Mobile Devices in the 21st Century Science Classroom

MAST/TEEAM Conference 2013Friday, October 18th 11:00 – 11:50 am

Tony EkatomatisMontgomery Blair High SchoolSilver Spring, MD

EDUCATORS SPEAK

If we teach today the way we were taught yesterday, we aren't preparing students for today or tomorrow.

– The Fred Deutsch Education Blog

We need to replicate in the classroom the world in which students are living.

– Tim Maroney, H.S. SPED Teacher, NY

Curriculum tells you what to teach, but doesn’t tell you HOW you have to make the shift to the 21st century learning environment.

– Stacy Behmer, Grant Wood AEA Coordinator of Digital Learning Techonology, IA

OUTCOMES

• Build a Smartphone spectrophotometer and use it to investigate the absorption of visible light in differently colored solutions.

• Build a Smartphone microscope and use it to capture magnified images of specimens on prepared microscope slides.

• Identify student resources and additional mobile media applications.

• Identify where electronic copies are available for all resources shared.

WARM-UP VIDEOS

• “Bans of Smartphones in Schools” Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uYbXSQxC8c

• “Turning Smartphones into Medical Devices” Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRE1310f05s

SMARTPHONE SPECTROPHOTOMER: BACKGROUND

• Spectrophotometers measure absorbance of wavelengths of light in solutions -- how much of a certain wavelength passes through a solution versus how much is absorbed by the solution.

• In general, the darker the solution, the less light that passes through the solution and the higher the absorbance.

• A spectrophotometer allows you to see which wavelengths (colors) of light in the visible spectrum are absorbed and which are transmitted. For example:– Deep red transparent solution allows red and orange light to pass

through and absorbs the other colors in the spectrum. – Clear solution transmits the entire visible spectrum.

VISIBLE REGION OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

For an Introduction to Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum, go to the link below and watch the video:http://www.khanacademy.org/science/cosmology-and-astronomy/v/introduction-to-light

LIGHT DISPERSION THROUGH A DIFFRACTION GRATING

GOAL #1

Build a Smartphone spectrophotometer and use it to investigate the absorption of visible light in differently colored solutions

BASIC PARTS OF THE SPECTROPHOTOMETER• A light source• The sample to be measured• A diffraction grating to separate the

light into the visible spectrum• A camera to measure the transmitted

light with very minimal stray light

SPECTROPHOTOMETER MATERIALS

• A small white LED light bulb. Suggested: an Ultra-White LED 5mm• A power source for the light bulb. Suggested: a 3-V coin battery• A linear diffraction grating of 1000 lines per millimeter (lp/mm or

lpmm), such as one from Science Stuff • Scissors to cut the diffraction grating to the appropriate size.• Black electrical tape or modeling clay• A piece of black cardboard (4x4 inches)• Razor to cut a narrow slit in the black cardboard• A sample of colored liquid; primary colors give easily interpreted

results. Suggested: Food dyes (red, blue, green, and yellow)• Plastic cuvettes to hold the reference and test samples (6 per group)• A way to keep the light, cuvette, and grating stationary. Suggested: a

piece of wood or Styrofoam (1.5-2 cm thick)• Smartphone with USB connector and a PC computer with downloaded

Cell Phone Spec. software

BUILDING THE SPECTROMETER

COMPLETEDSPECTROPHOTOMETER

When you’ve completed steps 1-5, it should look like the photo on the right.

PREPARATION OF SOLUTIONS

TESTING SAMPLES

Create different colored liquids using food colors, then place the liquids in front of the LED-battery apparatus and use the camera on your cell phone to take pictures of the spectra that come through the diffraction grating.

TESTING SAMPLES (CONT.)1. Pour the diluted food color samples into cuvettes, being careful not to touch the smooth sides of

the cuvettes. Fill one cuvette with water (far left). This will be your reference sample.

2. Take your samples to the area where your spectrophotometer is assembled and set them nearby. If you disassembled the LED-battery apparatus, reassemble it and position it as you did previously. Cover any windows and close any doors to prevent as much outside light as possible from coming in.

3. Place your reference sample (the cuvette with only water) in front of the LED-battery apparatus, as shown. Position the cuvette so that the light is coming through a smooth side of the cuvette (a side that does not have vertical grooves).

SPECTROPHOTOMETER SOFTWARE PROGRAM

ABSORBANCE DATA – BLUE FOOD DYE (SHOWING 610 NM PEAK)

ABSORBANCE DATA – RED FOOD DYE (SHOWING 527 NM PEAK)

  

ABSORBANCE DATA – YELLOW FOOD DYE (SHOWING 428 NM PEAK)

SMARTPHONE SPECTROPHOTOMETER APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

K-5:• Discover that “white” light is actually different colors of the visible

spectrum• Compare the spectra of different light sources noting the

differences in the colors and the spacing of the spectra.

