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3rd Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference 2009. http://conference.nie.edu.sg/2009/ 
Leveraging on Easy Java Simulation tool and open source computer simulationlibrary to create interactive digital media for mass customization of high schoolphysics curriculum
 
Loo Kang WEE
Ministry of Education,Education Technology DivisionSingapore, Singaporeweelookang@gmail.com
Wai Keong MAK 
Centre for Applied ResearchSiM UniversitySingapore, Singaporewkmak@unisim.edu.sg
Figure 1. Ejs Applet View of the interative digital media and virtuallaboratory.
This paper sought to highlight the diverse possibilities in therich community of educators in the
Conceptual Learning of Science
(CoLoS) and Open Source Physics (OSP) movement toengage, enable and empower teachers and students to createinteractive digital media through computer modeling. Theconcept put forward revolves around a paradigmatic shifttowards participatory learning through immersive computermodeling, as opposed to use of technology for transmission of information.We aim to introduce this tool kit, Easy Java Simulation (Ejs)with its learning community, to engage high school educatorsto develop themselves professionally adding a creation and/orcustomization of simulation to their arsenal of educationalstrategies.Ejs allows educators to be designers of learning environmentsthrough modifying source codes of the simulation. Educatorscan plan lessons that allow for students’ learning by doingusing these interactive digital simulations. The educator canrapidly enhance the simulation through changing the sourcecodes personally, with support from Ejs community. Ejstoolkit, library of simulations and dynamic communitycontributed simulation codes, in a Web 2.0 environment,potentially allows rapid proliferation of such interactive digitalsimulation, while achieving mass customization of learningsimulations. Ejs also presents a possible unified approach inthe building virtual laboratories.This paper highlights a way of enabling teachers and studentsto learn and modify existing source codes to achieve finercustomization of interactive digital media for enhancinglearning in physics curriculum. The impediment to use thismethod is discussed.
 Keywords- easy java simulation physics education teacher  professional development integrated e-learning applet learning community open source self directed learning collaborative ICT masterplan 21
 st 
century skills modeling 
I. I
 NTRODUCTION
 In the continued effort to enrich and transform thelearning environment in and outside formal schooleducation, we sought to highlight the diverse possibilities inthe rich community of educators in the Conceptual Learningof Science
(
CoLoS) [1] and Open Source Physics (OSP) [2]movement to engage, enable and empower teachers andstudents to create interactive digital media through computer modeling.The concept put forward revolves around a paradigmaticshift towards participatory learning for deep and immersivecomputer modeling, as opposed to use of technology for transmission of information.While we recognize the prerequisite knowledge andeducational pedagogy necessary for such learning is suitedfor undergraduate learners, attempts to bring this technologyenabled pedagogy to high school learners will be exciting.We decide on a more pragmatic approach of introducingthis wealth of knowledge, its learning community and toolkit to engage high school educators to develop professionally by creating and/or customizing simulations to their arsenal of educational strategies.Leveraging on open source-creative commons licensingof codes, a modeling-authoring toolkit like Easy JavaSimulation (Ejs) [3] and its community, teachers around theworld can customize the existing library of interactive physics simulations to suit their curriculum learning needs of their learners.
PAP591
DAY 2 Tuesday, 02 Jun 2009 NIE5-01-TR45 PAPER SESSION III 13:30 - 15:00 hrs
 
3rd Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference 2009.http://conference.nie.edu.sg/2009/ 
This paper highlights a legal and free way of enablingteachers and students to learn and modify existing sourcecodes to achieve finer customization of interactive digitalmedia for enhancing learning for physics curriculum.The Easy Java Simulations is the exclusive copyright of its author,Francisco Esquembrewho distributes it under aGNU GPL license [4]. EJS itself and its JAR library files can be copied and distributed freely.Authors can distribute any simulation that they create andremix using EJS, preserve original author and contributors of the source codes and link to the official Web page for EJS:http://fem.um.es/Ejs.In addition, educators likeFu-Kwun Hwanglicensed hissource codes under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Taiwan License [5], which means anyone is free to share andremix the source codes under the condition of attribution of original author.These innovative licenses aim to lower barriers tocollaborate in this media rich and highly internet networkedworld that we live in. Free and open source educationresources are necessary nurturing conditions for spreading of resources, and co-creation and co-authorship of learningresources that can develop educators as designers of learningenvironments. Now, teachers and students can stand on theshoulders of giants and learn about simulation building bytinkering creative commons license source codes.II.I
 NSTALLATION
 
OF
E
ASY
J
AVA
S
IMULATIONS
 
AND
 
LEARNING
 
ACTIVITIES
  New readers to Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) may want torefer to the website to download the latest version of EJS andJava Runtime Environment (JRE). Additional materials likeModeling Science Textbook Chapter 2: Introduction to EasyJava Simulations [6], Modeling Science Textbook Chapter 3:Ejs and Java Concepts [7] and Modeling Physics with EasyJava Simulations [8] are valuable starter learning activities.III.M
OTIVATION
 
