Multimedia Projects for Technology-Rich Classrooms

Media and Methods, Sep/Oct 2005 by Varrati, Richard

Students bent over temperature probes outside next to the school gym. They are measuring the temperature in the sun and then in the shade. Graphing calculators are connected to the probes ready for action. Spreadsheets are generated showing results. Back in the science classroom, students transfer the data to their computers. Within minutes, the information is moved to a projector so the whole class can share their charts and diagrams.

In schools across the nation, you can see teachers using instructional technology tools such as computers, scanners, digital cameras and PDAs. Students can be seen working with bits and bytes of information, developing reports and making presentations using technology devices.

What follows are successful and popular lessons that are going on in the New Philadelphia City Schools District in New Philadelphia, OH that seamlessly integrate technologies into the learning process.

Science

Science teachers use mobile laptop computers to teach students how to use a spreadsheet program. They develop graphs and charts of scientific data they gather during investigations. Students use the LCD projector to display their findings for the whole class to view. They also collect digital data using a series of lab probes such as temperature probes, pH probes, force probes, motion sensors, light probes, and a photogate sensor.

A data-collection software program is used to export the data from graphing calculators to the computers. This allows students to print out the data or include it in their lab reports and presentations. Projectors are used to view the data collected by different groups of students. These projectors help to get discussions going about the information in real time.

Using data-collection software, one group of students does a lab activity that focuses on the light reading of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which have gained popularity due to their energy efficiency. While CFLs may save a lot of energy, some people comment that they are not as bright as they would like when they first turn them on. Students test the bulbs to see how long it takes for various CFLs to reach maximum brightness, using a Light Sensor.

In another science lab, students do a classic experiment on momentum in which a toy car is moved down an inclined plane away from a motion detector and into a block of wood. The motion is graphed using a computer and data collection device such as Texas Instrument's TI-84 Graphing Calculator and software. Students create a graph that shows what was happening to the car and the block of wood during the elapsed time. Variables measured include acceleration, speed, and velocity.

Students then use computers to organize their data and print their results. Digital cameras are also used to capture students performing lab activities such as the task focusing on the light reading of compact fluorescent lights and the experiment on momentum. These pictures are transferred onto PowerPoint software to demonstrate the steps needed to complete the activity.

Chemistry

In chemistry classes, computers, digital cameras and printers can be used to design a paperback or digital comic book using chemistry concepts, such as chemical bonding, composition of matter, atomic structure, behavior of gases, and periodic trends of elements. Students take pictures, import them into a computer program, edit them and combine them with text explanations and then print the pages out.

Digital cameras are used to capture images that can be imported right into their chemistry comic book. These photos demonstrate various terms and concepts taught throughout the year (such as a picture of molecules of sodium and chlorine that combine to form Natrium Chloride).

Math

Students in math classes use graphing calculators to analyze data collected from certain activities. One such math experiment is called "ball bounce." Students use their graphing calculators to collect data from a ball that is dropped under an ultrasonic motion detector. They determine velocity and speed using their graphing calculator. Other activities include testing the cooling temperature of water, the dimensions of a rotating box, measuring centripetal force, and measuring the backand-forth motion of a ball on a string. These tasks all involve using probes and graphing calculators.

Students in the New Philadelphia City Schools in New Philadelphia, OH have no choice but to be actively involved in the learning process. They can be seen working independently as well as collaboratively gathering data, solving problems and sharing their findings. These students use graphing calculators, projectors, desktop computers, laptop computers, and electronic probes.

Teachers and students are incorporating technology with their learning experiences with pride and satisfaction. You can see it on their faces and in the results of their assignments, reports and projects.

Dr. Richard Varrati is the Superintendent of New Philadelphia City Schools in New Philadelphia, OH. He has been in the field of education for 30 years and relies on a PDA, a digital camera and a laptop each day of the week.