Science Seekers: Hidden in Rocks

PC version requires:
Windows 95/98, 16 Mb RAM, 4xCD-ROM, QuickTime 3.0+

Mac version requires:
PowerPC, Sys 7.5.5+, 10 Mb RAM, 4xCD-ROM, QuickTime 3.0+

Description:

This title was developed by Tom Snyder Productions and the American Museum of Natural History for teams of students in a classroom setting (grades 5 to 8). However it could equally well be used by family members studying together at home. The challenge is to find the best place to look for fossils in the unexplored area of Vastland (a poster is supplied with satellite images of 6 areas of this unknown territory). Start the program at Seekers Central by watching a mission video showing scientists in action around the world.

The Center for Science Seekers thinks that there are paleontological treasures somewhere in the 100,000 square miles of difficult terrain of Vastland. The Center awaits your recommendation on where to send its fossil hunters. You are led through a series of steps in analysis of the optimal site. Each step involves reading information sheets (for example, on how uplift changes the Earth's surface), and assessing comprehension versus sample answers to questions - the group or teacher decides when they are ready to go on to the next step.

Reading and questions are interspersed with video briefings by a paleontologist and a geologist, including instructions on how to assess satellite images. Topics covered are: the basics of plate tectonics; the rock cycle; igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rock; weathering and erosion. After collecting all the data, the team gets to study the satellite images and submit their recommended site. Get it right and you see a video of a successful fossil hunt The wrong answer gets an explanation of why that area is unsuitable.

A hands-on science kit, mentioned in the program, can also be ordered and complements it with tools for related lab experiments.

Features:

• 8 videos
• Information sheets
• Worksheets
• 70 page User Guide
• Poster of Vastland

Technical Aspects:

QuickTime 3.0 is required, but is available on the CD. The program would not be suitable for someone with auditory difficulties - although much of the audio content is duplicated in text, the video briefings are not and are important to hear.

Report and Conclusions:

The content was especially interesting for my family as we visited the 'Fighting Dinosaurs' exhibit at the Museum of Natural History last summer, and Science Seekers: Hidden In Rocks is all about the process of figuring out where to look for fossils and dinosaur bones. My children (10 and 12) have also been studying rock types, plate tectonics and similar subjects in school and the title provides excellent multi-media reinforcement of that learning, as well as important insights into the scientific process itself.

The title seems expensive for home (as opposed to school) use but the topic is a very interesting one for all ages. My family all learned something from it and we found it very much like bringing the museum and its multi-media exhibits into our home.