Pedagogical Value
Scientific open-inquiry learning involves multiple activities including posing questions; making observations; using tools to gather, analyze and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and predictions; and communicating the results (NRC, 1996). It is a vitally important aspect of science pedagogy that serves to prepare students for a lifetime of learning ahead of them. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) points out that “Students cannot learn in school everything they will need to know in adult life. What they must acquire is the prerequisites for successful learning in future life. These prerequisites are of both a cognitive and a motivational nature. Students must become able to organise and regulate their own learning, to learn independently and in groups, and to overcome difficulties in the learning process. This requires them to be aware of their own thinking processes and learning strategies and methods” (OECD, 2000, p. 90). Open-inquiry learning and active learning in general increase student enjoyment and satisfaction (Harlen, 2015; Goodson, 1998); satisfy and concurrently stimulate curiosity about the world around them (Harlen, 2015; Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023); and develop in students the skills and understanding needed in scientific inquiry through participation in it (Harlen, 2015; Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023). While there are some concerns about the use of smartphone technology in science classrooms that they may lead to distraction or increased cognitive load (Tossell et al., 2014), research by Hochberg et al. (2018) showed that the use of smartphone apps for the collection of data had no detrimental effect on student learning outcomes.
Supporting Inquiry
So how does phyphox support inquiry-based learning? Phyphox (PHYsics PHOne eXperiments) uses the multiple sensors which are included within most modern smartphones including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, light sensors, microphones, and even barometer sensors (Staacks et al., 2018). This app therefore allows students to conduct experiments on a wide range of physics phenomena linked to the BC Physics 11 and 12 curricula (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2018b; British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2018c) including motion, energy, waves, electromagnetism, and many others. Furthermore, phyphox allows students to create customizable experiments by choosing which sensors to use, how to collect data, and how to analyze the results, allowing for a wide range of open-ended experiments where students can explore their own questions and hypotheses. Fortunately, phyphox is also free and is available on iOS and Android devices, which allows students to conduct experiments outside of the classroom, thus being able to explore their own interests. Phyphox also allows for real-time data collection and analysis which allows students to make decisions about how to adjust their experiments and to encourage them to ask new questions. In terms of how students can analyze their data, phyphox includes graphing tools and statistical analysis tools so that students can draw meaningful conclusions from their experiments and communicate their findings clearly. Phyphox also provides simple methods to export data to students’ computers or even to remotely control and monitor the smartphone experiments from other devices. The data can then be analyzed further by students using their preferred software such as Excel, Google Sheets, or Desmos (Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023).
Ease of Use
Phyphox is designed with an intuitive layout that is broken down into sections including the use of raw sensor data (e.g. accelerometer, gyroscope, light, location (GPS). magnetometer, and barometer data), followed by example experiments that are broken down into categories such as acoustics, mechanics, timers, and tools. The installation is straightforward and does not require an account or password which would delay access to the tools for teachers or students. As mentioned previously, phyphox also allows for simple remote access, which gives teachers the opportunity to display the various sensor readings or experiments on a central device connected to a projector. This remote access also increases the usability for students as it allows students to start and stop data collection, or have a lab partner start and stop data collection, without interfering with the phone directly. Each experiment or tool also includes basic information about the experiment, a link to the corresponding phyphox wiki help page, and a link to a video tutorial created by phyphox’ developer, Sebastian Staacks. The videos provided through the app are also just a small sample of the informative videos that have been produced by Sebastian Staacks on the use of phyphox, which can be found on the phyphox YouTube channel (Phyphox, n.d.).
Scientific open-inquiry learning involves multiple activities including posing questions; making observations; using tools to gather, analyze and interpret data; proposing answers, explanations, and predictions; and communicating the results (NRC, 1996). It is a vitally important aspect of science pedagogy that serves to prepare students for a lifetime of learning ahead of them. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) points out that “Students cannot learn in school everything they will need to know in adult life. What they must acquire is the prerequisites for successful learning in future life. These prerequisites are of both a cognitive and a motivational nature. Students must become able to organise and regulate their own learning, to learn independently and in groups, and to overcome difficulties in the learning process. This requires them to be aware of their own thinking processes and learning strategies and methods” (OECD, 2000, p. 90). Open-inquiry learning and active learning in general increase student enjoyment and satisfaction (Harlen, 2015; Goodson, 1998); satisfy and concurrently stimulate curiosity about the world around them (Harlen, 2015; Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023); and develop in students the skills and understanding needed in scientific inquiry through participation in it (Harlen, 2015; Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023). While there are some concerns about the use of smartphone technology in science classrooms that they may lead to distraction or increased cognitive load (Tossell et al., 2014), research by Hochberg et al. (2018) showed that the use of smartphone apps for the collection of data had no detrimental effect on student learning outcomes.
Supporting Inquiry
So how does phyphox support inquiry-based learning? Phyphox (PHYsics PHOne eXperiments) uses the multiple sensors which are included within most modern smartphones including accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, light sensors, microphones, and even barometer sensors (Staacks et al., 2018). This app therefore allows students to conduct experiments on a wide range of physics phenomena linked to the BC Physics 11 and 12 curricula (British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2018b; British Columbia Ministry of Education, 2018c) including motion, energy, waves, electromagnetism, and many others. Furthermore, phyphox allows students to create customizable experiments by choosing which sensors to use, how to collect data, and how to analyze the results, allowing for a wide range of open-ended experiments where students can explore their own questions and hypotheses. Fortunately, phyphox is also free and is available on iOS and Android devices, which allows students to conduct experiments outside of the classroom, thus being able to explore their own interests. Phyphox also allows for real-time data collection and analysis which allows students to make decisions about how to adjust their experiments and to encourage them to ask new questions. In terms of how students can analyze their data, phyphox includes graphing tools and statistical analysis tools so that students can draw meaningful conclusions from their experiments and communicate their findings clearly. Phyphox also provides simple methods to export data to students’ computers or even to remotely control and monitor the smartphone experiments from other devices. The data can then be analyzed further by students using their preferred software such as Excel, Google Sheets, or Desmos (Milner-Bolotin & Milner, 2023).
Ease of Use
Phyphox is designed with an intuitive layout that is broken down into sections including the use of raw sensor data (e.g. accelerometer, gyroscope, light, location (GPS). magnetometer, and barometer data), followed by example experiments that are broken down into categories such as acoustics, mechanics, timers, and tools. The installation is straightforward and does not require an account or password which would delay access to the tools for teachers or students. As mentioned previously, phyphox also allows for simple remote access, which gives teachers the opportunity to display the various sensor readings or experiments on a central device connected to a projector. This remote access also increases the usability for students as it allows students to start and stop data collection, or have a lab partner start and stop data collection, without interfering with the phone directly. Each experiment or tool also includes basic information about the experiment, a link to the corresponding phyphox wiki help page, and a link to a video tutorial created by phyphox’ developer, Sebastian Staacks. The videos provided through the app are also just a small sample of the informative videos that have been produced by Sebastian Staacks on the use of phyphox, which can be found on the phyphox YouTube channel (Phyphox, n.d.).