Good hardware is useless without good software - a problem encountered in 1992 when my classroom was equipped with 8 Macintosh LC-II computers. After looking for software it quickly became evident that what was available was either too simple, too complex or too expensive. I decided that the best option was to write my own software with an authoring program called HyperStudio.

What has evolved over the years is The Physical Science Series - a collection of Chemistry and Physics software written specifically for use in my Honors Physical Science classroom at Sarasota High School. These are a few screen shots of the programs found in the series.

By clicking on any of the 109 elements, the student receives a wide variety of data about that element on The Electronic Periodic Table. The student can view pictures of the elements, graphs of periodic trends & click on buttons that take them to related sites on the World Wide Web.

A Brief History of Atomic Theory takes the student on a journey through time allowing them to duplicate the experiments of scientists that discovered the structure of the atom. The program investigates the discoveries of Democritus, Dalton, Mendeleev, Thomson, Rutherford, Chadwick and Bohr.

Significant Figures is one of several programs used to teach the skills required for a student to be successful in any branch of Science. Other programs included in the Physical Science Series are: The Metric System, Scientific Notation, Reading Metric Rulers, Calibrating Scientific Instruments, Graphing Scientific Data, and Graduated Cylinders.

The Organic Model Toolkit allows students to construct models of organic compounds such as butane, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid and benzene by clicking and dragging atoms and covalent bonds into a workspace. This toolkit is linked to the Introduction to Organic Chemistry program which instructs students on simple organic chemistry. Students are brought to the toolkit at several points in the program to test their knowledge of the structure of organic families. The Bohr model toolkit has students construct models of atoms.

Each program is followed by an electronic quiz. Students are immediately informed whether or not their answer is correct and scores are displayed at the end of each program.

One of the best ways to wind up a chapter is to play a friendly game of Inquisition. Project the program onto a TV monitor and break the class into two groups to compete against each other. Or have individual students compete against one another. Either way Inquisition is a fun way to review before an exam.

Internet access is the newest addition to the Physical Science Series. This year I am incorporating the worldwide web into the Physical Science Series programs. A simple click on button and the student is taken out to a site anywhere in the world. When they finish they are automatically brought back into the program. This way students can be directed to sites that are significant while keeping them out of sites that are not.