EES Digital Microscopes

in Louisiana’s Comprehensive

Curriculum

Digital Microscopes

What is a digital microscope?A digital microscope uses optics and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to output a digital image to a monitor. A digital microscope differs from an optical microscope in that there is no provision to observe the sample directly through an eyepiece. Since the optical image is projected directly on the CCD camera, the entire system is designed for a monitor image with image quality dependent on computer and monitor video capabilities.

Digital Microscopes

Digital microscopes range in prices from very expensive types used for high end photography to the affordable handheld model, which is such a handy and flexible resource for classroom uses.

Digital Microscopes

There are many manufacturers of inexpensive handheld microscopes such as the Intel® Play™ QX3™. This presentation uses the ProScope HR model since it is widely used in the Louisiana one-to-one laptop initiative.

Digital Microscopes

How it works

Digital Microscopes

Quality control and inspection

Industry and business find product imperfections not visible to the naked eye.

Digital Microscopes

Uses: Crime scene forensics—as seen not

just on TV’s CSI programs but real life

Ammo coding Fiber Fingerprints

Digital Microscopes

Science EducationNew Tech Teaching Tool: Handheld Microscopes

Blake and Macayla

Digital Microscopes

The Lesson:

Students collect samples of local pond water, examine the samples with the digital microscope, sketch, record, and classify observations, describing patterns in locomotion and physical features such as color, shape, or appendages of any organisms observed in their science learning log.

Digital Microscopes

Based on their observations, students identify the organisms that they think will photosynthesize.

Digital Microscopes

Plants, such as moss

http://www.sxc.hu/pic/m/h/hi/hisks/1147524_moss_-_microscopic_view_of_protonema__2.jpg

Digital Microscopes

and Spyrogyra

http://www.friendsofwarnhamlnr.org.uk/images/pondlife/protists/spyrogyra004.jpg

Digital Microscopes

Animals, such as mosquito larvae and protozoa residing in moss

http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Multimedia.jsp?id=m-3497

http://ilivetolearn.com/wetlandswebquest.html

Digital Microscopes

or a hydra

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/animals/micro.htm

Digital Microscopes

Using the digital microscope to explore the world around them aids students of all ages in coming to terms with life and the environment.

Digital Microscopes

Resources for identifying pond life: Museum of Natural Science Virtual Museum: Scroll down to the

presentation in Gulf Coast Sea-Life on Pond Life. http://appl003.lsu.edu/natsci/education.nsf/$Content/Virtual+Museum?OpenDocument

This is a colorful web site with links to information on life in ponds. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/animals/micro.htm

This is a printable one page document of plant and animal life in ponds. http://www.slc.k12.ut.us/staff/kenobr/SITE_PDFs/ponlife1.pdf

Digital Microscopes

Scroll through the document to find drawings of plant and animal species in ponds. There are many activities in this printable document as well. http://www.fs.fed.us/outdoors/nrce/iye/unique/chpond.pdf

This is a colorful printable activity booklet which can be used immediately. http://www.d.umn.edu/~tbates/ened3342-1/pondlife2.pdf

Digital Microscopes

The Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum offers many ways to integrate the digital microscope into lessons in science. The device can be integrated across the curriculum as well to inspire students in other subjects to reason and produce creative and original thought.

Digital Microscopes

David Cox

Instructional Technology Facilitator