College physics labs were conducted with half the students physically in the room, each working with a remote lab partner. Since this is similar to how NASA astronauts perform experiments on the International Space Station (ISS), those roles came to be called “Astronauts” and “Experts.” Emphasizing the connection Astronauts, NASA, and the ISS seems to have […]
The novel (i.e. new) coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has prompted novel (i.e. new) terminology in the field of educational technology. To keep track of it all, I’ve started this glossary page, which I will update from time to time. I welcome additions, either in the comments or by email. I am solely responsible for any mistakes or […]
This article explains a potential way to teach physics lab classes in the time of COVID-19, in a way that gives students some hands-on experience with the equipment and preserves the collaborative element of working as lab partners. (750 words) Planning for teaching physics labs in the Fall of 2020 is fraught with difficulties. One […]
In this article I report what I’ve learned so far about the possibility of using steerable consumer home monitoring cameras (“nanny cams”) to allow students to work together on laboratory exercises, with one student in the room and one (or more?) participating using the video and audio from the camera. (~4660 words) Introduction and Motivation […]
This article provides configuration information for using an in-classroom document camera so that the content it displays is available to both students in the classroom and those joining via video meeting software (such as Blackboard Collaborate Ultra). These instructions are particular to our Physics Labs, but the general idea should apply more widely. (1050 words) […]