Data collection is a fundamental skill in science education, one that students generally practice in a controlled setting using equipment only available in the classroom laboratory. However, using smartphones with their built-in sensors and often free apps, many fundamental experiments can be performed outside the laboratory. Taking advantage of…

In their role as careful observers of nature, citizen scientists are helping to "answer the most challenging ecological and environmental questions, addressing issues that affect everyday lives" (McKinley et al. 2015). They help answer these questions by providing scientists with a large pool of data that can be analyzed (National…

In this study, we explored how a teacher used a new mobile application that enables students to collect data inside and outside the classroom, and then use the data to create scientific explanations by using claim-evidence-reasoning framework. Previous technologies designed to support scientific explanations focused on how these programs improve…

In this article, Karen Bucci describes how she incorporated her iPad with the wireless SmartScope iGO microscope and Wi-Viewer app to teach her fourth-grade class the science module "Ecosystems" by National Science Resources Center's Science and Technology for Children (STC) (1996, 2005). A main idea in the unit is the importance of…

Despite successive waves of technological innovation being rapidly adopted by schools, teaching methods and curriculum designs have been slow to evolve in response to the affordances offered by an increasing array of digital devices. This project explored student thinking, problem solving and collaboration when using digital tablets (iPads) for a…

In this study, smartphone was used to alter the traditional procedure by involving students in active learning experiences prior to the laboratory meeting. The researcher surveyed students' view on the effect of using smartphone to enhance learning in the general physics laboratory. The use of smartphone was evaluated by having 120 students who…