Recreating ecosystems in Micro Worlds

In this paper we explore the incorporation of information and communication technologies into a Year 8 Science unit concerning Ecology. Our students explore concepts concerning the structure and function of ecosystems including abiotic and biotic characteristics and the interaction between these characteristics. In this unit the students have been required to use MS Excel, Inspiration and Micro Worlds to organise their data and represent the knowledge and understanding they have gained about these concepts. The unit description can be found at http://www.woodleigh.vic.edu.au//IDATER/MW/Ecology_Unit.pdf (the page references in the unit description refer to the students’ text, Science Quest 2 {Lofts and Evergreen, 2000}).