Tactus Technologies

V-Frog™ is superior to both physical specimens and multimedia in many ways. V-Frog™ allows true real-time interaction, just like a real specimen, plus it adds exciting new virtual surgery technology for an unparalleled educational experience.

Learning Benefits:
• Life-like 3D specimen
• Student can freely manipulate virtual specimen
• Provides an exploratory based interaction
• Provides an "authentic" experience
• Actions are repeatable for optimal learning
• Student-directed learning path
• Superior learning by watching systems come to life

Health and Safety Concerns:
• No teacher or student exposure to chemicals
• No student exposure to dangerous instruments

Moral and Ethical Issues:
• No specimen harm
• No ecosystem harm

Instructional Benefits:
• Instructor can model dissection using projector
• Activity not constrained to lab environment
• No specimen disintegration
• Multiple use of specimen/software

Other Benefits:
• Complies with Life Science standards
• Complies with Inquiry standards

There are currently upwards of 6 million dissections performed annually in the United States, and as many as 20 million or more worldwide. Dissection has enjoyed such widespread adoption over the past several decades primarily because it is a highly effective exercise in which students explore and learn the principles of anatomy and biological systems.

As effective as dissection is, there are myriad problems associated with it. Some of these are listed below:

• There are health and safety issues associated with dissection. Exposure to chemicals and dangerous instruments are the most commonly cited of these.

• There are also a variety of instructional problems with dissection such as off-task activities, workstation preparation and cleanup and time constraints.

• Ethical concerns of students, teachers, and others are the most frequently cited reason for seeking alternatives to dissection.

Despite these problems, there are those who believe that dissection is irreplaceable in middle and high school science education, and that multimedia does not present a viable alternative.

Additionally, in a survey conducted of state departments of Education by Tactus Technologies, of the 24 states that responded, only 2 did not require or highly recommend dissection or dissection alternatives. Further, the majority of the states contacted align themselves with the National Science Teachers Association, which strongly supports the use of dissection when done in a safe and ethical manner.

V-Frog™ has the potential to satisfy those on both sides of the argument, presenting students with a life like, exploratory environment not available with multimedia alternatives, while addressing all of the learning, ethical, health and safety and instructional issues commonly associated with physical dissection.