• Investigate light sources, such as colored holiday lights, that do not show a complete spectrum.

• Use various color filters in front of the cell phone spectrophotometer to explore how light is transmitted through certain types of materials.

• Design rainbow glasses using double axis diffraction gratings and use them to view light from a lamp; explore ways to get multiple rainbows using a prism.

SMARTPHONE SPECTROPHOTOMETER APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

Middle School:• Investigate dyes in differently colored fruit juices or drink mixes.•

• Create differently colored, filtered aqueous solutions using the pigments from plants, flowers, fruits and vegetables and investigate their properties using spectrophotometry.

• Study the properties of various light sources (hydrogen discharge lamp, a mercury discharge lamp, and an incandescent light bulb).

• Inquiry Challenge: Use the spectrophotometer and micropipettes to figure out how many drops of blue dye are dissolved in mystery solutions of unknown concentrations.

• Design an experiment to test how sensitive the cell phone spectrophotometer is compared to a commercially available spectrophotometer.

SMARTPHONE SPECTROPHOTOMETER APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

High School:• Determine standard and unknown concentrations of ionic or

complex ion solutions using the Beer-Lambert Law. • Inquiry Challenge: Determine the optimum mixture of solvent for

completely separating individual green plant pigments through paper chromatography and analyze wavelengths of absorption using spectrophotometry.

• Determine the thickness of the copper shell of a post-1982 penny through dilutions and absorbance measurements.

• Determine an equilibrium constant from spectrophotometric data.

• Use a the cell phone spectrophotometer to measure wavelengths of the visible portion of the Balmer series in the line spectrum of hydrogen.

GOAL #2

Build a Smartphone microscope and use it to capture magnified images of specimens on prepared microscope slides

BUILDING THE SMARTPHONE MICROSCOPE

SMARTPHONE MICROSCOPEMATERIALS

• Smartphone with USB connector and a computer with digital image software.

• 45X or 60X LED Microscope attachment (available from Amazon for $3.49)

• Modeling Clay

SAMPLE IMAGE #1 – SALT CRYSTALS (MILLIMETER TRANSPARENT RULER IN

BACKGROUND)

SAMPLE IMAGE #2 – STAINED CHEEK CELLS

SAMPLE IMAGE #3: COPPER WIRE REACTION WITH AgNO3

Bare Copper Wire Copper with Silver Crystals

SAMPLE IMAGE #4 IMMUNOSTAINED D. MELANOGASTER PNS – STAGE 13

SMARTPHONE MICROSCOPE APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

K-5:• Grow both sugar and salt crystals using small baby food jars,

popsicle sticks, and food coloring; observe the crystals up close using the Smartphone microscope.

•  

• Inquiry Challenge: Use clues and observations from the microscope to find a mystery rock (examples may include slate, marble, chalk, granite, pumice, etc.

•  

• Learn that all living things are made of cells by using the cell phone microscope to look for evidence of plant cells and animal cells.

•  

• Examine soil composition, color and texture using microscopy. Determine which type of particle is most abundant in the sample; compare the sizes, shapes and transparency of the particles.

SMARTPHONE MICROSCOPE APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

Middle School:• Examine a variety of specimens in order to learn good

microscope technique: i.e. magnification, resolution, slide manipulation, field of view, and depth of field.

• View salt crystals using the Smartphone microscope to understand magnification and scale.

• Study the structure of various types of rocks and minerals.

• Compare and contrast cells (e.g., Elodea leaf cells versus human cheek cells).

SMARTPHONE MICROSCOPE APPLICATIONS BY GRADE LEVEL

High School:• Visualize chemical reactions (e.g., crystal formation with copper

and silver nitrate); or examine metal ore deposits being made.

• Explore responses to environmental conditions such as salinity, temperature, and light (e.g., Amoeba and salt water, reactions of pond protozoans to light). Video can be used here.

• Inquiry Challenge: Learn about fermentation by manipulating the recipe for making ballpark pretzels; vary the amount of sugar in pretzel recipes and examine yeast under the microscope.

• Investigate structure and function (e.g., methods of locomotion in pond water). Video can be used here.

• Free QR Code Generator: http://delivr.com/QR-Code-Generator

• Free Blog Site for Educators: http://edublogs.org

• MCPS Mobile Media Step-by-Step Instructions: http://mcpsmobilemedia.edublogs.org/

•Student Module – Cell Phone Spectrophotometer:•http://www.asdlib.org/onlineArticles/elabware/Scheeline_Kelly_Spectrophotometer/Cell%20Phone%20SpectrophotometerHS.pdf

• Video for More Smartphone Microscope Ideas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8APowosR7Ug&feature=related

•Link to Article: “Cell-phone-based platform for biomedical device development and education applications”:•http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21399693

ONLINE RESOURCES

QUESTIONS?Tony Ekatomatis

Antonios_Ekatomatis@mcpsmd.org