This CD ROM, produced by Ron and Susan Nolan at Digital Studios should be a valuable asset to teachers and the accompanying 179 page manual will be especially useful as it presents classroom objectives, activities, topics for discussion and more. An audio narration introduces each section and the user may interrupt, repeat or exit at any time. Coral Kingdom uses beautiful underwater photography to explore the studies of reef biology, marine ecology and biodiversity. The program is organized into four major units covering Adaptations, The Coral Reef Ecosystem, Interrelationships and Human Impacts. Each unit presents a series of narrated slide show with an accompanying research mission.
Students can store information gained for use in discussion, reports or other classroom activities.
The catalog can also be accessed using the scientific or common names. Each entry provides a photograph and information about color and form, behavior, relationship to the environment, specializations and human impact. However, the research missions, slide shows and Sea Life Catalog notable emphasize Pacific marine life and ecosystems and most of the simulated locations are in the Hawaiian Islands, although naturally, the ecological concepts are applicable anywhere. The manual contains ideas and support material for worksheets and research reports, designed to help the student analyze and present the results of each mission. Two appendices at the end of the manual provide a brief bibliography and a list of organizations dedicated to coral reef preservation.