What do pan flutes and major principles of physics have in common? You don't have to answer the question because the CK-12 Foundation has already made the connection with their latest addition to their interactive simulation learning tools, the first of which is Explaining Physics!
Unless you have Albert Einstein's IQ level, physics can be tough to understand. That's why CK-12 developed high quality, free interactive simulations, which aims to explain core concepts of physics to middle and high school students through daily real world experiences of the world around them. In watching a simulation explaining how a pan flute works, for example, students can be introduced to the scientific concepts of wave speed and wave interface in a way that's relatable, which greatly aids their comprehension. They can also engage deeply by manipulating variables, which increases curiosity and helps explore at a deeper level. Teachers can also use these simulations in the classroom to explain several scientific concepts, create supplementary education content, build project assignments or foster discussions around concepts in an engaging way.
"Our goal at the foundation has been to provide the most engaging learning experiences to students all over the world. With today's digital technology in classrooms, these interactive simulations can help us spark that student curiosity and encourage them to explore the world around them while learning," says Neeru Khosla, founder of The CK-12 Foundation. "By blending the real world, the abstract and math, these simulations help students engage and immerse themselves in learning and having fun by manipulating the variables and seeing instant effects."
With technology becoming increasingly more essential in the classroom, The CK-12 Foundation creates the technology to enables digital learning that is fun, interactive and, best of all, completely free. Since its inception, the organization has worked to help both educators and students take full advantage of digital devices, like iPads and Chromebooks, in the classroom.
Along with these new interactive simulations, teachers and students can access CK-12's full library of digital content. This includes full digital textbooks, 5,000+ math and science concepts with multiple modalities for all learning types. These modalities include videos, images, reading, simulations, real world applications, activities, flashcards, study guides, assessments and more for each concept. FlexBooks are CK-12's signature learning tool, a digital, buildable e-textbook that teachers can fully customize based on their students' needs. More STEM subjects will later be added to the simulations series.
Interactive education simulations can be viewed here.
How will you use Ck-12's free interactive simulations in your classroom?