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In Your Classroom: "The Quiet Zone"
by For this installment of the "In Your Classroom" blog, I would like to share with you two examples of projects related to remote data collection. The example projects are a high school robotics project using LEGO Mindstorms robots, Vernier sensors, and video instant messaging technology to collect data on "Mars" and an elementary school project using the same technology for a simulated marine biology expedition. I would also like to share an idea for helping teachers use "new" technology tools in their classrooms.
So, how does this parallel the work documented in the "Quiet Zone"? On the surface, my examples are remote data collection projects like the grand radio astronomy projects at Green Bank. Deeper, though, these projects represent my desire to push the envelope of what is possible through mixing technology tools. In this piece, I'll describe three technology tools that were not originally designed to work together but when mixed together provide you and your students with a pretty cool and scalable science project. I say "scalable" because whereas we are exploring rooms within a school, these projects could be scaled up to include "remote" location anywhere the internet reaches. As I tell the students, what they are doing is a "proof of concept" for truly global work!
Well let's go to "Mars" then, shall we?
Collecting Data on Mars
In this first project, students built robots that carried a data logging device. It was "launched" to another part of our school where it investigated a "simple" Martian terrain.
First, let me explain the setting and assignment. This project was assigned to students (juniors and seniors) in my robotics class; I am currently working on adapting it for use in my physics and physical science classes. As you watch the video, note that the assignment was to "launch" a robot to "Mars" and determine the pattern of rocks with magnetic properties. The actual "launch" required them to carry their LEGO Mindstorms robot to the basement of our school, the location of "Mars". "Mars" was a small piece of plywood covered with fabric. Embedded within the plywood were several ceramic magnets. The students built their robots to hold a Vernier LabPro data collection device. As is explained in the video, the students built small reed switch circuits and collected both video and voltage data. Video data was streamed to them via a video conferencing connection (iChat in our case). By syncing the video and voltage readings, they could map the location of the magnets. They then discussed (not shown in the video) their observations and tested geologic processes against their observed data. While the project was unfolding, we followed the progress of both the Mars Exploration Rovers and the Huygens Probe projects. I made sure that they saw how our work was very similar to the work being done by NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) engineers and scientists.
What may sound complex in the above narrative is now easier to pull off. Video conferencing programs are now easier and more frequently used. While we used iChat, Skype is another great program with video conferencing abilities. On the robotics/data collection side, Vernier is has recently partnered with the Tufts University Center for Engineering Educational Outreach (CEEO), National Instruments, and LEGO to make data collection through robotics a mainstream curriculum option.
Whereas the project described above took my students and I two to three weeks to complete in 2005, upcoming tools from LEGO, CEEO, and Vernier will make the same type of activity possible in less than a week. With these new tools, I will most certainly move this project from my robotics class to my physics class. The robotics class reaches out to students who are already interested in science. I am excited about the prospect of bringing this type of project within reach of students who don't know that they are interested in science!
Deep Sea Vent
The next project that I will describe was completed in a mixed grade (3-6) enrichment classroom. Through this project, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with an exceptional teacher, Jan Wood. Two of my robotics class students who had completed the "Mars" project in 2005 helped Jan in 2006 to manage the technology in her project. The goal of Jan's project was to explore a simulated deep sea vent that resided in another part of the school. Specifically, the students needed to create a LEGO Mindstorms robot that could hold a webcam and explore a four foot square area to document the deep sea inhabitants of the area.
The ingredients to this remote data collection project were:
• Goal -- Explore a deep sea vent
• Remote setting -- simulated vent in another room of the school
• Robots -- LEGO Mindstorms
• Data Collection -- Webcam images obtained through video conferencing software
Jan broke down the tasks of the project to include:
• Build a robot that moves -- learn what is possible with the LEGO system
• Build a robot that can slowly move around within a 2 foot square enclosed area, "looking" at all the walls of the enclosure
• Mount a real camera on the robot
• Send the robot out of the classroom where it would be taken to the "Deep Sea Vent"
• Watch the video data streamed back to the classroom
• Document and identify as many characteristics and creatures observed in the vent and discuss findings with the rest of the class
Like the remote mars project described above and the radio astronomy projects completed at Green Bank, these students were undergoing an authentic remote investigation. Unlike the Green Bank projects, Jan's school did not need a multi-billion dollar budget! In the two examples provided here, students used network connected computers, webcams, and LEGO robots as the primary technology tools. While not a billion dollar project, it is by no means a string and sticky tape experiment either. What is the benefit of investing resources and time to get such a project up and running? In the two examples provided, the benefit lies in modeling what scientists and engineers do in their own remote investigations. Most major space or deep sea explorations utilize robotic and imaging technologies as essential investigation tools. By using these same tools in classroom investigations, students feel that they too are "doing science". The authenticity of the investigation increases the motivation and engagement of the students.
Using New to You Technology Tools
A note about STOMP:
When you watch the Deep Sea Vent video, you will see reference to a program called STOMP. STOMP is an acronym for Student Teacher Outreach Mentor Program. STOMP is a teacher professional development and student leadership model wherein high school or university students mentor teachers as they learn to use new technologies for teaching science, technology, engineering and math content. In the Deep Sea Vent project, two of my high school students (the STOMP mentors) helped Jan (the STOMP mentee) and her students build the robots and set-up the video conferencing software to talk to the webcam on the robots. Jan, the project's classroom teacher, created the vision for the project, the assignment for the students, and assessed their science content learning throughout the project. What STOMP enabled her to do was achieve her vision through the technical assistance of the high school students.
For more information about the university version of STOMP, go to their website.
For information about the high school variation, visit here.
For another technology mentoring program, check out the GenYes program.
The bottom line -- if you are interested in projects that utilize unfamiliar technology, I encourage you to invent your own STOMP or GenYes type experience. Seek out teachers in your district who use the technology you need and see if you can "borrow" a few of their students to mentor you. It is an excellent way for you to gain professional development as well as providing the mentor students with exceptional leadership opportunities.
Additional WIRED Science Video Segments
Don't forget to check out our Video Section for other segments from WIRED Science that you can use in your classroom.
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