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I found this on dy/dan, an Algebra teacher who has discovered the power of technology to make students understand graphing. Most students struggle to make the connection between the data and the graph that results.
dy/dan uses movies to bring in motion from real life (hopefully, not The Real Life), and use it to teach graphing skills.
Another way to help students make the link is to use lab technology:
- Vernier Motion Ranger - can work either connected to a graphing calculator, or as a stand-alone device.
- Vernier LabQuest - it’s the new combination data collector/graphing device from Vernier. Eliminates the need to buy separate graphing calculators. Middle schools may be the ones to utilize this the most.
- PASCO Motion detector - one of the easiest motion detectors to set up and run. With a single computer and a projector, it can be used within minutes, even by a total novice.
- Vernier’s Logger Pro – it has sample movies on the installation disk, which are linked with the data from various probes. When the movie is played, the students see the graph generated at the same time.
This is one of those situations when spending a little money up-front pays off BIG in the end.
