Making Real Virtual Labs

Francis Bacon began defining scientific methodology in the early 17th century, and secondary school science classes began to implement science labs in the mid-19th century. By the early 20th century, leading educators were suggesting that science labs be used to develop scientific thinking habits in young students, and at the beginning of the 21st century, educators are still seeking to achieve this goal. Technology offers one path to success. Yet, the numerous “virtual labs ” available offer little, or no, practice in scientific thinking. This paper presents a new approach to using technology, one that uses real experiments and provides student