Janice Wing

PV STEMNET

TIIICL Abstract

August 19, 2005

Problem Statement:

Students love to conduct hands-on experiments. But, many don't like to write lab reports and have difficulty analyzing and interpreting data. In class, sometimes the underlying science is lost, but the activity was fun. Interpreting data and sharing this information publicly is an important part of science, and one that students need to be confident doing. Digital imagery can assist students in data collection and when uncertain about interpreting data, students can refer to their pictures and ask clarifying questions. Students can incorporate images into lab reports, or create a PowerPoint presentation to share with their peers. Taking digital images will help document experiment methods, which can be easier to show than to describe in words. Students will gain confidence in presenting their work when they use their own images, and the PowerPoint document can assist students in presenting to an audience.

Motivation:

Capturing certain types of data, such as color shade changes or time-lapse changes, is difficult to quantify. Students can gain greater accuracy in their data when they capture digital images to analyze. Better data often means the interpretation is more clear and easier. Students are excited to take pictures, and I hope their interest will extend into their presentation. One goal is for students to become more engaged in their projects and in the class presentation. Additionally, some students find presenting in front of a class to be extremely difficult or intimidating. With a PowerPoint projected in the front of the room, eyes are off the student, who can then present from behind the class.

Approach:

To incorporate digital imagery as a data collection and a presentation tool, students will be provided with cameras during their lab experience. Students will be given the task to design an experiment. They will be encouraged to digitally document their set-up, methods, and data collection. Data will be recorded on paper, with digital image back-up. Data analysis will require graphs, which will be created in Excel. Students will create a PowerPoint that contains all sections of a lab report using their images as visual support. Finally, students will orally present their research to their classmates for review and discussion. To assist students through out this activity, the teacher will demonstrate and model effective use of PowerPoint. Students will learn to create and manipulate PowerPoint slides to their advantage and create an engaging presentation.

Results:

Increased student engagement and authenticity is intended to result from including digital imagery in laboratory experiences and oral presentations. In addition, this approach hopes to help students deepen their understanding of scientific methods and reporting research. Classroom discussion of methods and data interpretation could deepen because all students would have access to images that captured the data.

Conclusions: