In this program, you will first build a mammal by choosing its physical and behavioral characteristics. Then, you will test the ecological success of these

In this program, you will first build a mammal by choosing its physical and behavioral characteristics. Then, you will test the

ecological success of these characteristics in simulated environments.

Here is the basic body you will build on:

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears

Start Building!

Welcome to Make-a-Mammal!

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears

Choose a Size for your Mammal

Small

Next FeaturePrev. Feature

Large

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Size for your Mammal

SmallLarge

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Covering

BlubberySkin

Dark Fur Light Fur

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Covering

BlubberySkin

Dark Fur Light Fur

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Mode of Locomotion

Flippers Hooves Paws

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Mode of Locomotion


Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Type of Ear

Small ears No ears Big ears

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears



Big earsBig ears are useful for getting rid of excess heat because theyhave a high surface area: volume ratio and are well-vascularized.

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears



Small ears No ears Big ears

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Tail Type

Tail fin PrehensileTail

BushyTail

NoTail

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose a Tail Type

Tail fin PrehensileTail

BushyTail

NoTail

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose Your Animal’s Diet

plants fish smallmammals

largemammals

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose Your Animal’s Diet

plants fish smallmammals

largemammals

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose Your Animal’s Shelter

brush den/burrowtree in the open

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose Your Animal’s Shelter

brush den/burrowtree in the open

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears


Choose When Your Animal will Be Awake

diurnal nocturnal

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears

FinishPrev. Feature

Choose When Your Animal will Be Awake

diurnal nocturnal

Mammal Maker

Start

Size

Covering

Locomotion

Tail

Diet

Shelter

Activity

Finish

Ears

Done

Finish Building Your Mammal

Great Job!

Now that you’ve added the featuresto your mammal, click “Done” to see your animal and review your choices.

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears

Choose an Environment

Your Mammal

Click on one of the feature icons on the left to edit your mammal. When you’re ready to choose an environment in which to place your animal, click on “Choose an Environment”to continue.


Your Mammal

Click on one of the feature icons on the left to edit your mammal. When you’re ready to choose an environment in which to place your animal, click on “Choose an Environment” to continue.

Locomotion Editor

Save Change Cancel


Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears


Your Mammal

Click on one of the feature icons on the left to edit your mammal. When you’re ready to choose an environment in which to place your animal, click on “Choose an Environment” to continue.

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears

Choose an Environment for Your Mammal

Click on a region of the map where you’d like to place your mammal.

Rainforests

Choose this EnvironmentGo back to Map

Rainforests

Characteristics of Rainforests: •No seasons •A large amount of precipitation per year• An extremely high diversity of plants and animals • The earth’s oldest living ecosystems


Choose an Environment for Your Mammal

Click on a region of the map where you’d like to place your mammal.

Tundra


Tundra


Characteristics of Tundra:• Sparse plant and animal life• Low yearly precipitation• Extreme seasonal variation in day/night lengths• Extreme yearly variation intemperature• Coldest environment on earth

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Your Mammal’s Life in the Tundra

Body Temperature Control- The big ears on your mammal cause it to lose extra heat to the chilly arctic environment.

Predation- Good thinking! Your mammal’s light colored fur helps it hide from predators.

Food- Your mammal is big so it requires more energy to survive, especially in a cold environment. It has a hard time finding enough plants to eat.

Shelter- Right on! Since your animal lives in a den, it protects itself from the cold.

QuitChange EnvironmentEdit Your Mammal

Survive-o-meter

10- - - - - 5- - - - - 0

Survive-0-meter Score: Your mammal’s survival score is 5

See a real animal in this environment

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal

Click on one of the feature icons on the left to edit your mammal. When you’re ready to retest your mammal in itsenvironment, click on “Back to Simulation” to continue.

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal

Ear Editor

Save Change Cancel

Click on one of the feature icons on the left to edit your mammal. When you’re ready to retest your mammal in itsenvironment, click on “Back to Simulation”to continue.

Small Ears No Ears Big Ears

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal


Ear Editor

Save Change Cancel

Small Ears No Ears Big Ears

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Big ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal


Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Small ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal

Diet Editor

Save Change Cancel


plants fishsmall

mammalslarge

mammals

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Small ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal


Diet Editor

Save Change Cancel

plants fishsmall

mammalslarge

mammals

Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Plants

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Small ears

Back to Simulation

Your Mammal


Mammal Features

Size Large

Covering Light Fur

Locomotion Paws

Tail Prehensile

Diet Small Mammals

Shelter Den/cave

Activity Diurnal

Ears Small ears

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Life in the Tundra

Exit Simulation

Your Mammal’s Life in the Tundra

Body temperature control- Smaller ears expose lesssurface area to the outside. This is very important inthe icy tundra climate!

Predation- Good thinking! Your mammal’s light colored fur helps it hide from predators.

Food- Great! Big animals require lots of energy to survive, especially in a cold environment. Eating small mammals allows your mammal to gain more calories each time it eats than it would by just living off of arctic vegetation.

Shelter- Right on! Since your animal lives in a den, it protects itself from the cold.

QuitChange EnvironmentEdit Your Mammal

Survive-o-meter

10- - - - - 5- - - - - 0

Survive-0-meter: Your mammal’s survival score is 9.Excellent job! Your changes allow itto better adapt to living in the tundra.

See a real animal in this environment

Educational Goal: For fourth to eighth grade science students to become aware of animal characteristics that affect an animal’s suitability to a particular environment, and that the same characteristics can have different effects in different environments. The students learn about the characteristics by constructing a mammal with a set of characteristics of their choosing, then putting this constructed mammal into an environment of their choosing. The computer program provides feedback regarding how the animal survived in their environment, and how the different characteristics of the mammal contributed to its survival.

We designed Make a Mammal using a constructivist approach, with the belief that knowledge should be constructed by the student, rather than transmitted to the student. We made MAM to allows the student to explore the relationship between animal characteristics and their environment and actively construct their own mental model through exploration, rather than making an application that quizzes students on their recall of characteristic and environment facts.

We were also heavily influenced by Lepper and Malone’s work regarding intrinsic motivation and instructional effectiveness in computer based education. Lepper and Malone emphasize not making “feedback for error more interesting and exciting than feedback for success” as well as feedback “will prove more effective when there is some inherent or intrinsic connection between the feedback device and the instructional content of the program in which it is being used.” This second principle is a component of a question we continually asked ourselves as designers – “Where’s the learning?” We tried to make feedback relevant to the program, and have the feedback facilitate learning and thinking about the concepts in our simulation. Our study of competing products revealed programs where one could piece together an animal, but the feedback to the user was of the nature of “that looks bizarre” and fun in watching an animal morph features, but no emphasis on thinking about what the user had created or why the animal had not fared well.

Documents

In this program, you will first build a mammal by choosing its physical and behavioral characteristics. Then, you will test the ecological success of these