January 1, 2005 (Vol. 25, No. 1)
URL:
http://science.nhmccd.edu/biol/ap1int.htm
Rating:
Strong Points: Broad coverage
Weak Points: Needs some pruning
Summary:
Yet another animation-focused site is the AP Interaction Animations, hosted by the Biology Department at North Harris College in Texas. With animations in popular common formats (Flash, Real Player, etc.), the materials are readily accessible to anyone with a Web browser. Categories covered include Anatomy/Physiology, Biology, Animals, Plants, Ecology, and Microbiology (as well as a few physical sciences), the site provides links to online animations at other sites that range from informative to very low level. A bit of pruning or screening is a worthwhile goal for the organizers of this site. Yesterday’s animations may have been big news a while back, but today’s tech-savvy student isn’t going to warm to simplistic presentations. Not everything is weak, however. Some of the Flash animations, such as the Helicobacter pylori site at Johns Hopkins, are superb. A bit of yin, a bit of yang.
