Resource+1

 ‘In Digestion’ [], is an interactive web-base resource directed at students in year 3-7. Students select foods and follow its passage through the human body, examining the process of digestion. Students, through information provided choose to chew, add saliva or add gastric juices to the digestive process and watch how the body reacts to this process.

The resource is visually appealing to students with a colourful and comical illustration aspect motivating students to interact with the tool. Students are introduced to the topic of digestion with a series of questions. They are the presented with information about what digestion is and move onto the activity where they are to select 3 food items for the male charter to eat and digest. In each stage of the digestive process (starting at the mouth, continuing right through to passing the food through in the form of a ‘poo’) the resource interactively shows the process of digestion through cartoon and the use of sound effects. Students are presented with core information in each section that also includes a link leading them to more detailed information. Although there is much technical language used throughout the recourse most of these words are underlined and may be clicked on for a definition and an option to clearly hear the word. Students also have access to a controls panel which allows them access and print from the glossary, a help button and a button showing how the key board can be used in this resource.

‘In digestion’ provides accurate information about the human body and the digestive system in an engaging way. It involves the use of high literacy skills with a substantial amount of reading with potentially some unfamiliar vocabulary, however scaffolding is provided in the source of definition and hearing the word. The resource lends itself to both small group and individual usage as it is easily followed and allows for exploration, however I would recommend firstly demonstrating how it works to the whole class. I believe that this would be a valuable and engaging resource for students of this age.

I would recommend this program to others as it is an engaging and entertaining resource that will stimulate and enhance students learning with the potential to be used in ways such as informative or part of an assessment activity. It could be incorporated in both units on science and the human body however students need to understand that the end result is different each time the resource is used.