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App

Virtual Heart

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

No more beating the pavement to find a virtual model of the human heart. See one in continual real-time motion, and layer it to highlight electrical impulses, blood flow, and valve activity. 

9th - Higher Ed Science 1 Collection 89 Views 61 Downloads
Concepts
the cardiovascular system, human body systems, the circulatory system, the heart
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Additional Tags
heart, cardiovascular system, circulatory system, heart function, science
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App Overview

The main screen displays a realistic beating heart.

Features:

  • Arrows up and down control BPM (beats per minute)
  • Magnifier zooms and hides other features
  • Scrollbar of images gives a choice of views:
    • Interior
    • Electrical system
    • Valves
    • Blood flow
  • Labels: On on or Labels: Off
  • Learn More links to The Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago website to explore the Giant Heart exhibit

At any time you can slide a finger down the screen to alternate between an interior or exterior view.

 

 

 

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Curator Rating
  • Adherence to task

    Printed information isn't accessible for review

  • Worth the money
  • Fun factor
  • Scaffolding of learning
  • User safety
  • Control and feedback
  • How techie do I need to be?
    Intermediate
See rubric.
Instructional Ideas
  • Use Virtual Heart as a visual aid when you are teaching about the heart
  • Class members can review structures of the heart with labels on, record each in science journals, and then research the role of each labeled feature
Classroom Considerations

Informative text only appears once, the first time you tap on any one of the scrollbar choices:

  • The heart is roughly in the center of the chest
  • Laughing increases blood flow
  • A bundle of special nerves acts as a pacemaker
  • Valves open and close two at a time and are what create heartbeats
  • It takes 20 seconds for blood to circulate throughout the entire body

Other than the above information, this app serves mainly as a labeled model.

Pros
  • Accurate representation of heart structure and function
  • Realistic imagery
  • Simple and easy to navigate
  • Can be used with Next Generation Science Standards HS-LS1-2
Cons
  • The only communicated information appears one time in print, only for a few seconds, and cannot be reviewed without exiting the app and starting over
  • Only viewable in portrait orientation