Concord Consortium Lab vs Molecular Workbench

Concord Consortium Lab is an open-source HTML5 framework for scientific models, visualizations, graphing, and probeware. Authors define Lab Interactives in JSON, combining models with inquiry controls such as buttons, checkboxes, sliders, and graphs. Interactives can be created, shared, and embedded. Listed model types include Next Generation Molecular Workbench, Energy2D, and Probeware, with bar and line graphs available for activities. Lab combines simulations from multiple modeling engines with data collection from sensors and probes; one demonstrated model explores charged and neutral atoms through two-dimensional molecular dynamics. The framework runs on Android, iOS, and the web, requires SVG support, and lists iOS Safari and Chrome for Android among supported browsers. Concord says current desktop browsers provide the best performance, while simpler models may run on tablets and phones. The project uses Simplified BSD, MIT, or Apache 2.0 licensing. Download archives are available, and local content must be served through a web server. Concord says student and teacher data is confidential and not used for targeted advertising.

Molecular Workbench is a free modeling tool for designing and conducting computational experiments across science. Its interactive learning environment supports science inquiry, while its authoring system lets instructional designers create and publish curriculum based on models and simulations. Users can customize simulations or create their own, with topics spanning gas laws, fluid mechanics, states of matter, chemical reactions, genetics, protein synthesis, and quantum phenomena. Activities can include assessments, student-data collection, learning monitoring, and teacher feedback. Simulations can also be embedded in blogs, wikis, or web pages. The Next-Generation Molecular Workbench brings computational experiments to browsers using HTML5. An offline version is available, but it cannot access the latest simulations or collect student data. Downloads are listed for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, and require Java Runtime Environment 1.5 or later. The maker says the software needs considerable computing power and may start slowly while the Java virtual machine launches. Molecular Workbench is developed and maintained by the Concord Consortium.