Apologia Technology

I’m trying to post a bit more often while I have time.  Yes, I’m back on my hobby horse!  Use technology!  I was the only Chemistry teacher at small private schools.  I was concerned that the kids would be short changed if they did not get exposure to tech.  I have the same concerns for my home-school Co-op kids.

How do I address these concerns?  We use graphing calculators.  We also use Pasco Spark, Airlink, and Sparklink with a variety of sensors or probe-ware.  My husband, Rob, used the Spark and motion sensor to do the Are You Speeding? lab in Physics.  The Airlink and Sparklink pair with an iPad.  I had to download the Sparkvue app and labs.

I just bought a second Spark interface because they come pre-loaded with the basic labs for elementary, middle, and high school sciences.  The iPad Sparkvue app requires the most recent iPad version.  Another advantage of the Spark interface is the complete lesson.  The lab, Are You Speeding?, has instructions, an activity, and review questions.  I like to let the kids play with the motion detector running in place, walking, standing, etc.  The Chemistry kids will use the Spark to do a lesson with water.  My kids use the interface as a digital thermometer or ion conductor.  Pasco has older technology such as the GLX data interface, also called Xplorer GLX.  These devices connect to a probe and display data.  The GLX is exceptionally rugged.  The Pasco sensors can be used with the GLX, Spark, Sparklink, or Airlink.

The TI 84 can also be used as a digital thermometer with Vernier’s Easy Temp thermometer.  The micro USB connector is at the top of the TI 84 graphing calculator.  The calculator is preloaded with Easy Data software.  As soon as you plug in the thermometer, the software opens on the calculator and reports the data in degrees Celsius.  The data is stored in the STAT function on the calculator.

Vernier sells Go! Temperature probe  which connects to a laptop via a USB connector.  Vernier has a Go! link which allows kids to connect other Vernier probes.  Yes, I buy most of my sensors or probes on eBay.  Really.