Project Activities
People and institutions involved
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Products and publications
Product: PocketLab Notebookis a web-based dashboard that presents data captured by sensors on scientific properties such as altitude, speed, and temperature. PocketLab Notebook works with the existing PocketLab Sensor, a small wireless device that transmits scientific data using Bluetooth to a smartphone, tablet, or computer.PocketLab also includes a student portal with a virtual lab notebook to guide and document hands-on activities; data analysis tools to analyze, graph, and interpret student-collected experimental data; and collaboration tools to share group lab work. A teacher dashboard provides administrative controls, student progress monitoring, a community network of lessons and activities, third-party software integration, and a point feedback system. The intended outcomes of PocketLab Notebook are increased student engagement and learning with the NGSS Science and engineering practices, specifically SEP4 to analyze and interpret data.
Supplemental information
In Phase II of the project, the team fully developed the back-end data system, called the Notebook, to present results from PocketLab experiments; a portal to provide access to user generated lessons; lab templates; and activities for participating classrooms. All Notebook components were developed iteratively, with regular feedback from educators and students informing refinements. After development concluded, the researchers conducted a pilot study of the PocketLab Notebook.
Due to the COVID19 pandemic and challenges in conducting research in schools, the study was modified, and the final sample included 6 classrooms with 6 educators and 99 students that used PocketLab Notebook over several weeks. Descriptive findings supported the usability and feasibility of PocketLab Notebook. All six educators reported feeling prepared and confident to deliver the intervention and noted that the NGSS-aligned lessons were easy to use. Five of the six teachers agreed that they would teach more investigations using PocketLab Notebook regularly, with one choosing "neither agree nor disagree." While drawing inferences on the promise of PocketLab Notework was not possible due to the sampling restrictions, students in the treatment classes scored statistically higher on the proximal researcher designed post-assessment of student science and engineering practices learning from pre- to post-test.
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