Chapter 10
The most interesting thing from this chapter was the use of portable technologies like the calculator and tablet PCs. I am skeptical of Palm devices as the company seems to have gone by the wayside and I am afraid to invest in a technology that may not be upgradable in a few years. I briefly used a Lab Pro from Vernier and was amazed at the variety of uses with the device. This device can be used with either a graphing calculator for portable applications or with computers for desktop testing. These devices can monitor elements and forces that would regularly take huge amounts of sensors to do the same work. The students are able to graph and interpolate data that would normally be done by research science or industry.
I would like to see my classes use these mobile devices more. Analysis is a big portion of Montana state standards in my subject area. My little exposure to the LabPro was with the voltage probe but I know there are many more sensors available. One of the sensors that is available is the accelerometer which measures the force of impact in numerous activities like crash test vehicles. I am restricted to using this software through the computer since I have little to no knowledge of the calculators which would graph this information without the desktop. With multiple functional abilities these devices have a big role in the science and technology and engineering subject areas.
My concern from this chapter has to do with the e-books. I used to think they were not viable as I thought that it is more difficult to read something off the computer screen than from paper. However, I have watched students in my computer lab read many of their assignments via computer and have no problem reading off of the computer. A fellow co-worker then showed me their Amazon Kindle and I was amazed at the readability. Now, I see the practicality of e-books. My concern is that students are able to use the computer’s technology to search out words and phrases instead of actually reading the book. The costs of these e-books are also prohibitive if they are in conjunction with an e-reader device.
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I agree with you on the purchase of e-books with a specific device. For teachers that want to use a classic book, though, there is Google books online that has digitized or scanned books in their entirety. Something like that could be a useful tool for, as I mentioned in my own chapter reflection, just a chapter or two that a teacher wants to cover with a student. Granted, the books are older, but it is one option. Students are also able to access the book anywhere, if this source is used.
ReplyDeleteI find it amazing that a Kindle can hold up to 1,500 unique titles. Our library could get rid of all books and have about 3-5 Kindles with all of our titles!