Technology to Help Setup a High School Physics Lab
My students need a computer that can run the interactive clicker software and the data analysis software I have purchased for lab. They also need a scanner so we can scan lab work and examples.
Picture a physicist. What does this person look like? Typically the answers are like Einstein or Sheldon from Big Bang. Over 95% of students asked will picture a white male. Now picture the typical mix of students in an inner city US High School. For nearly everybody these two pictures don't match. Physics and engineering is not nearly as diverse as it needs to be. My goal as a former college professor transitioning to teaching high school teacher is to give more women, minorities, and other undeserved populations a positive exposure to physics in high school so we can start making the physics community more diverse and inclusive.
This is my first year as the physics teacher at Edison High School in Northeast Minneapolis.
Edison is a Title I school where all our students get free breakfast and lunch. Nearly half the students enrolled in my physics classes are English language learners. 85% of our students are non-white. I am teaching 4 upper level physics classes (2 of them co-taught with ELL teacher) and 1 section of IB physics.
My Project
My students need technology to make both class and lab more interactive. Currently my district will not support a computer where I can install interactive clicker software, data analysis software, Arduino software and other physics related software that I have purchased to help setup my physics lab. Clickers are devices that allow the students to answer electronic questions on content that are embedded in each day's lesson plan. This sort of informal "quiz" allows the students to get comfortable with the material in a low stakes environment, and it allows me to adjust to student comprehension in real time. This also helps students stay engaged in class.
This computer would also be used for many labs that require specific software such as circuit analysis and robotics with Arduino.
Without this computer I would not have access to a computer where I can install the necessary software for many of the hands on labs I plan to do. I will also use the computer as a tablet to write class notes which can be posted for students to study. When the computer is not being used for class I hope to provide students with an opportunity to use it to work on college applications or other homework if they do not have access to a computer at home.
My entire class will make use of the scanner to help them digitally complete their labs. They will scan in graphs and data they collect on paper, and this information can be added to digital lab books that we will be creating. I will also use the scanner to scan additional examples for the students to study. As I have close to 200 students it is not feasible for me or the students to use the single scanner located on our floor.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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