1. Overview:

This document summarizes the main themes and important ideas presented on the Open Educational Resources / Open Source Physics @ Singapore website, specifically focusing on their project highlighted at the TCEF2021 conference: "Promoting Joy of Learning by Turning phone into scientific equipment." The project addresses the challenge of visualizing abstract physics concepts, particularly in light, sound, and modern physics, by leveraging the ubiquitous presence of smartphones as scientific data-loggers. This initiative aims to make physics learning more interactive, relevant, and accessible to students by utilizing their smartphones' built-in sensors and custom-designed web browser applications.

2. Main Themes and Important Ideas:

• Addressing a Gap in Physics Education: The project identifies a significant challenge in physics education: the difficulty students face in visualizing and understanding abstract concepts like light, sound, and modern physics. Traditional teaching methods often rely on verbal explanations and equations, requiring students to "imagine the phenomenon and appreciate physics that describe the real world." This lack of direct interaction and data collection can hinder comprehension. The project directly tackles this issue by providing a tangible and interactive way for students to engage with these phenomena.
• Transforming Smartphones into Scientific Tools: The core idea of the project is to repurpose students' smartphones into scientific data-loggers. By utilizing the built-in sensors present in most smartphones, coupled with specifically designed "user-friendly phone web browser apps with suggested experiments," students can actively collect data and investigate the world around them. This approach aims to shift students from passive recipients of information to active scientists. The document explicitly states: "In this project, we turn the students’ smartphone into scientific data-loggers that enable them to use their smartphones to collect data and become scientists investigating the world around them, making physics relevant and real world, by using their smartphones’ built-in sensors."
• Development of Specific Smartphone Physics Experiments: The project has developed three key experiments utilizing smartphone capabilities:
• Light Analyser: This experiment involves attaching a "3D printed spectrometer" to the phone to study the spectrum of different light sources.
• Sound Analyser: This application allows students to analyze the sound spectrum of various sounds and can even "predict the length of pipes and whether it’s open or closed."
• Radiation Analyser (GM Counter): This experiment enables students to study the radiation of different radioactive sources, facilitated by collaboration with NEA to provide low-dosage sources for schools.
• Benefits for Students and Teachers: The project highlights several key benefits for both students and teachers:
• Novel Learning Experience: The experiments are described as "currently not done in most schools" and are expected to provide a "novel learning experience for students."
• Cost-Effective: Utilizing readily available smartphones eliminates the need for "expensive and complex equipment in the laboratory," leading to cost savings.
• Real-Time Data Collection and Engagement: The mobile web browsers allow students to "collect real time data rapidly and display these data in multiple representations that help to deepen students' understanding." This rapid data collection fosters active engagement in science inquiry. The document emphasizes that "with smartphones serving as data-loggers, every student can collect data and be actively engaged in science inquiry, leading to better student outcomes."
• Enhanced Scientific Inquiry Skills: By rapidly collecting and processing data, students gain more time to focus on other crucial aspects of scientific inquiry, such as "identify questions and concepts, design and conduct experiments and construct explanations and models." They are encouraged to "act like scientists by investigating the world around them."
• Learning Beyond the Laboratory: The convenience of using smartphones allows students to "continue to explore the phenomenon beyond the laboratory sessions and the physical laboratory." Experiments can be conducted "at home, after school, anytime, anywhere for more practice, or an expanded scope of inquiry – one smartphone, many experiments."
• Teacher Feedback and Implementation Support: The developed experiments were successfully "trailed with teachers from YIJC, NJC and JPJC," and the "feedback was positive," leading to improvements in the experiments. Furthermore, workshops were conducted to "transfer the learning from this project" to teachers from all pre-university levels. To facilitate wider adoption, "SLS lessons based on these experiments" have been created for teachers to use. Additionally, the experiments have been converted into "android and iOS apps so that they can be run offline," enhancing accessibility.
• Availability of Resources: The website explicitly provides a link to the web app resources: "https://sg.iwant2study.org/ospsg/index.php/576". This underscores the project's commitment to Open Educational Resources.
• Broader Context of Open Educational Resources: The project is situated within the larger "Open Educational Resources / Open Source Physics @ Singapore" initiative, indicating a broader commitment to providing freely accessible and adaptable educational materials. The website contains a wide array of interactive resources, applets, and tools covering various science and mathematics topics.

3. Key Quotes:

• "There is a lack of turning smartphones into scientific data-loggers for students to interact with and learn from for some topics, especially light, sound and modern physics."
• "Teachers usually explain the phenomenon in words and equations and students have to imagine the phenomenon and appreciate physics that describe the real world. Therefore, students will typically find it hard to visualize and understand these concepts."
• "In this project, we turn the students’ smartphone into scientific data-loggers that enable them to use their smartphones to collect data and become scientists investigating the world around them, making physics relevant and real world, by using their smartphones’ built-in sensors."
• "The three experiments we have carefully chosen are currently not done in most schools and would provide a novel learning experience for students."
• "Since smartphones have built-in sensors and when using our mobile web browsers, students can collect real time data rapidly and display these data in multiple representations that help to deepen students' understanding."
• "The convenience of using a smartphone to do experiments also allows the students to continue to explore the phenomenon beyond the laboratory sessions and the physical laboratory."

