Community reviews for NOVA Elements

It is an innovative app that catches students' attention and keeps them interested in science.

I love the whole suite from NOVA. The video allows real learning. As others have said, the interactive app is basic but, for it brings atomic structure together with molecules.

A very good teaching tool with some very good graphics.

I like this product. It is easy to use. The Periodic Table portion is a wealth of information and engaging videos. It is great for a class setting in which the teacher presents a short video to start a discussion. In small groups, it can be used as a jigsaw to investigate a given set of elements and in an individual setting a student can explore at their own pace and watch videos repeatedly to pick up information at their own speed. It would be great to add a section for beginners to create atoms in which individual protons, neutrons and electrons were shown as they were added to help the students visualize the atom.

The periodic table is something that is hard to present to low-level readers and special needs students. This app does a good job in organizing these things into sections, but concepts are really for at grade level readers.

It was helpful that Pogue narrates each feature, so that students can hear directions as well as read them. The sound effects made it interesting enough for 8th graders without making it too hokey (and kept them engaged). I was impressed with the 3D effect of the built atoms: the electrons spun around the nucleus in a way that was scientifically accurate and gave students a realistic representation of these atoms. Once a student chooses "submit" for an element, a countdown begins. This allows students to focus seriously on their first attempt and adjust 1 or 2 particles as necessary if they've submitted the wrong element. The app sent appropriate feedback when students needed to try again. I would LOVE for this app to add a bond features, where students can connect elements together to see how they interact with one another.

It is a great resource for starter information. It is also great for inquiry based lessons where they get a little bit of information and have to do labs or research based on what they saw.

The game that lets students build atoms and molecules is a nice learning tool. It could be better if it would display atomic number and atomic weight as the student adds protons and neutrons; that would allow students to discover the meanings of those terms for students. Also, the app starts with sound on and a narration from David Pogue. The audio can be turned off, but it should not come on at the start by default.

This app is layered and has diverse ways to access learning. In 'explore' the interactive table goes beyond info and pictures for each element, and lets them build models. The short videos for "Hunting the elements" are good for all ages, fun and high quality, with links to more on NOVA online. Although kids wanted to jump right to "play", there was a learning curve unless they just used the auto build feature. In my opinion it is superb on a tablet, and although students seem happy with a small phone sized screen I think it is less clear in that format. It makes the 'table of elements' come alive, gives choices for users, and connects vividly through videos to 'the big world'.

Students can click on an element and "see" the element as well as find facts about it. The "build an atom" section allows students to explore how to build an atom with the correct number of protons, neutrons and electrons. The videos offer additional information about elements and the history of the periodic table. Students can learn at their own pace and explore deeper if they want, thus differentiating learning and allowing students to research on their own.