Features That Contribute to its Educational Value

The features of the product that contribute the most to its overall educational value are:

1. The Shadow Puzzle in the Imagining section. This is a game in which the user has to arrange a set of square blocks into a configuration that would produce a given shadow on the wall. In the course of this game, the user is exposed to concepts involving light, shading, and 3-d visualization. The latter especially is the single most difficult concept to teach in chemistry, and students who have completed this exercise would have a valuable advantage in a later science course.
   
   
2. The Magic Theater in the Imagining section. This is an exercise in which the user uses three given images to create a story, complete with audio sound effects. It would be great if the text box for the story were bigger and the story could be made to be persistent, but the exercise is exciting, fun, and very educational as it stands.
   
   
3. The Electronic Palette in the Diagramming section. This is an exercise in which the user actually sketches on an electronic palette. Again, a persistent record of a students sketches in an electronic "idea log" would be very helpful here. However, the exercise of sketching on an electronic palette fosters valuable skills vis-a-vis long distance collaboration on scientific or design issues.
   
   
4. The Transformations Challenge in the Imagining section. This is an exercise in mental manipulation which the user is given an original image of a pattern-covered cube and is asked to select the appropriate image of the cube after rotating it 90 degrees in two different planes. This skill is often tested on IQ tests and is important for 3-d visualization. A greater ability to transform objects in the mind will make students better at visualizing an object from a different perspective.