Internet Pedagogy

EDUB 5840
Krysta Pooley

Sparkvue for Mac

PASCO Sensors
Grade level: Primary, Middle, High School and University
Subject Areas: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Earth and Environmental
Sciences, Engineering,
Website: www.pasco.com
What you need:
1. Various PASCO sensors depending on your needs.
2. At least one of the following PASCO interfaces:
a.
b.
c.
d.

Handheld device (PASPORT interface or SPARK element)

USB connection to laptop (simplest and cheapest option)
Bluetooth interface
Universal interface (data collection that requires downloading
later)
e. One of the stand-alone learning systems with a screen

3. A laptop or tablet if not using the stand-alone interface

4. Data collection and analysis software either Sparkvue or PASCO
capstone
5. PASCO lesson plans
http://www.pasco.com/products/curriculum/index.cfm
Sensors
There are hundreds of sensors specific to the various curriculum areas.
Some of the most diverse sensors that can be applied to multiple labs
and curriculums are:
a. pH
b. Temperature
c. Force
d. GPS position
e. Spirometer / Breath rate
f. Blood pressure / EKG
g. Optical Dissolved Oxygen
h. General science Sensor light, temperature, sound and
voltage measurements.
i. Advanced Chemistry Sensor pressure, temperature, pH
and conductivity capabilities.
Sensors I tested to learn the software:
- pH, Temperature, Spirometer / respiration rate
Some sensors that I would love the opportunity to try in the future:
a. Goniometer measure joint movements
b. Displacement sensor

c. Acceleration sensor
d. Broad spectrum light sensor / infrared sensor
Sparkvue Software for Mac
The use of PASCO sensors and the Sparkvue software provides
intuitive, real-time data analysis in the classroom. I found this software
to be user friendly and did not feel that it required a large learning
curve for someone who has some understanding of graphing software
(Microsoft excel).
There is a free trial of Sparkvue that can be downloaded from the
PASCO website for use on computers or laptops. There is also a free
app that can be used on any android or apple tablet. The app does
require the purchase of a WiFi compatible interface whereas the
computer program only needs the PASCO USB connection to collect the
data from the sensors. All prices are available on the website
www.pasco.com through their online catalogue.
Using Sparkvue
For this section I will briefly walk you through the use of the software
using screenshots taken from using a temperature sensor.
Once you have downloaded
Sparkvue and created a login for
your free 60-day trial account, the
program loads quickly.
The screen is simple and
relatively easy to navigate. There
is no word that pops up when you
put your mouse over the various
navigation buttons explaining
what each button does this
could be an improvement for a
future update.
However, once you search through all the option buttons, the meaning
of the images is easy to understand and you can always go back if you
click the wrong one.

As soon as you connect the USB

adapter to the laptop and attach
the temperature sensor, the
program recognizes the type of
sensor it is immediately and starts
displaying data. There is no
scrolling through menus of possible
sensors to locate the one you are
using.
With this sensor, it demonstrated
what room temperature was and fluctuated so you knew it was
working.
Next you can click on the open
tab and it will take you to an
experiments folder. With the free
version this folder will only fill with
the experiments you have saved. In
the paid version with a site license,
PASCO uploads all of their lesson
plans here and you can have the
class see the lab on their device
and switch between their data
collection and the theory,
calculations, and lab procedures.
This is a fantastic feature, as often having paper around during labs is
a safety concern.
If you have no experiments loaded, click on build to enter your data
collection parameters based off the units that sensor has the ability to
collect. You can also choose your method of data collection; graph,
table, digits or meter. The preview is great for students who do not
know how to differentiate between those options.
Different methods of viewing
data:
1. Graph: I will focus on this
particular method in the next
few sections.

2. Table: This shows the

concrete numerical data. One
way I thought to use it was to
print this and have students
create their own graph and
then compare it to the actual
one produced by the program.
Grade 10 physics students
often struggle with interpreting graphs and figuring out how to
use the data.
3. Meter: Looks like the speedometer of a car. This would be a
good method of recording data for some students who need a
visual representation. I know for certain,
this would work great with a couple of
my special needs students who rows of
numbers are meaningless, but could
answer questions from watching a meter
change.
4. Digits: Another method for students to watch the changes
numerically. They can switch between
this and the graph view at any point.
Works well for students who struggle to
interpret graphs. This way they can
clearly see the changes occurring and
make connections to the spikes and dips their graph.
Graphing
Once you have collected your data
you can do many different things
with the graph.
1. Data experiment tools: In
this software you have
the ability to manage the
various runs, ensure the
sensor is properly
calibrated for the
particular data
collection, add specific
calculations to shape the
data, change the units
and see different
variations.

2. You can stretch or shrink the graph to shorten or widen the

space between the points.
3. You can zoom in to specific sections of the graph (a good section
or one that may have an error). For example, while taking body
temperature I had to sneeze. So I let go of the sensor to blow my
nose. The temperature dropped rapidly for those few seconds.
This option is great for teaching students graph trends so they
can accurately analyze the data and answer analysis questions.

4. Change the fit of the line: depending on what you are trying
to study and compare, you can add a linear, quadratic, inverse or
sine fit. These include the formulas and are easy for students to
manipulate.

