Problem:

Written Periodic Tables can be hard to read at times, the writing  can be small. Also, finding elements can be difficult when the writing is so small. Periodic Tables can be hard to keep handy and near you when doing a task, it would be nice to have something on a iPhone or iPad that is more convenient.

Possible solutions:

Questions to ask while brainstorming is;

Is this app easy to use? Is it practical in a classroom?

Is it accessible to everyone?

Does it help your learning in your chemistry unit?

Looking for an app with reliable information, I searched online and in the app stores. The Period Tables I found and tried were;

K12 Periodic Table of the Elements

iElements – Periodic Table

Khan Academy Chemistry 1

After going through the apps and playing around with them a little more, I picked out which of the three answered my problem. I decided that K12 Periodic Table was able to fulfill the dream.

The app

The app itself is quite practical. It’s a Periodic Table in your pocket and small enough to carry around with you in the lab/science room. It has the layout of a traditional Periodic Table, all the elements present, ordered, and in their groups/periods. The elements are colour coded and they are in their families. They also include a legend and settings to change the grouping, if you instead would like the colors to represent the outermost orbitals instead of the families. It shows the elements by their symbol.
One click on an element cell shows you the symbol enlarged with the atomic number and atomic mass number. The second click shows you a better description of the element, including the Lewis Dots, outermost orbital, and much more. It’s much more helpful than a printed Periodic Table. Easy to read and understand.

The little problem was that the application doesn’t include the charge of an element, even when you click on it to see a better description. This is
quite a downer because those charges are needed when doing element bonds. It is especially critical for multivalent elements, other elements can be easier to figure out their charge.

 

 

How does the app help users build skills or learn content?

It helps user find their element faster on a Periodic Table when looking for symbols of the element, which when studying elements can be a big advantage. It has necessary information for the element(except the charge), which can help the student work with the element.

How intuitive is the app? Is it self explanatory or does it take a long time to figure out?

This app is very simple and self explanatory. It only has one page to understand. This page includes the Periodic Table and three buttons in the bottom corner. One is a setting button for you to change the color organization of the Periodic Table. The question marks explains how to use the app and the “i” talks about the idea of the app. The writing is clear and big enough to read quickly. Everything is easy to find and not complicated at all.

 

What innovative elements does the app utilize?

This app provides with colour coding to group the elements differently to your preference.

Debrief?

This app is good quality and very easy to use. Some problems include that it doesn’t include charges, especially for multivalent elements. The app helps me find elements quick because of the colour coding, the big letters that are easy to read, and function of the app. I would’ve prefered to find an app that is as simple as this K12 Periodic Table, but that included the charges.