Scientific step

Support by smartphones and tablets

Gathering Information,

Literature Research

Smartphones and tablets offer multiple sources of information. Even on field trips and outside in nature you can gather information via internet resources, geo-media services andr by apps installed on your smartphone or tablet. For example the ‘Map of Life’-app can help students to identify species of insects, birds and plants in the surrounding nature and provide them with annotations.

Posing research questions, formulating a hypothesis

In inquiry based approaches students pose research questions and formulate a hypothesis. Digital applications such as the app ‘Socrative’ or Social media platforms can help to collect such questions within a class and collaboratively decide on the most significant question and hypothesis students want to investigate.

Conducting experiments

Smartphones and tablets are well suited to support experimental investigations especially if they are performed outside of the classroom. Experimental data can be recorded in various digital formats.

Furthermore special sensors on smartphones and tablets allow you to record diverse physical and chemical parameters (e.g. with the ’Sensor Kinetic’- app). It is possible to stream sensor collected data via Data sharing apps (e.g. Vernier data collection). In physics or chemistry classes, students can film their experiments with their smartphones or tablets and watch it again later to clarify details or problematic parts of the experiment or to review the experience.

Data Analysis,

 Drawing Conclusions

For data analysis various apps are available supporting analysis and interpretation of data (e.g. the app ‘Statistics and Sample Size’). Moreover you can search the internet to obtain reference data for result comparison.

Presentations

Via graphical applications such as the ‘SlideShare’- app students can compile their scientific work in (PowerPoint) slides and share these with others via social networks. Also discussion about the results is possible by this way: using a blog format or a discussion format, students can train scientific reasoning and evidence based documentation in public media. Furthermore mobile devices can be used to contact scientific experts to obtain their opinion, i.e. via Twitter.

Visualisation / Digital models / Simulations

Visualisation of scientific content by animations, pictures or digital models help students to make abstract processes and concepts better understandable. Moreover phenomena that occur on very small (e.g. microscopic) or very large (e.g. geological) scales can be illustrated.A nice example is the iCell - app.