5. Calculations: If you have a specific calculation you are doing

(math or physics), students can enter the base calculation and
have the data alter to fit those parameters.
6. Multiple runs: you can show up to three runs in a single graph.
One outcome we always teach science students is accuracy of
collected data. They do this by doing multiple trials and

averaging the results. This is a clear

and easy way to accomplish that.
The runs will show up in different
colours. You can easily delete one or
multiple runs as well and replace
them with a new one in case
there was some error. This way
you do not need to start all over.
This option is also great to
compare different students
results. For example, with the
heart rate activity, you can
compare three different
students at the same time and
then brainstorm what may have caused the various differences
you will see in the results
(age, sex, current health
etc).

Undo
An option that I thought I would hate at first but actually really liked
after using the program for a while was the fact that there is no undo
button. If you make a mistake or go into the wrong screen, all you do is
unclick whatever change you made and it will go back to the original
data. This option makes it easy for students to quickly see the different
relationships of the data. They can make a change and then undo it,
make another change, undo it, all without making a lasting effect to
the original data.
Snapshots
The program allows you to take snapshots that will save with your
original data file. So students can make changes, add lines and
formulas, take a snapshot to include in their lab report, then undo
those changes and have their original data unchanged.
Some lesson plans I could use PASCO sensors for:
1. Food sciences: Determining the energy content of foods
This lab uses the temperature sensor to determine the caloric

content of various food products. You need to create a

calorimeter with very simple materials (paper clip, soup can, lid
from a jar and a stand). Once you have created the calorimeter
system, you can add any food that will burn safely (I would stay
away from very oily foods for this I tried it with Cheetos).
Students need to have a basic understanding of reading food
labels and understanding caloric content of food. They need two
formulas, how to convert calories
into joules (to
determine energy) and a heat
formula that takes
into
consideration how
hot the
food source burns
along with
the size of the
sample.
You place the
temperature sensor
in the
soup can with cold
water
and the
temperature change gets
plugged into the
calculation. You can also
determine the
amount of sugar in
various fruits
using the
spectrophotometer
provided you have
that sensor (which I do not).
2. Physiology: I have students complete these labs manually,
however you cannot guarantee the accuracy of them counting
their own pulse or using manual blood pressure cuffs and
stethoscopes. It would be great to compare the manual results
with the sensor data.
a. Exercise and heart rate Heart rate sensor
http://www.pasco.com/experiments/new-pascosparklabs/heart-rate.cfm
b. Respiration rate using the spirometer
c. EKG exercise vs. rest EKG and Blood pressure sensors
d. Stomach acid using a pH sensor and a demo of milk of
magnesia (MOM), universal indicator and hydrochloric acid,
you can demonstrate how antacids work to make you feel
better and limit heartburn. Not only can the students see
the immediate colour change of the solution they can see
the spikes of acidity and neutralization on the graphing
software.
3. Physics In grade 10 physics, students learn how to interpret
graphs and how to alter data to move between various types of
graphs. Some of these include position-time, displacement-time,
acceleration-time graphs.
a. Displacement-time sensors
b. Acceleration http://www.pasco.com/experiments/original-

sparklabs/acceleration.cfm
Limitations
Unfortunately I am limited to a small amount of older sensors. I find it
would be difficult to engage students with this great experimentation
tool when there is only one pH sensor and two temperature sensors for
a classroom of 30 students to share. This would be great if I took the
class time to scaffold these lessons by having them complete the lab
without the sensor, determine their results from regular
experimentation and then repeat the lab by using the sensors.
I tried to use the Sparkvue app to make a comparison to the computer
program however I could not get it to recognize the sensors. I
contacted PASCO and found out that the older versions of the sensors
are not compatible with the newer Wi-Fi interfaces that would allow us
to bring these experiments outside or have multiple groups of
students access the data wirelessly. This was my solution to the
limited amount of sensors so I am disappointed to hear that it cannot
be done without some costly upgrades. The newer versions only
require a single sensor connected to an interface or computer, and you
can have an unlimited amount of Wi-Fi connections through the
SparkVue app so students can view the live data and then play with
the results on their individual devices. This is a great initial teaching
tool as all students are working with the same data set. Then, provided
you have access to enough sensors, groups of students can do
different tests and compile their data as a class.
Other learning opportunities:
Their website offers a page on professional development
http://www.pasco.com/resources/professional-development/index.cfm
Here there are links to upcoming workshops, three-day summer
institutes for teachings to get hands on training at a cost of $375
(unfortunately only offered in the states at the moment), and coteaching models.
I contacted PASCO to find out information about Canadian workshops
and was told they are working on them. The interest for purchasing
these sensors in Canada is not as high. They did offer to try and
connect me with other schools in Winnipeg who have purchased large
amounts of sensors to see if they would be willing to collaborate in a
professional development session in the future.
PASCO offers training sessions in person or via Skype with one of their
knowledgeable representatives. Currently, they do not have a
Manitoba representative, but there is a retired teacher named Bill
Konrad in Ontario who is willing to skype with any staff interested in

learning how to use the software and how to incorporate lessons using
probeware into the classroom effectively.