Grab Your Labdisc and Get Ready to Experiment!

Got a Labdisc? Don’t know what a Labdisc is? It’s a scientific data logger for collecting your data during experiments – and a great classroom tool. With Labdisc, all of your sensors can be stored in one place: on the Labdisc! Check out these great experiments to excite students about science, data analysis, and more.

Experimenting with Turbidity

Create Your Own Water Filter by Latoya Braswell
This is a fun twist on the “egg drop”! Latoya had the idea to have students design a water filter for their classes to see which group could come up with the most effective filter. But how do you measure whether the filter is keeping stuff out of the water? The turbidity sensor on the Labdisc! Simply place the filtered water sample from each student group into containers and test the samples one by one with the turbidity sensor. Turn on the sensor, run a manual sampling rate, and run your data! Then use the GlobiLab companion software to assess your results.

Water Quality Investigation by Jasmine Caleb
Are you a social activist scientist? Go on a field trip with your class to different neighborhoods and collect water samples. Then test the samples you have collected for turbidity to see if all water is treated equal. Place the water samples into the containers and put it into the turbidity sensor slot. Turn on the sensor, run a manual sampling rate, and run your data! Use the GlobiLab software to assess your results.

Experimenting with UV Testing

Fabric Fake Out by Latoya Braswell
Ever wonder if the labels you see on your clothing about UV protection are real? Test it! Gather a variety of fabrics and use the Labdiscs’s UV sensor to test it out. Simply place the fabrics over the sensor one by one while they, and the Labdisc, are exposed to sunlight. Then hook up your Labdisc to the GlobiLab software to check out the results from the data.

Experimenting with Temperature

Turn Down the Heat! by Laura Jakubowski
Ever hear students complain about how they sweat in one classroom and freeze in another? Have students measure the temperature to see if there really is a change from room to room (or if they are just imagining it). Set the temperature sensor sampling rate to 1/min over 1,000 samples, and then visit classrooms for 20 minutes. During those 20 minutes, students can examine the rooms to see if they have any differences. Does one teacher leave her window open? Does one classroom have more radiator space than another? Measure it! Search it! Explore! Then, at the end, students should reconnect their Labdiscs to the computer and assess their data.

These are just some of the things you can investigate and explore. When you have curiosity and a Labdisc, the possibilities are endless!

To learn more about teaching students wellness in your classroom, check out Teq Online PD and our courses on Social Emotional Learning. We also offer courses on Technology to Support the Danielson Framework, Labdisc, 3D Printing, and more!