EDUC 6470 Week 10

Using technology in the classroom

Using HOBO data loggers live in the class

• Light
• Temperature
• Acceleration

Activity for April 7

• Meet in Mann Library Computer Lab B30A.
• Launch HOBO measuring temperature and light in lab every 15 seconds for next 20 minutes.
• Split class into diverse pairs; some pairs will use teacher-determined questions, some will generate their own questions. We may use the following matrix, or have more subtle differences between groups (see #Pairs list below):

	Questions about refrigerator	Questions about solar cooker
Answer given questions
Generate own questions

• Have pairs report to whole group findings and perhaps relevant learning issues
• Get data from logger
• Apply lessons from discussion to this new data set as a whole class.

Files

1. media:LightTempSolBQ20090416-2.pdf
2. http://shawnreeves.net/documents/NachoCookerTempLight.xlsx
3. http://shawnreeves.net/documents/SolCookCloudyFrigid300mlWater.xlsx

Solar cooker apparatus

General information

1. This HOBO was placed inside an aluminum pan with 40 tortilla chips and 200g of cheese; the pan was placed on a stand and in a thick, clear, plastic bag; that apparatus was placed in a large three-panel reflector facing the sun.
2. Bright sunlight in April in Ithaca amounts to about 700W/m2.
3. The specific heat capacity of cheese and tortilla chips is roughly half that of water.

Pairs

1. Determine thermal mass of a HOBO.
2. Freely interpret printout of LightTempSolBQ20090416-2.
3. Freely interpret LightTempSolBQ20090416-2 in Excel.
4. Answer questions (ONLY THIS PAIR MAY CLICK ON THIS LINK) about printout of LightTempSolBQ20090416-2.
5. Answer [Teacher-determined questions for LightTempSolBQ20090416-2|questions (ONLY THIS PAIR MAY CLICK ON THIS LINK)]] about LightTempSolBQ20090416-2 in Excel.
6. Read text Determining the ultimate temperature of a solar cooker and determine the ultimate temperature according to readings at about 2:15 and 2:45, using Excel.
7. Read text Determining the ultimate temperature of a solar cooker and determine the ultimate temperature according to readings at about 2:15 and 2:45, using a straight-edge, paper, and pencil.

Discussion topics

Barak, page 218, on CBL and Real-Time Graphing:Computer taking tables of data and creating graphical analyses allows students more time for more rigorous analysis and inference.

Different ways students can get active with the technology, for the purposes of learning science, not just the technology

Measure something arbitrary

• With accelerometer, measure acceleration while spinning.

Measure something historically important to science

• Measure change in temperature of a calorimeter.

Readings

Barak (2006)

When Miri Barak starts the article, the first subject is the use of internet for lessons and the instruction of how chemists use the internet. My reaction is that the internet, in this light, may be seen as opposite to innovation, allowing undergraduate instructors to shunt readings away from costly textbooks, lectures away from costly lecture halls, labs away from costly physical laboratories, and homework clerical work away from costly teaching assistants, thereby maintaining the tradition of readings, lectures, labs, and problem sets. So I agree with Barak that "integrating technology in a coherent and authentic way into curricula is a significant ... challenge." (p. 216) But I would specify that one of the challenges is to take proper advantage of technologies instead of using them as a crutch for crippled traditions.

French (2006)

Champion & Novicki (2006)

Mantei (2002)