Educational Software Review
Many educational companies have produced tutorials online and as CDs. One company in particular, Interactive Learning Inc., specializes in science tutorial CDs including BioTutor, ChemTutor and PhysicsTutor. Each of these have had tremendous success in helping beginning high school and college students in understanding the concepts of Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These tutorial CDs can also be used by prospective teachers as a preparation for the Praxis II exam in these fields.
Interactive Learning Inc., an educational software company, developed several programs to assist high school and college students in learning biology, chemistry and physics. When studying to pass the Praxis II exam in Biology, a prospective teacher can start by using biology textbooks and review workbooks. There is also an interactive program entitled BioTutor developed by Interactive Learning Inc. This software is extremely helpful to those prospective teachers who have not passed the Biology Praxis II exam. When used to study for the exam for approximately six months prior to taking the exam, your scores will improve to at least the 151 required to pass the exam.
The BioTutor program includes several chapters, including chapters on cells, genetics, DNA and RNA, body systems, botany and evolution. Each chapter allows the user to perform practice tests and an exam at the end of the program that contains a combination of all subject areas. The practice tests are fully interactive and after each question is answered, the program indicates whether the answer was correct or incorrect. If the user answered the question incorrectly, the program indicates the correct answer. At the end of the test, the percentage of correct answers are calculated and shows the user what questions in which subject areas were answered correctly. This program, together with ChemTutor and PhysicsTutor, are designed to assist high school and college students with biology, chemistry and physics.
BioTutor, ChemTutor and PhysicsTutor, each have a standard and “Excalibur” version of their respective programs. The standard version is designed to be used in conjunction with a textbook while the “Excalibur” version is a complete interactive version that can be utilized with or without a textbook. The practice tests given in the “Excalibur” version include “Learn” and “Explanation” buttons. When the user doesn’t fully understand the question given, he or she can click on the “Learn” button to switch to a screen that shows how to approach the question. When more information is needed, the user clicks the “Explanation” button for a more detailed explanation of the question.
BioTutor is an extremely helpful interactive program that can be used to obtain higher grades by high school and college students in biology, while ChemTutor and PhysicsTutor are programs for chemistry and physics. Since I am a biology educator, I firmly believe that BioTutor is a definite “must have” for all high school and college students.