FOR 
 
USING
E
JS
 The teaching of concepts in conservation of momentum andconservation of kinetic energy in perfectly elastic andinelastic collisions have being difficult concepts tounderstand for many ‘A’ level Physics students. Ejs allowseducators to be designers of learning environments to allowfor learning by doing, inquiry learning etc. A customizedinteractive digital learning environment can be amanipulative tool to be used by the learners. Educators inclass can easily pilot the use of these interactive digitalsimulation, listen to the users’ feedback and improve theinteractive digital simulation without always relying ondifficult enhancement processes such as paying vendors to build and add modifications later. Ejs creative commons andopen source codes on Web 2.0 platforms, allow nurturing of ecology of educators to rapidly proliferate of suchinteractive digital simulation. Mass customizing of learningdigital media, both the process as well as the interactivedigital simulation itself, can serve to meet the needs of learning in twenty-first century education. Ejs also presentsa possible unified approach in the building virtuallaboratories [9].IV.L
EARNING
J
OURNEY
 
OF
 
MODIFYING
 
SIMULATIONS
 Easy Java Simulations (Ejs) is an authoring tooldeveloped for the conceptual learning of science. As highschool educators, we are able to design, create or modifyscientific simulations, especially with the examples in Ejsitself, ComPADRE Digital Library [10] and Web 2.0 community online forum like NTNUJAVA Virtual PhysicsLaboratory [11]. We are able to concentrate our effort inwriting and refining the relations in the underlying scientificmodel. Rapid prototyping allows us to improve learners’ user experience, build in scaffolds and hints for sense making.Through modifying or creating simulations, we are engagedin constructive modeling, improving our understanding andexperiencing computer enabled pedagogy [12]. Much of our  journey, require us to be self directed as well as to work collaboratively in the Ejs learning community. We strengthenour ability to integrate ICT effectively to enrich andtransform the learning environments of our students, alignedwith Third Masterplan for ICT in Education [13].V.J
OURNEY
 
DESIGNING
 
A
 
ONE
 
DIMENSIONAL
 
COLLISION
 
VIRTUAL
 
LABORATORY
 
FOR 
A-
LEVEL
P
HYSICS
 
TOPIC
L
INEAR 
 
MOMENTUM
 
AND
 
ITS
 
CONSERVATION
In our exploration on Ejs as a tool for teaching and learning,we have already create a few examples of remixing andcustomizing existing source codes into useful interactivedigital media [14].After Ejs is downloaded from the Ejs website, unzip it into adirectory of your choice, for exampleD:\Shared\EasyJavaSimulation.
Figure 2. Example of Ejs console with options setting.
Executing the EjsConsole.jar file in theinstallation directory willlaunch the console and the
PAP591
DAY 2 Tuesday, 02 Jun 2009 NIE5-01-TR45 PAPER SESSION III 13:30 - 15:00 hrs
 
3rd Redesigning Pedagogy International Conference 2009.http://conference.nie.edu.sg/2009/ 
 building interface.
Figure 3. Example of Ejs interface.
Choose to open the file found depending on where theinstallation are unzipped, it will probably be located atD:\Shared\EasyJavaSimulation\EJS_4.1_090215\EJS_4.1\workspace\source\users\murcia\fem\physics\mechanics\Collision1D.xml.It is a suitable source file for remixing into a virtuallaboratory environment for A-level physics. This is one of the many simple models made for teaching Ejs as amodeling tool and as an introduction to Ejs open programming capability.In our paper, we will assume the reader has someknowledge about Ejs so refer to [6], [7] and [8] for more indepth discussions. After examining the variables, evolution,simulation view, analyzing and tinkering with the codes, toget an idea of how to model works, we pose ourselves thequestion: “how can we build on this existing expert sourcecodes?” We then conceptualize and design how this modelcan be remixed legally into a virtual laboratory learningenvironment with us, the teachers as designers of learningenvironments.Use the “Save As” icon on the Ejs taskbar to create acopy of this file in your own working directory, for exampleEJS_4.1_090215\EJS_4.1\workspace\source\users\your_organisation\your_name\Collision1Dyour_name.xml.Designing a virtual laboratory environment is a non-linear  process but we will discuss in brief some of the key stagesin an order that is we hope capture the essence.
 A.Look and Feel 
Figure 4. Example of Ejs Property for Shape body1 with variables inputs.
We visualize the simulation space to be mimic the real lifecollision carts setup so by exploring the existing property of  body1, the concepts of position x and y, size of the object inx and y direction, style, fill color, we can begin to tinker andchange the visual property of cart 1.
Figure 5. Example of Ejs Property console with variables inputs for Shapewheel01 with variables inputs..
By adding the wheels to the carts, we learn about relative position in order for the position of the wheel to be inrelation to the variables x1 and y. It is now possible to groupthe items under a 2D group, and input the position parts of the cart1 referencing that 2D group relative positions.By shifting the position in the tree of elements, we learn about the role of foreground and background like layersconcept in most drawing tools, in order to achieve the look of the carts with thewheels in front of the cart insteadof behind it.
Figure 6. Example of Ejs Tree of elements in VIEW for drawing Panel.
PAP591
DAY 2 Tuesday, 02 Jun 2009 NIE5-01-TR45 PAPER SESSION III 13:30 - 15:00 hrs
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