STEM

Free Workshops in Data Collection Technology Available This Spring

• By Michael Hart
• 01/12/15

A software maker will provide free workshops in scientific data-collection technology this spring to science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers.

Vernier Software & Technology will give 34 free four-hour workshops at different locations around the country beginning February 17 in Jacksonville, FL, and Memphis, TN. Attendees can earn two graduate science credit hours through the Portland State University Center for Science Education upon completion.

During the workshops, the educators will receive hands-on training using Vernier's Go Wireless Temp, a wireless sensor that can be used with iPads and other mobile devices.

Along with the workshop training, educators will get lunch and an electronic copy of the workshop training manual that will include ready-to-use lab handouts for their students.

Examples of content covered by the workshops include:

•  Physics teachers will learn how to collect data with a motion detector;
• Chemistry teachers will use a colorimeter to determine the concentration of a nickel sulfate solution;
• Biology teachers will measure concentrations of carbon dioxide during cell respiration;
• Environmental and earth science teachers will learn about classroom applications for GPS sensors; and
• And K-8 science teachers will, among other things, use a heart rate monitor to measure heart rates before and during exercise.

"The training was exactly what our new science teachers needed to get started using the equipment that is available to them," said Lynn Scheller, who mentors beginning teachers in Hillsboro, OR.

A complete schedule of classes that will take place from February through May and registration information is available at Vernier.com.

David Vernier, founder of the company and a former physics teacher, said, "Educators can take the skills and best practices learned in the workshops and apply them to help students master the ideas and concepts detailed in the Next Generation State Standards."