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Preparing Future Teachers
A Workshop for Pre-Service Teachers
Physics teachers are often confronted with a lack of school resources, and resources change from school to school, so smartphones are one way to maintain continuity of teaching resources. Physics professor Arturo Marti of Uruguay uses Physics Toolbox among other apps to prepare future physics teachers to teach with technology.
What We Do
We sometimes find that we have a hard time explaining what we do and why we do it. Only 39% of today's high school students have ever taken a dedicated physics course (AIP, 2014), so that leaves a large amount of the U.S. population without a concrete sense of what physics is about. We've put together a surface-level video that at least demonstrates contexts in which sensor apps might be used.
Physics Toolbox around the Web
We are always curious to learn about how Physics Toolbox is being employed in education and industry around the world. Here are a few references using or citing the work of the Physics Toolbox team.
Public Outreach
Educating the General Public
Physics Toolbox was featured in a lecture for the general public by Juan Antonio Monsoriu of Spain.
A Workshop for Teachers
Uruguayan faculty Cecilia Cabeza and Martin Monteiro lead a hands-on session on smartphone physics for teachers.
Formal and Informal Education
Swing Physics
This article from Ann-Marie Pendrill and Conny Modig of Sweden look at pendulum studies. Using simple resources like slinkies alongside smartphones for data collection can enhance understandings about "g-forces" and circular motion.
Exoplanets and Toner Boxes
Physics Toolbox Light Meter was used to supplement a hands-on activity with exoplanets. This intriguing method uses a printer toner box!
Bells and Perfect Tones
One of our users checked out the craftmanship of the bells of Agnone, showing the perfection in their work. We're assuming that this bell was made at their famous Marinelli Pontifical Foundry.
Faraday's Law of Induction
This Portuguese-language article looks at the teaching of electromagnetism with a smartphone and coils.
Beats and Coding
While we typically just use 2 other phones to demonstrate beats, you can add depth to an investigation by using Arduino, speakers, and Scratch to manipulate frequencies. See this idea from Alfonso d'Ambrosio of Italy.
Dorm Room Labs
Smartphones present an opportunity for higher education to support personalized learning in large lecture courses.
Air Track Studies
Measure change in velocity by integrating under the acceleration-time curve of smartphones attached to air track carts.
Multiple Modes of Learning
This Master's thesis from Brazil cites Physics Toolbox as just one way to get data from smartphone learning. See this article more ideas on using video analysis, simulations, and more.
Magnetic Field Intensity
This Italian-language resource describes how to demonstrate the inverse law of magnetic fields. Helpful graphs with sample data are included.
Practical and Industrial Use
Traffic Control Management
Physics Toolbox Barometer was recently used in a report from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation to measure ground height in flood zones.
Household Projects
Physics Toolbox can be helpful around the home, like for this project to increase the fan lamp with a new 3-D printed cover in Israel.
LiFi Systems
Physics Toolbox Orientation helps engineers discover how human manipulation of phones influences light-based information networks.
Have Physics Toolbox Apps been useful to you? We'd love to get your feedback on this quick 5-minute survey.
Have a great story to share about how you are using Physics Toolbox Apps? We'd love to feature you and your ideas in our newsletter or on our website! Drop us a message at any time to share your story.
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