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Physics
Database |
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School: Dalriada School |
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Fellow: Denise Gault |
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Email: deniselgault@yahoo.co.uk |
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The main aim of my project
for this year was to produce a version of
my Physics Database which would have a virtual
walkthrough linking to the items in the cupboards
and shelves which you would select during
the walk, and how they would be used in experiments. |
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In order to do the latter the idea was to
have experiment sheets for Teachers, Technicians
and Pupils at each Year Group for each Topic
which would be embedded into the database.
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Firstly, the difficulties of which there
have been many. Having tried 4 versions of
the walkthrough, with little success in each
case, using every free software option that
we could think of, I finally decided that
it was better to leave this type of work to
the graphics boffins employed by Sony Playstation
et al. |
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Also as the work progressed I was very keen
to link our database into a web accessible
format since we already have much of our Dalriada
Physics work online via the school website.
None of the 4 prototype virtual walkthroughs
could run easily via the school site nor could
the Database in Access 2000 be accessed via
the web. |
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Finally, in desperation, I took a bottom
up approach and on the advice of my mentor,
Sandra Amos decided to bin the walkthrough
completely and concentrate on having a Physics
Database that:- |
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Could be accessed and
managed (if necessary) via the web.
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Could have experiment sheets with
equipment pictures linked to individual
items and locations and vice versa.
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Could be used to facilitate resource
management and ordering. |
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Could be replicated free by anyone
who so desired by down-loading; |
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- Apache as the web server http:/httpd.apache.org
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- My SQL as the database http://www.mysql.com/
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- PHP to build the web pages in HTML
or PHP – http://www.phphelp.com/
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Could import across our current Access
Database relatively easily. |
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Could facilitate the easy construction
of Interactive White Board lessons,
in the future, by providing material
via the pupil experiment sheets for
insertion into interactive power point
templates. |
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Could provide a mechanism for the
management of ICT learning resources,
in the future, such as CD ROMs or other
programs which could also feed into
point 6. above. |
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In terms of my achievements this year, these
have been to carry out points 1-5 as outlined
above, on a prototype basis, for One Topic,
for one Year Group and to set up a framework
for future work which would be full implementation
of points 1-5 on a Topic by Topic Year Group
by Year Group Basis as well as points 6 and
7 as outlined above. |
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My Fellowship outcome has been specifically
for Year 11 Experiments on Earth in Space
for GCSE Physics.Here I have produced Experiment
Sheets for Teachers, Pupils and Technicians.
The equipment listed in the sheets is directly
linked to the database. For example, in the
experiment to measure mass using a “Wig
Wam Machine” clicking on that phrase
will take you straight to the database which
will indicate to Teachers/Technicians/Pupils,
how many of them there are, where they are
kept etc. |
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It had originally been my intention to have
the picture of the equipment embedded into
the database, but it has proven to be much
more useful to have a full size picture/pictures
of the equipment, as used in the experiment
as P2 of 2 of each of the experiment sheets.
To that end I have done just that; inserted
the equipment pictures into each experiment
sheet. While this results in duplication it
has also overcome the greater problem; that
pieces of equipment could be used for many
different experiments over several Topic Areas,
so we have taken pictures of the experiment
set up’s and pulled the individual pieces
of equipment out, tied to number/locations
etc via the database. This has solved what
would otherwise have been a major problem. |
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In conclusion, over what has proven to be
a very difficult year we now have a database,
transferred from Access to My SQL using PHP
as a prototype, that fulfils all of my original
criteria, and many more besides, except for
the virtual walkthrough which will, for the
meantime, have to remain a pipedream. |
