In the earlier ‘80s my students and I created temperature probes that worked with the classroom Apple IIe. Creating the probe from scratch was engaging enough, but old experiments did not simply become old experiments with new equipment. Students asked new questions because it was easier to record and display data overtime. They really could prove that the temperature in the science classroom soared on the weekend contributing to the ill health of the fish aquarium. Vernier still offers legacy equipment, but what’s available now for the iPod or iPad?
iGrill at $99 is designed for the kitchen and the home cook with it’s wireless, bluetooth temperature probe. It records temperatures from 0º to 204º. iCelsius recently announced an inexpensive temperature probe that connects directly to a mobile device. The basic price is about $30 for orders of 10 or more. The twitter feed for iCelsius shared information about more temperature and humidity sensors coming soon. The free app for the iCelsius probe is available in the iTunes store
Looking for probes for health and fitness? Check your blood pressure with the iPad DigiFit features one of the heart rate monitors that works with the iPod.
Science is more than connecting it’s also about collaboration and community. The recent disaster in Japan has provided an immediacy for an inexpensive radiation detector. As one article noted shouldn’t this information be available as freely as the temperature? An international volunteer team of engineers, designers and scientists is working to provide a radiation detector for the iPhone.
The SparkVue app uses the bluetooth interface from Pasco to connect to more than 70 different probes. Without additional probes the app will record data from the internal accelerometer, the perfect addition for a trip to the roller coaster park. Use a wireless microscope, the Proscope Mobile Microscope
Vernier Video Physics supports the iPad 2 or the iPhone 4. Take a video and get graphs of trajectory, x/y position and velocity. The instantaneous graph creates an easy environment for the physics classroom. Explore more about probes in the classroom at the Concord Consortium. A recent article at the Concord Consortium “Why Aren’t There Probes in More Classrooms?” directed the user to a collection of possible probes and experiments.
Connect your iPad, explore, and engage your students in science.
Impressive blog! -Arron
Posted by: rc helicopter reviews | December 21, 2011 at 05:24 AM