4. Conclusion:

The "Turning phone into scientific equipment" project, showcased at TCEF2021, represents an innovative approach to enhancing physics education by leveraging the capabilities of smartphones. By providing user-friendly applications and engaging experiments in areas traditionally difficult to visualize, the project aims to increase student engagement, deepen understanding, and foster scientific inquiry skills. The positive feedback from teacher trials and the development of supporting resources like SLS lessons and offline apps suggest a promising pathway for the wider adoption of this cost-effective and accessible learning tool. The project aligns with the broader goals of the Open Educational Resources / Open Source Physics @ Singapore initiative in promoting freely available and interactive educational materials.

urning Smartphones into Scientific Equipment: A Study Guide

Key Concepts

• Open Educational Resources (OER): Freely accessible teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license, such as Creative Commons.
• Open Source Physics (OSP): A community focused on creating and sharing open-source computational tools and resources for physics education.
• Scientific Data-logger: A device used to automatically collect and record data over time, often from sensors measuring physical phenomena. In this context, a smartphone acts as this device.
• Smartphone Sensors: Built-in components within smartphones that can measure various physical quantities, such as light intensity, sound waves, and radiation levels.
• Spectrometer: An instrument that separates and measures the intensity of different wavelengths of light.
• Sound Spectrum: The distribution of frequencies present in a sound.
• Radioactive Sources: Materials that emit ionizing radiation. The project uses low-dosage sources for educational purposes.
• Real-time Data: Information that is collected and displayed as it is being acquired.
• Science Inquiry: A process of learning about the natural world through asking questions, making observations, conducting investigations, and constructing explanations.
• Student Learning Space (SLS): A national online learning platform used in Singapore schools.
• Mobile Web Browser Apps: Software applications designed to run within a smartphone's web browser, allowing users to interact with online content and utilize device features.
• User-Friendly Interface: A design that makes a software application easy and intuitive to use.
• Novel Learning Experience: A new and unique way for students to learn, often differing from traditional methods.
• Cost-Effective Education: Providing learning opportunities using resources that are inexpensive or readily available.
• Active Engagement: Students being directly involved and participating in the learning process.

Quiz

Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences each.

1. What was the primary motivation behind the "Turning phone into scientific equipment" project?
2. Name the three specific physics experiments developed within this project that utilize smartphone capabilities.
3. How does using smartphones as scientific data-loggers aim to improve students' understanding of physics concepts?
4. What are some of the key benefits this project offers to teachers in terms of resources and teaching methods?
5. In what ways does this project encourage students to engage in science inquiry beyond the traditional laboratory setting?
6. What type of feedback was received from the teachers who trialed the smartphone physics experiments?
7. How has the project ensured the accessibility and usability of these experiments for a wider range of educators and students?
8. Besides the web browser apps, what other formats have been developed for the smartphone physics experiments?
9. According to the text, what makes the chosen experiments novel for most schools?
10. What is the role of real-time data collection in enhancing students' learning through these experiments?

Quiz Answer Key

1. The primary motivation was to address the difficulty students face in visualizing and understanding certain physics topics like light, sound, and modern physics, where phenomena are often explained abstractly without direct interaction. The project aims to bridge this gap by enabling students to use their smartphones to interact with and collect data related to these concepts.
2. The three specific physics experiments developed are a light analyser (using a 3D printed spectrometer), a sound analyser (for studying sound spectra and pipe acoustics), and a radiation analyser (for studying radiation from low-dosage radioactive sources).
3. Using smartphones as scientific data-loggers allows students to collect real-time data from their surroundings, making abstract physics concepts more tangible and relatable. This hands-on experience helps them visualize phenomena, investigate the world like scientists, and connect physics to real-world applications.
4. This project offers teachers cost-effective alternatives to expensive lab equipment, convenient tools that most students already possess, and pre-designed experiments and SLS lessons. It also provides a novel way to engage students in active science inquiry and allows for data collection and processing that can deepen understanding.
5. The convenience of using smartphones for experiments allows students to continue their explorations beyond scheduled lab sessions and the physical laboratory. They can conduct experiments at home, after school, or anywhere, fostering more practice, expanded inquiry, and a continuous learning process.
6. The feedback from teachers at YIJC, NJC, and JPJC who trialed the experiments was positive, and their inputs were used to further improve the design and implementation of the experiments. This positive feedback gave the project team confidence to conduct workshops for teachers from all pre-university levels.
7. The project has created user-friendly mobile web browser apps with suggested experiments, making them easily accessible on most smartphones. Furthermore, the experiments have been converted into both Android and iOS apps, allowing for offline use and wider accessibility for teachers and students.
8. In addition to the mobile web browser apps, the smartphone physics experiments have been developed as native Android and iOS applications. This allows users to run the experiments offline, providing more flexibility in various learning environments without requiring a constant internet connection.
9. The three carefully chosen experiments (light analyser, sound analyser, and radiation analyser using low-dosage sources) are currently not typically performed in most schools. This provides a novel learning experience for students, introducing them to scientific investigations that go beyond standard curricula.
10. Real-time data collection allows students to rapidly gather measurements and see the data displayed in various representations. This immediate feedback and visualization helps them to identify patterns, analyze results, and deepen their understanding of the underlying scientific principles more effectively.

