Who doesn’t love technology? We know are students do, we can’t keep them off their phones! So, why not use this to our advantage? Integrating technology into our classrooms will spark our students’ interest and help them reach their full potential. As teachers, we need to prepare our students not only for their upcoming exams, but for the future. Using technology in a classroom will allow students to grow and learn to problem solve using available resources, as it is very likely that their future careers will involve some sort of technology. Vernier probes and software can be a great start to incorporating technology into our classrooms.
One example of Vernier equipment is the Vernier motion detector. This motion detector is available for $79 at www.vernier.com, measures objects as close as 15 cm and as far away as 6m, and is easily attached to a graphing calculator to graph your motions (distance over time).
This is a great tool to help students better understand linear equations in an interactive and fun matter. One application for this motion detector is to have students create their own linear equation by walking at a constant rate and having the motion detector record the data, then the calculator connected to the motion detector will graph their movement and let the students know if they succeeded in keeping their pace constant. The student will stand about a meter away from the motion detector and attempt to walk at a constant rate. The motion detector will collect data for 5 seconds. Once the data has been collected the students will choose show graph and observe the linear graph created. If their are any spikes or flat regions students will need to repeat the experiment. They will be given a worksheet to fill out and guide the experiment. As part of the worksheet students will need to pick two points from the graph and use them to find the slope, write down the slope, the y-intercept, and the linear equation of the line created.
Students will learn to analyze the data in order to determine the slope and y-intercept of the linear equation as well as interpret the information attained. This activity is aligned with CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.B.6.
Worksheet aligned with this activity: http://www.vernier.com/files/sample_labs/RWV-01-DQ-walk_the_line.pdf
Images found at www.vernier.com