Rod's Multimedia Laboratory

August 4, 1995

This is the multimedia classroom/laboratory that Rod built with the aid of an NSF grant with a target toward enhancing the teaching of science in the public schools. It is at this time pretty well state-of-the-art with 12 computers with access to the internet. The latest technology is used for classroom instruction, both with a view toward enhancing the learning of these future science teachers and to provide them with experience in the use of such tools for their future teaching. The computers were obtained with the grant funds, but Rod built the oak plywood stands for the computers with space to store the keyboards underneath.

The Natural Science Center was completed in 1991 and the construction of this room toward the goal of science teacher enhancement was begun. At this time it is used for the Conceptual Physics intensive summer series for the TEEMS program. Those students get initial teacher certification at the Masters Degree level and essentially go right out into the classroom after taking Conceptual Physics - it is often in their last term. I had initiated the Conceptual Physics course in 1980 and taught it until this time in one of the laboratory rooms in Kell Hall. I had gradually increased the technology involved using the Apple 2 computers that became available in the early 80's. The advent of the Macintosh computers in the mid-80s opened a new arena of using not only data-handling capability but also graphical interfaces for instruction. The classroom is also used for conceptual physical science for both elementary and middle school education majors. At this point I was well along with the Development of the HyperPhysics learning environment in the HyperCard software on the Macintosh. The real open Internet came into being in the neighborhood of 1993, so a new environment was developing for the type of things I was doing. In 1998 I began to port HyperPhysics over to the Internet and use html for its basic language.