The Caliper:V16 #1: CBL News




In This Issue:

Water Quality with CBL
Logger Pro for iMac
New Stuff
CBL™ News
Innovative Uses
Bits and Bytes

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The Caliper
A Publication for Users of Vernier Products
Volume 16, Number 1Spring 1999
Bits & Bytes


WorkShops
Years ago in this letter
Science Humor
Physics with Computers Gets a Rave Review
 Free Stuff from Vernier Software



Workshops
To know more information about our Workshops please visit at http://www.vernier.com/workshops.html

This summer, there are more workshops featuring Vernier products than ever before. Take advantage of these opportunities for hands-on training and interaction with other teachers utilizing technology in their science classrooms. Check our web site or contact the workshop organizer for more information about these workshops.

Vernier Workshops in Portland, Oregon
In July, we will be offering five one-day workshops at Vernier Software. Participants will receive eight hours of intensive, hands-on experience in computer or CBL™ data collection. Combine this great learning experience with a trip to the beautiful Pacific Northwest!
  • Monday, July 19 - CBL
  • Tuesday, July 20 - Computer
  • Wednesday, July 21 - CBL
  • Thursday, July 22 - Computer
  • Friday, July 23 - CBL

For more information, check our web site or e-mail us at workshop@vernier.com

Vernier Workshops in Fairfax, VA

July 27-29 in Fairfax, VA (near Washington, D.C.)

Participants will receive eight hours of intensive, hands-on experience in chemistry or biology with computers. For more information, check our web site or e-mail us at workshop@vernier.com


T3 ™ Summer Institutes
These five-day institutes sponsored by T3 , Teachers Teaching with Technology™, offer hands-on training using TI Graphing Calculators and the CBL System. Some of the subject-specific institutes include:

  • Dealing with Data in Middle School Mathematics and Science (35 sessions)
  • Chemistry and Biology (23 sessions)
  • Connecting Math and Science (25 sessions)
  • Connecting Biology and Algebra (16 sessions)

There are so many sessions of each workshop being held around the country this summer (see above) that we cannot list them all here. Visit the T3 web site at www.t3ww.org/t3 or call 1-888-2-TCUBED to find an institute in your area.

T3 Discovery Workshops
T3 also offers free, one-day, hands-on CBL workshops for schools that can provide 10 to 40 teachers and a 6-hour block of time. Visit the T3 web site at www.t3ww.org/t3 or call 1-888-2-TCUBED for an application and more information.

Computer and CBL Technology
June 21-25, San Antonio, TX
Workshops in AP and pre-AP biology, chemistry, environmental science, middle school science, and physics. For more information, contact Carol Leibl at cmleibl@tenet.edu

ChemEd '99
We are very excited to offer six hands-on chemistry workshops at ChemEd '99 in Fairfield, CT, August 1-5:

  • Chemistry with CBL
  • Chemistry with Computers
  • AP and College Chemistry with CBL and Computers

For more information, visit the ChemEd '99 web site at www.sacredheart.edu/chemed

Promoting Active Learning in Introductory Physics Courses

  • Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, June 3-5
  • University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, June 17-19

For more information, contact David Sokoloff at
sokoloff@oregon.uoregon.edu

Promoting Active Learning in Introductory Physics Courses

  • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 19-23

For more information, visit the web site at www.columbiacollege.bc.ca/Physics_Seminaracr

We now have several former teachers around the country who are available to conduct Vernier Software workshops, including John Mauch (Boston), David Braunschweig (Madison, WI), Bridget Dube (San Antonio), and John Gastineau (Morgantown, WV). Contact Amy Ring (503-297-5317, workshop@vernier.com ) if you want to discuss having one of these experienced teachers do a workshop for your staff.


15 Years Ago in This Newsletter . . .
We started this newsletter 15 years ago using an Apple II computer. It was printed on a modified IBM Selectric typewriter that could be controlled by the Apple II. We announced our newest programs, Frequency Meter for the Apple II and Precision Timer for the Commodore 64. We also announced our first hardware products our Photogate and Microphone Parts Kits. It was quite a few years before we started selling assembled sensors.

10 Years Ago in This Newsletter . . .
 We announced a new MS-DOS version of our Frequency Meter program and a new version of our popular Precision Timer III program for the Apple II. We discussed using pocket telephone dialers as sound sources and analyzing the frequencies of the two tones produced. Much later, we included this idea as a lab in our Physics with Computers book.


Science Humor
Q: Why did the scientist put a knocker on his door?
A: Because he wanted to win the Nobel prize.

A seventh grade biology teacher arranged a demonstration for his class. The teacher had two earth worms. He dropped the first worm into a beaker of water, where it dropped to the bottom and wriggled about. He dropped the second worm into a beaker of Ethyl alcohol, and it immediately shriveled up and died. He asked the class if anyone knew what this demonstration was intended to show them.

A boy in the second row immediately shot his arm up and, when called on said, "You're showing us that if you drink alcohol, you won't have worms."


Physics with Computers Gets a Rave Review
We were pleased to see the very favorable review of our Physics with Computers book in the January, 1999 issue of The Physics Teacher. The reviewer liked that we use ten different sensors, provide lots of teacher tips and suggestions, and "encourage students to think about what they are going to do by estimating or first doing the experiment qualitatively." He also appreciated that we provide the word processing files of the lab handouts, so teachers can edit them


Free Stuff at www.vernier.com
 On our web site there is a "Free Stuff" section that has all kinds of goodies for people who use our equipment:

  • On our web site there is a "Free Stuff" section that has all kinds of goodies for people who use our equipment:
  • Demo versions of Logger Pro and Graphical Analysis.
  • Sample labs from all of our books.
  • Data collection programs for TI calculators.
  • Technical specifications for our sensors.
  • Logger Pro updates. Every time we release a new version of Logger Pro, anyone who has purchased an older version can upgrade from our web site for free.
  • New product announcements.
  • Experiment files for new products. When we release new products, we post any needed files to use with the new equipment.
  • The latest information on all of our workshops and conferences.
  • Past issues of this newsletter. We've been at this for over 18 years. Maybe you missed some of our lab ideas from the past!
  • Tips on how to use our older MS-DOS programs on Windows computers.

All of this, and more, is available in the Free Stuff section of our web site.

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