mwTechDetails

So why Vernier and how much does it cost?
These are questions that you are likely to ask. I'll start first with cost. The LabPro interface will cost $220 per set. Probes range in price from around $30 to $300, depending on their function and sensitivity. I personally made a commitment in my purchasing to add LabPros and probes each year over several years until I had enough in my classroom to support every lab group of three to four students having their own set - a goal I managed to achieve in about three years.

I chose Vernier because they work seamlessly with Mac computers and because they can piggyback a graphing calculator for field data collection. Additionally, the wide range of probes available gave me a "one-stop" option for all of my digital measurement needs. I no longer needed ten different tools. Students could now use one technology, one software application, and simply plug in the required probes for data collection, storage, and analysis.

[|Vernier] Website for product information and details.

LoggerPro
LoggerPro is designed for use with the LabPro, so everything is seamless and the software automatically detects the interface and identifies the connected probes. Probes can be calibrated if necessary and units of measurement can easily be modified. The desktop display shows data in tabular, line plot, and numerical forms for easy interpretation. Tabular data can be exported to other software for further analysis. One of my favorite features is the ability to "replay" the lab and manipulate the playback rate. This gives students the opportunity to explore the data, repeat the trial and watch the graph redraw. In doing so, they develop a deeper understanding of the changes observed.

$189 UNLIMITED license. This allows EVERY computer associated with the school to have a copy installed, even teacher's home computers and student's personal computers!

[|Vernier] Website for product information and details.

TinkerPlots
I discovered TinkerPlots at an NCTM conference when the software was in beta testing phase. The developers were working on a statistical analysis tool for younger children, based on their Fathom application. In the past, I would have students work with Microsoft Excel to manipulate their data and produce graphs. With the age group I teach (4th-6th grade), Excel was a challenging application to master and as you may well know, not terribly intuitive. One really needs to know already how the data needs to look before the spreadsheet is set up. Mistakes in the layout of the spreadsheet can wreak havoc on producing a graph that makes sense. Additionally, some of the graphs, built primarily for a business model, are not drawn correctly for science and mathematics applications.

TinkerPlots allows students to literally play with their data and construct their understanding. Graph construction and data manipulation is intuitive, and the graphical interface provides students with immediate feedback and encourages inquiry.

$90 Single User $300 Ten Users $1000 UNLIMITED license. This allows EVERY computer associated with the school to have a copy installed, even teacher's home computers and student's personal computers!

[|KeyPress] Website for product details and downloads.

Workshop18Agenda: Computer Based Probes Workshop25Agenda: TinkerPlots