Educational Technology App
By Maria Dahlberg
Gene Screen
By Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.

Gene Screen is a fun way to introduce recessive genetic traits, inheritance
diseases that are more prevalent in different populations; affected and
unaffected carriers.

The Application also provides interactive, hands-on learning about recessive
genetic diseases, how to understand Punnett squares genetic, and screening
programs on iphone or ipad.

This educational tool can be used as a learning device for middle school to
high school and for introductory biology concepts at college level.
Gene Screen for Learning Genetics
Within this App:
An interactive tool:

Students use the App to create
Punnett squares and work out
patterns of autosomal recessive or
dominant inheritance.

Students can analyze a person’s DNA
for specific gene mutations and
diseases.

Students use populations genetics to
learn about genetic effects within a
subgroup of population who may
migrate to new regions that is
called“founders effect” as a result.
Gene Screen: Learning about hereditary
diseases
Pedigree Charts
Punnett Square
Traits
Mom & Dad
sister
brother
sister
With this app, one can:
• This app is an
interactive
learning device
that teaches base
paring of DNA
strands with
simulations by
dragging icons to
a template.
• Learn introductory
genetic traits
using Punnett
squares.
• Learn recessive,
dominant, and
carrier genetic
traits and how the
offspring are
affected.
• The app lists
other websites.
Additional Applications for Gene Screen

View animations to learn about cells, DNA, base parings in double helices and
patterns of recessive inheritance.

View animations to learn about the prevalence of recessive genetic diseases.

Select a disease to learn about symptoms, genetic basis, diagnosis, screening
and treatment.

Determine the chances a carrier has to pass along the next generation.

Many other resources are also available through the app.
The benefits of this app

The app can be used to demonstrate interactive methods for the use of
Punnett squares with homozygous, heterozygous recessive, or dominate traits
in persons who mate and have offspring.

Students can also use the interactive app to building one long molecule of
DNA, which has four base parings: A, C,G, and T in a double helix shape.

Students can also understand how mutations occur with the simulations
presented in the app.

This app could be used in the classroom to encourage active simulations that
give students instantaneous results on possible genetic combinations.

It also gives a students results on the chances a couple has if their one of
them is a carrier with recessive traits.
Demonstration: taking a close look at
one app’s examples
Step 1:
The app begins with a blank Punnett square in a live
simulation. The student drags different icons onto the squares and
click on “ mate.”
Step 2: Add traits according to letters of
Alphabet:

We begin with the customized Punnett square
template to drag and drop our given traits.

In this case, we choose “AA” for unaffected gene
and “Aa” as the carrier of the affected mutation.

“aa” has the affected trait.
Step 3: the computer in the app does
the work and confirms our results.
Step 4: We can also calculate the % of
offspring that will express the recessive trait.
We can also use any number of letters
for any number of genetic combinations!

In this next example, we used T to indicate a pictorial dominate trait.

We use t to indicate the recessive trait.

Mom is a carrier; it is represented as Tt.

Dad is TT and in unaffected.
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An offspring will be affected if tt results.

Let us see what that offspring will look like.
Notice: TT and Tt are born with widow’s peak. Those with TT and Tt
are dominate carriers for the next generation. This final product is
visual representation of the first iteration.
Widow’s peak in the first generation.
Final outcome looks like this.
• None of the
possible gene
combinations is
tt, so no
offspring will
have straight
hair. All will
have a widow’s
peak.