Biology is an extremely important part of the science curriculum that all students must learn about. Being knowledgeable about the body increases the chances that a person will know how to care for themselves and therefore lower their risk of disease and injury. Yet the human body is also a complicated system and it can be extremely difficult to memorize all the information that the subject demands students retain.
In the past the only way to teach biology was by listening to teaches lecture, look at drawings and charts in textbooks and read facts. Occasionally, a classroom would have a replica of a skeleton inside of it to make the placement of bones more apparent to students. Yet now times have changed—dramatically. Textbooks have been largely replaced by websites and many students no longer even attend physical classes. As the world goes virtual so does science and “BioDigital Human” is a prime example of how biology is adjusting to the technical revolution.
BioDigital Human is a virtual program that explains the complicated systems of the human body in an easy to understand and visually appealing way. According to the BioDigital Human website, “The BioDigital Human is a virtual 3D body that brings to life thousands of medically accurate anatomy objects and health conditions in an interactive Web-based platform.”
BioDigital Human is accessed via the Internet. Although certain aspects of the program are free of charge other uses of the program require a monthly fee. The website offers users the chance to learn about the important systems in the body such as the digestive system, the skeletal system, the repertory system, and so on. The program also explains how the body grows and heals while visually showcasing how each system actually works within the body via a 3D animated figure. In other words, the program is like an old fashioned textbook diagram come to life.
Times are changing and so is the way that people get educated. Undoubtedly, a program like BioDigital Human is useful to learners and easy to access. It is yet another example of how technology is replacing the increasingly outdated brick and mortar, books and rulers, desks and chairs system of schooling that is rapidly evolving into a freer more homeschool-like system of learning where one can choose the time and place where they are most comfortable and ready to absorb a lesson.
Nevertheless, certain curriculum requirements and subjects are likely to remain essential to the learning process regardless of *how* that learning is achieved. The human condition has changed drastically over time but the human body has stayed the same (abet longer-living and in overall better health) and it is still just as important for children to learn about biology today as it was before the Internet was invented. Although the subject often seems daunting, the latest generation of children have a better chance of remembering the topic’s content thanks to the innovations of the World Wide Web and the people who are clever enough to create educationally enriching programs such as BioDigital Human.
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