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Re: Pasco Labs - Science Workshop/DataStudio



The pasco manuals that I've seen are mind-numbingly detailed, like typical
software documentation. At the beginning of the course I have a session
with groups gathered round computers, just playing with the motion sensor
and getting a feel for how it works. After that instructions for a lab
might start with "Use the motion sensor in order to ..."

It pays to look into the details of using the software - something I'm bad
at - but if you know the right way to achieve common objectives and can go
round the lab dropping hints like "you can do that by clicking there", it
does help people up the learning curve. While Ken is right about "students
letting us do their work for them", I do sympathize with anyone who tries
to avoid reading software manuals!

Mark

At 09:51 11/02/02 -0700, SSHS KPHOX wrote:
Tina Fanetti wrote:
>Does anyone on this list use Science Workshop or Data Studio in their=
> Intro Physics labs.
>
>My students are having problems (namely they won't read and follow di=
>rections) and I was wondering how other instructors use these labs.

I use the Science Workshop Interface but do not use the published labs as
I find them too "cookbook" and thus set my own labs. My students don't
always pay attention to me or my written instructions until they find they
cannot do it on their own. Then they will read the instutions which I
require before I will help them.

Students will let us do as much of their work for them as we will.

Ken Fox
Science Department Coordinator
IB Physics Teacher
Smoky Hill High School
Aurora, CO
kfox@mail.ccsd.k12.co.us

Mark Sylvester
UWCAd
Duino Trieste Italy