Essay Format Questions

1. Discuss the potential impact of integrating smartphone-based scientific tools, like those presented in the project, on student engagement and motivation in physics education. Consider both the advantages and potential challenges of this approach.
2. Analyze the significance of Open Educational Resources and Open Source Physics initiatives in democratizing science education. How does the "Turning phone into scientific equipment" project exemplify the principles and benefits of OER and OSP?
3. Evaluate the pedagogical benefits of shifting from traditional, equipment-heavy physics experiments to those utilizing readily available smartphone technology. How might this change influence students' scientific inquiry skills and their perception of physics in the real world?
4. Critically examine the feasibility and safety considerations of incorporating experiments involving light, sound, and low-dosage radiation using smartphones in a typical school setting. What measures might need to be in place to ensure effective and responsible implementation?
5. Explore the potential for the "Turning phone into scientific equipment" project to be adapted and expanded to other scientific disciplines or educational levels. What future developments or additional experiments could build upon this foundation of using everyday technology for science learning?

Glossary of Key Terms

• Applet: A small application, often written in Java or JavaScript, that runs within another application, typically a web browser.
• CPDD-ETD: Curriculum Planning and Development Division - Educational Technology Division (a department within the Singaporean Ministry of Education likely involved in the Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest).
• ExCEL Fest: An event likely focused on innovation and excellence in education.
• HTML5: The latest evolution of the standard markup language for creating web pages and web applications, enabling interactive content.
• Javascript: A programming language commonly used to create interactive effects within web browsers.
• NEA: National Environment Agency (a statutory board in Singapore, likely involved in the procurement of radioactive sources for safety and regulatory reasons).
• Pre-university: The educational level in Singapore that comes after secondary school and prepares students for university (e.g., Junior Colleges).
• SLS lessons: Learning activities and resources designed for integration into the Student Learning Space (SLS) platform.
• TCEF2021: Teachers' Conference and ExCEL Fest 2021.
• 3D Printed Spectrometer: A device for analyzing light spectra, created using a three-dimensional printer based on a digital design.

Website
Download

Briefly describe what the featured project is about
(in no more than 200 words)

There is a lack of turning smartphones into scientific data-loggers for students to interact with and learn from for some topics, especially light, sound and modern physics. Teachers usually explain the phenomenon in words and equations and students have to imagine the phenomenon and appreciate physics that describe the real world. Therefore, students will typically find it hard to visualize and understand these concepts.
In this project, we turn the students’ smartphone into scientific data-loggers that enable them to use their smartphones to collect data and become scientists investigating the world around them, making physics relevant and real world, by using their smartphones’ built-in sensors. We designed user-friendly phone web browser apps with suggested experiments that allow students to use their smartphone sensors and additional fixtures to collect measurements and learn science anytime and anywhere.


Three smartphone physics experiments were developed:
Light analyser to study the spectrum of different light sources by attaching a 3D printed spectrometer to their phone.


Sound analyser to study the sound spectrum of different sounds produced. The app is able to predict the length of pipes and whether it’s open or closed.


Radiation analyser to study the radiation of different radioactive sources. We have worked with NEA to purchase a low dosage radioactive source for schools to study the phenomenon.



Word Count: ____192_________



Key benefits to teachers / students / staff*
(in no more than 300 words)

The three experiments we have carefully chosen are currently not done in most schools and would provide a novel learning experience for students. Instead of using expensive and complex equipment in the laboratory, these experiments can be done conveniently with a smartphone which most students are equipped with, hence saving cost.
Since smartphones have built-in sensors and when using our mobile web browsers, students can collect real time data rapidly and display these data in multiple representations that help to deepen students' understanding. With smartphones serving as data-loggers, every student can collect data and be actively engaged in science inquiry, leading to better student outcomes. The ability to collect and process data rapidly gives students more time to identify questions and concepts, design and conduct experiments and construct explanations and models. They act like scientists by investigating the world around them, making physics relevant and real world.
The convenience of using a smartphone to do experiments also allows the students to continue to explore the phenomenon beyond the laboratory sessions and the physical laboratory. The experiments can be conducted at home, after school, anytime, anywhere for more practice, or an expanded scope of inquiry- one smartphone, many experiments.
The experiments were trailed with teachers from YIJC, NJC and JPJC. The feedback was positive, and the teachers gave inputs to improve the experiments which have already been implemented. With confidence from the feedback, we conducted a workshop for teachers from all pre-university to transfer the learning from this project.
We have also created SLS lessons based on these experiments for teachers to use. In addition, the experiments have been converted into android and iOS apps so that they can be run offline.
The web app resources can be found here https://sg.iwant2study.org/ospsg/index.php/576

Word Count: _____277________

Video
YouTube video links to the 3 smartphone experiments

1) Sound Analyser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u_djWwm0u8&t=1s

2) Light Analyser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQiUvY94uMc

3) GM Counter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypMTHXsLHrg