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 Program Description:

Prime Time Math: Emergency is one in a series of classroom CD-ROM titles that show middle school math students how math is used in real world problem solving. This particular program deals with a patient who arrives in the emergency room of a hospital. The story line is broken into three acts, which show the process that doctors and nurses face every day. During Act 1 the emergency medical team gets to work to find out information about what is wrong with Jennifer. The staff gathers information about her vitals as they try to stabilize her condition. The staff also interviews the mother to gain further information. In Act 2, once they have obtained the medical information, the staff has a better understanding about what is wrong with Jennifer. Jennifer’s glucose is extremely high and there is an irregularity in her blood. An infection has been found and the staff feels that Jennifer may have consumed a toxic level of Tylenol. Other information is needed for the staff to continue on with their prognosis, so further tests are done as they monitor her condition. As Act 3 unfolds, we realize that Jennifer’s problem is the onset of diabetes. A diagnosis was possible because of all the data that was gathered and analyzed. This process could not have occurred without the assistance of math.

This program shows students how the information that was gathered by the medical team helped answer questions that lead to Jennifer’s diagnosis. The teacher puts students into groups of 4, with each person being assigned a role of Dr. A, B, C or D. Each doctor has worksheets that they will need to fill out and the information needed is found within the Acts 1,2 and 3. These doctors also will work as a team to draw conclusions based off of all the results put together. Therefore, the students will watch the video clip a couple of times and then try to answer the questions on the worksheet. Between the Acts, the program asks the doctors to fill in information that they have gathered and they obtain points for correct answers. Once the group of questions have been answered from Act 1, the group will continue on by watching Act 2 where a second worksheet needs to be done. Infosheets are also included that help explain the "medical math" involved to solve some of these questions from the information that has been gathered. The students will learn about many new medical teams and math needed to use the information obtained.

The content of this program is presented in a very successful manner. The emergency room connection brings this topic closer to the real world and students can see the entire math needed to deal with each emergency as they are confronted. Doctors and nurses face these real-life problems every day as they work with patients in the emergency room, during regular check ups and even surgery. Specifically in the emergency room, there is no room for error as the medical team gathers information and tries to analyze the results. The team must always look at a worst case scenario and work there way backwards as they eliminate possible problems. The video clip flows very smoothly and the questions are significant to the diagnosis of the patient.

 Technical Quality:

The program was very easy to install and only took a couple of minutes. The program walks you through the video clip step by step through the use of a checklist and icons. The icon buttons were accessible and clearly labeled. There is even a hint icon that is found during the question round to assist students with tips or clues for how to solve the problem. I would rate the navigation system with high marks. Screens were easy to access, exit and move between. The program really flowed well from the beginning to the end.

 Use of Technology:

This program makes great use of multimedia and the topic is very interesting. The emergency room is a very active place with sirens sounding, lights flashing and medical staff running around. The action is fast paced which keeps the attention of the students as does the sounds and medical terms. Everything the video clip deals with is age appropriate and something the students in middle school can relate to. The terms may get complicated at time but by watching the video clip a couple of times and with help from the teacher these terms can be overcome.

The infosheets help the students understand the information they are obtaining and shows them how to use this information to answer other questions. Students will fill out worksheets while watching the video so they can gather information. Between Acts these worksheets will be used to make calculations and answer the questions presented by the program. The students are active throughout the entire process individually by listening and gathering data, as well as working with your fellow doctors in your group to answer group questions.

The teacher has a vital role in this program as they are in charge of running the video clip, clarifying medical terms, pointing out data that was just stated and helping with the cooperative learning process. Most of the time is spent away from the video clip so the teacher needs to walk around and assist groups or individuals as they answer their questions. This software can open up many avenues for supplemental material, visits from emergency staff or other Prime Time Math products.

This program is designed for cooperative learning groups of 4 students. This activity could be done individually but it would take away from the programs strength of having people working together to solve problems (like the emergency staff does) and would involve a tremendous amount of work for one person. This program will normally take 2 to 4 class periods to accomplish and is a great way to bring real-world problem solving into the classroom.

This program takes middle school math topics such as ratios, percentages, volume, rates and graphing and showcases how an emergency room uses these ideas. The NCTM standards are seen throughout this program and make this a unique tool that can be used in the classroom. The students are given the chance to work on real life problem solving, communication and connections from one piece to the next. The only shortcoming may be the fact that the data comes at you in a rapid fashion but that is the way it occurs in an actual emergency room.

Overall Rating (Based on a Scale of 1 to 10): 10

This program is an exceptional program and does a wonderful job of bringing the real world into the classroom. Right from the beginning, the students are caught up in the urgency of an emergency room. A patient needs to be diagnosed quickly and accurately since someone’s life depends on it. The video clip was action packed and contained may pieces of information that needed to be gathered and calculated to solve the problems involved. The program flowed smoothly from one screen to the next and the video clip flowed just as nicely.