Technology Demo...
But in the case that my demo doesn't work, here are some back-up tutorials:
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My Own Demo Video Results:
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How well does it work?
The Video Physics technology is easy to use and takes about five minutes or less to learn the usage. The interface and functionality are very user-friendly. When the auto tracking feature fails, students can delete points that did not plot correctly and manually add in points if they would like by double tapping. The measurement adjustment tool is great for generating data that is true to scale. I will say some of the graphs and data sets might be difficult for students to initially interpret and make sense of. Classroom time will need to be spent discussing the context and value of each graph.
The Graphical Analysis tool is not as easy to use and doesn't provide a ton of features. While it quickly does a nice line of fit, sometimes selecting any are of a function is difficult and malfunctions in the application. It is very apparent that this is the free app and that a better application is available for Physics analysis that is licensed at $250 a head (Logger Pro).
Are the written materials well organized and useful?
The help and FAQ materials are extremely helpful and they even have free email and twitter support.
The Video Physics technology is easy to use and takes about five minutes or less to learn the usage. The interface and functionality are very user-friendly. When the auto tracking feature fails, students can delete points that did not plot correctly and manually add in points if they would like by double tapping. The measurement adjustment tool is great for generating data that is true to scale. I will say some of the graphs and data sets might be difficult for students to initially interpret and make sense of. Classroom time will need to be spent discussing the context and value of each graph.
The Graphical Analysis tool is not as easy to use and doesn't provide a ton of features. While it quickly does a nice line of fit, sometimes selecting any are of a function is difficult and malfunctions in the application. It is very apparent that this is the free app and that a better application is available for Physics analysis that is licensed at $250 a head (Logger Pro).
Are the written materials well organized and useful?
The help and FAQ materials are extremely helpful and they even have free email and twitter support.
There are not a lot of mathematical applications written by Vernier using this app. Most of the applications are Physics driven. The "Real-World Math with Science" curriculum experiments focus on data collection from other Vernier tools that cost $350 for a starter kit. There are not online resources on tasks and experiments with mathematics that do not involve heavy emphasis on Physics just yet. That being said, this would be a great tool for AP Physics or Calculus BC courses.
http://www.vernier.com/math/
What are the purposes and goals for using this technology? Does the technology reach this goal?
The purposes and use of these technologies are to provide tools to analyze motion data in the real world. These technologies are to capture data motion from video, plot points of distance traveled/velocity over time, and model equations or functions to fit the video analysis and reach goals, with some limitations that I have outlined below.
Is the technology relatively easy to use?
This technology is INCREDIBLY easy to use as I have noted above. Just look how easy it was in the demo! It was much easier to use and instruct students on usage than the graphing calculator motion detector technology.
Does this technology enhance or extend the teaching and learning process for the intended mathematics concepts? How and why?
This technology can enhance/extend the teaching and learning process of interpreting function provided that the teacher does a lot of planning ahead of time to build the lesson. The teacher will need to be prepared for data extraction issues and have a back up plan to interpret data. I think this tool can enhance the learning of derivatives (in viewing how velocity for a constant rate of change is a flat line, but the distance traveled is a linear function, etc), physics, modeling functions with context, and even modeling/interpreting function transformation with context.
I think it would be fun to challenge students to capture video throughout the year of situations that modeled different equations we learn about (as it allows them to interpret context in the real world and continue talking/thinking about the mathematics outside of the classroom). Students could submit videos to analyze and the class could discuss context interpretation with knowledge of various functions.
Would you recommend this product for purchase to a school? Why or why not?
Yes! It is only $4.99. If you really think about it, you could operate with one installation of the application and students could work on their phones for data analysis and video capture. If you have lessons that could be supplemented with this tool, it is worth the purchase (and far cheaper/easier to use that the CBR technology for graphing calculators).
http://www.vernier.com/math/
What are the purposes and goals for using this technology? Does the technology reach this goal?
The purposes and use of these technologies are to provide tools to analyze motion data in the real world. These technologies are to capture data motion from video, plot points of distance traveled/velocity over time, and model equations or functions to fit the video analysis and reach goals, with some limitations that I have outlined below.
Is the technology relatively easy to use?
This technology is INCREDIBLY easy to use as I have noted above. Just look how easy it was in the demo! It was much easier to use and instruct students on usage than the graphing calculator motion detector technology.
Does this technology enhance or extend the teaching and learning process for the intended mathematics concepts? How and why?
This technology can enhance/extend the teaching and learning process of interpreting function provided that the teacher does a lot of planning ahead of time to build the lesson. The teacher will need to be prepared for data extraction issues and have a back up plan to interpret data. I think this tool can enhance the learning of derivatives (in viewing how velocity for a constant rate of change is a flat line, but the distance traveled is a linear function, etc), physics, modeling functions with context, and even modeling/interpreting function transformation with context.
I think it would be fun to challenge students to capture video throughout the year of situations that modeled different equations we learn about (as it allows them to interpret context in the real world and continue talking/thinking about the mathematics outside of the classroom). Students could submit videos to analyze and the class could discuss context interpretation with knowledge of various functions.
Would you recommend this product for purchase to a school? Why or why not?
Yes! It is only $4.99. If you really think about it, you could operate with one installation of the application and students could work on their phones for data analysis and video capture. If you have lessons that could be supplemented with this tool, it is worth the purchase (and far cheaper/easier to use that the CBR technology for graphing calculators).
Pros:-Easy to Use & Quick to Learn
-Costs $4.99 for motion data plotting app -Great for Calculus/Physics/Function modeling -Can send videos/data points (see my videos above!) -Interactive with students -Vernier contests can award classes and students with IPads! |
Cons:-Exporting data from Video Physics is in format for Logger Pro. You have to import into Graphical Analysis, export a CSV, and then import again on a computer in excel.
-Graphical Analysis does not have modeling for sinusoid functions! This is a physics app????!?! -Orientation of motion detection changes from distance and speed to/from the motion detector to horizontal/vertical distances and velocity in a video. It is a little more difficult for some students to understand that it is simulating a motion detector is ahead of the motion. -Not a lot of mathematics tasks are built using this tool yet. -Limited to apple platform for use. -Might need tripod or stand and good lighting for video to be collected for analysis. |