This workshop will feature the use of one form of Problem-Based Learning, Very Large Contexts (VLC), in which student teams have 4-5 weeks to construct a project, collect pertinent data, create a technical instruction manual for their device and develop a multimedia presentation about their efforts. Participants will work in small groups on specific VLCs projects.

During this workshop, participants will become familiar with the variety of simulations available. Participants will work with Physlets© (physics applets) and Open Source Physics resources (www.opensourcephysics.org). Included in this set of resources are tools for authoring simulations (Easy Java Simulations) and video analysis (Tracker). Participants will also become familiar with other simulations, e.g., the PhET simulations (http://phet.colorado.edu/new/index.php) which are research-based, interactive physics simulations. Participants will also develop the ability and skills to modify, adapt, and construct new materials. One of the goals of this workshop is to provide a flexible suite of resources appropriate to different levels of instruction as well as different levels of technological sophistication (from low to high) so that participants can choose what will be most successful in their
home environment.