Success Stories: Go Fish

"I expect this project to last for years, with each new class being able to benefit from their teachers' burgeoning skills. The environment has an impact on all of our lives. Being able to evaluate the effect that manufacturing and people have on streams is huge, especially if you can quantify it by analyzing dissolved solids, and the sorts of things the Vernier probes can do. Without a doubt, Vernier has been central to the success of this whole effort."

Will Brigham
Binghamton, NY
Educational Technologist
Broome-Tioga BOCES

Binghamton, NY - There's something fishy in the state of New York. But in this case, it's all for the good. In bucolic Binghamton, trout steams abound. Their "residents" are accurate gauges of the local water quality and the health of the environment: trout cannot survive in water that is too warm, too polluted, or that contains high levels of certain dissolved solutes. Soon, supported by Vernier's LabPro water quality probes, students in eleven school districts will be studying the fish to learn important lessons about watersheds and the world's dwindling resources.

"The feedback from the teachers is that Vernier makes just wonderful technology, and they really want to learn to use it as effectively as possible."

This innovative educational model, dubbed "Trout in the Classroom," is a cooperative effort between New York's Harpursville School District, the Broome-Tioga Board of Cooperative Educational services (BOCES), and the Al Hazzard chapter of Trout Unlimited. How did the three groups come to collaborate? The credit goes to Will Brigham, an educational technologist with BOCES and a former teacher.

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Challenge

Promote effective use of technology in K-12 schools
Ensure teachers are comfortable with leading-edge technology tools
Create awareness of local environmental issues
Support students' scientific inquiry

Solution

Vernier LabPro Water Quality Package
Dell laptop computers with Microsoft Office Suite
Aquarium, fish eggs, supplies
Four-day staff development
Support from community organizations

Benefits

District teachers will be conversant with technology
Students will have robust analytical tools in the classroom and in the field
Students will develop expertise in general science, biology, ecology, and chemistry, and will become aware of factors affecting the environment