Tomorrow, I’m presenting at the Oconee County 2007 Tech Fair at Oconee County High School located in Watkinsville (just outside of Athens, Georgia). I’ve been asked to speak about integrating technology within science. I can’t wait to share a few ideas with the kind folks here. One of the things I’ve been asked to specifically address is the use of digital microscopes. In a way that’s a good thing because I’ve begun compiling related resources for the Georgia Department of Education. A year or so ago, the GaDOE kindly provided five QX5 digital microscopes for every high school in the Peach State. It’s also a bit of a sticky wicket as well. As it turns out, I’ve had people tell me that, due to the limited magnification capabilities of the QX5 (they only reach 200x), high schools are sending their free digital microscopes down to middle and elementary classrooms or just plain giving them away, preferring to purchase more powerful models instead.
So, what’s a dedicated Instructional Technology Specialist to do when he’s got a QX5 on his hands that no one really wants to use? Answer: He goes virtual as in the Virtual Microscope, a NASA-funded project that provides simulated scientific instrumentation for students and researchers worldwide as part of NASA’s Virtual Laboratory initiative. The Virtual Microscope is definitely more high resolution than a QX5 and it’s free. Using the Virtual Microscope also aligns with the Georgia Department of Education’s desire to ensure that high school students develop important habits of mind by exhibiting Characteristics of Science. According to the GaDOE, learners should engage in higher level cognitive pursuits–creative and critical thinking, problem-posing, problem-solving, and the like. In other words, high school pupils should be doing the real-world kind of work scientists do: using tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating scientific equipment and materials. They should be communicating scientific investigations and information clearly. Allowing budding scientists to use the Virtual Microscope makes all of these goals possible. Students who can successfully operate a virtual Fluorescence (Light) Microscope, tinker with concepts related to Scanning Electron Microscopy, or interact with an Atomic Force Microscope in the course and context of Biology, Chemistry, Physical Science, and Environmental Science will be doing the real-world work scientists do–all without really using a QX5.
