiry, formative assessment, and curriculum embedding. They strive to provide evidence of the usefulness, technical aspect, and the service of science-based simulation assessments. Keeping in mind that this is a more affordable option for educators and school districts.

CITEd Research Center. (n.d.). Using Multimedia Tools to Help Students Learn Science. Retrieved from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=148 CITEd - Center for Implementing Technology in Education believes that students need to learn to think like scientists, that we need to be "scientifically literate" to be able to function well in our current society. CITEd has been looking into how students learn best, by doing. They feel that we need to expose students to science inquiry through technology tools since this is what adult scientists use. This is with the understanding that teachers learn how to evaluate the technology and decide what best works for their students, classroom, curriculum, and style of teaching. They listed multimedia tools for science, with the understanding that research shows science and math simulation to be the most effective.

Jong, D. T. (1998) Scientific discovery learning with computer simulations of conceptual domains. (Review of Educational Research). SAGE Publications., 68, pp 179-202. This literature review addresses simulations and the effectiveness of their use in discovery learning.  The author lists several short coming of simulations, as well as ways to balance out these negative issues.  In the end, it is discovered that with combined instruction and simulation use, you will have the best outcome for student learning, understanding and growth.