Online Anatomy


Lesson: Frog Dissection- online tutorial

Not all web pages are text or still images. One of the best uses of the interactive nature of the web is the Interactive Frog Dissection. Developed by the students in the Instructional Technology program at the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education, this site can serve as an introduction or substitute for an actual dissection.

The tutorial includes several images and Quicktime movies to guide students through the dissection of a frog's internal organs. The obvious benefit of this site is the ease by which students can examine the frog's anatomy without the cost and odor usually associated with this traditional lab activity.

Activity:
Individually or in small groups, depending upon the number of computers available, students will follow and participate in the online tutorial. As they learn the function of each organ, students record their findings on an assignment sheet. Once the students are familiar with the placement and function of the organs, they will conduct a complete dissection for another student, or the teacher, to observe. If the teacher prefers, the student may repeat the dissection until the procedure is mastered. Unlike an actual dissection, there is no limit to the number of frog's available.

Follow up:


Students may practice their skills on another online dissection such as the Whole Frog Project or the disc based Mac-pig, using fetal pig anatomy as an extention to the frog. The online dissection may also serves as practical examination of the student's' dissection skills at a later time.


An additional online dissection is the