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Interactive, Web-based teaching tools: that is what JCE WebWare is all about. This month we present two great tools that illustrate and help teach molecular symmetry. They are also examples of two types of Web-based teaching tools you can find at JCE WebWare: digital assets and learning objects. 3D Molecular Symmetry Shockwave is a companion application to 3D Normal Modes Shockwave by the same authors, and published previously in this Journal (1). These applications use the Shockwave Web browser plug-in (2) to provide interactive, Web-based 3D animations of concepts that may be difficult for many students. With 3D Molecular Symmetry Shockwave, instructors and students can choose a molecule, orient it appropriately on the screen, choose any of its symmetry elements, and animate the corresponding symmetry operation in three dimensions. An Animated Interactive Overview of Molecular Symmetry uses Jmol, a Java-based browser applet (3), in an interactive tutorial for teaching molecular symmetry. Students learn molecular symmetry by working through a series of instructional Web pages illustrated and enhanced with interactive Jmol structures. 3D Molecular Symmetry Shockwave is an example of a digital asset: a document, image, video, animation, etc. that can be used—and reused—in many different settings. For example, by including appropriate facts, concepts, principles, etc., you could use this animation in lecture as a demonstration, to enhance a seminar presentation, or as part of a student tutorial exercise or homework assignment. There are many such digital assets available in JCE WebWare; just add your own context to use it your way! By contrast, An Animated Interactive Overview of Molecular Symmetry is an example of a learning object: a self-contained lesson, with a single learning objective. Learning objects include both digital assets (in this case the Jmol animations) along with facts, concepts, principles, etc. to form complete, self-contained learning units: the digital equivalent perhaps to a chapter subtopic in a textbook. Although they are ready to use as is, you can still modify learning objects as you need. You can explore these and other digital assets and learning objects in the peer-reviewed and open review collections of JCE WebWare. We invite you to submit digital assets and learning objects that you have created for use in your classroom to JCE WebWare, either for our open review collection or to be peer reviewed for formal publication. Literature Cited- Charistos, N. D.; Tsipis, C. A.; Sigalas, M. P. J. Chem. Educ. 2004, 81, 1231–1232.
- Shockwave Player (accessed Sep 2005)
- Jmol (accessed Sep 2005).
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