In this screenshot, I thought it was pretty awesome that the people conducting a study on the ecosystem shown (the pond and its surrounding areas) could monitor conditions such as turbidity (shown above). The most interesting function of this system is that through a calendar feature, the individuals carrying on this study could reverse time and/or "fast forward" to future dates and analyze how different conditions (rain, wind, etc) affected the ecosystem. The students can even delve INTO the water and see how murky or clear the water is depending on the weather.
In this screenshot, young students are able to use technology to explore a virtual watershed. Students were able to run around, and see different species of animals that they would otherwise most likely never see. In addition, as seen on the screen to the left of the virtual watershed, the students were able to interact with actual staff from the Smithsonian institute and see (via video) some of the animals they deal with on a day to day basis.
This final slide really shows how effective this virtual learning system is in engaging young children who would normally shy away from things like algebra. In front of this group of students cheering is a panel of their peers who are playing a virtual computer game based around their algebra skills. By appealing to the young children's affinity toward technology, they essentially "forget" that they are actually learning. Any and all added motivation to get young kids to become engaged in math and other skills is undoubtedly a tremendous teaching tool for faculty (and students!).
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