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Did you miss a webinar? Just let us know which one that you missed and we would be happy to send you a recording!
Did you miss a webinar? Just let us know which one that you missed and we would be happy to send you a recording!
Friday, Aug 6th, 2021 @ 12:00 pm Eastern / 9:00 am Pacific
PASCO Day of Physics is back! Join us this Friday as we kick off the new school year with an exciting collection of demos, apparatus, and phenomena. We’ll begin live streaming on Facebook and YouTube at 12 pm (EST) 9 am (PST), and will continue to stream until we’re out of demos and questions!
LINEUP
• Ripple Tank
• High Road vs. Low Road (Roller Coaster)
• Brachistochrone
• Conservation of Energy
• Bicycle Wheel Gyro
• Gyroscope Precession and Nutation
• Falling Chain Impulse
• Velocity of a Chain Falling Off a Table
• Meter Stick Torque
• Lenz’s Law with a Meter Stick
• Modeling a Supernova with Smart Carts
• Coriolis Acceleration with a Smart Cart
• Bernoulli
• Strobed String Vibrations
• Resonance Air Column
• Magnetic Field of Helmholtz Coils
We are thrilled to announce that the //code.Node Solution Set has won a Bett Award! Based in London, the Bett Awards are an international celebration of the inspiring creativity and innovation found throughout educational technology. It is truly an honor to have our innovation in STEM coding recognized among the best and brightest in educational technology. You can check out the judges’ comments below!
The //code.Node Solution Set provides teachers with a revolutionary method for engaging students in coding and computational thinking in science learning. Rather than simply teaching students how to code, the //code.Node Solution Set skillfully scaffolds coding into essential science concepts, making it easy for students to build a wide range of competencies as they use code to investigate, measure, and analyze scientific phenomena.
The complete set includes a //code.Node, a //code.Node Holder, SPARKvue software with Blockly coding, a digital teacher’s manual, and an interactive, browser-based flipbook with embedded videos and reading for students. Browse the Flipbook for free here.
Here’s what the judges at the 2021 Bett Awards had to say about the //code.Node Solution Set:
This compact device, with its many built-in sensors offers versatility across STEM subjects and many opportunities for students to learn through hands on activities which relate to everyday science. The support videos embedded in the manual are also helpful for teachers to gain ideas for use in lessons.
Since entering the 2021 Bett Awards, we’ve continued our innovation with STEM Sense — an exciting new line of ready-to-use solutions designed to help educators integrate computational thinking, crosscutting concepts, and career awareness into science learning. You can explore our growing line of STEM Sense solutions here.
The popular wireless pH sensor is a great sensor with many applications for Chemistry, Biology, Environment Science and General Science. However, to experience the many benefits of this sensor, it is recommended that time is set aside to understand the sensor’s proper operation and care. Fortunately there are a number of fantastic resources available to minimize the learning curve. The purpose of the following information is to emphasize key points and highlight the most helpful resources.
Important information before getting started
The pH sensor is comprised of two components: 1) The Amplifier (aka the white Bluetooth box, and 2) The Electrode. Please note that many of the support calls for this sensor relate to improper connection of the Electrode to the Amplifier. (How to properly connect the pH electrode). The white PASCO Amplifier is backed by PASCO’s 5 year warranty. The Electrode, which is manufactured by a 3rd party, features a 3 month warranty against defects (but not improper use). Despite this shorter warranty period, with proper care and attention the electrodes can be maintained in good working order for many years.
Manual
A comprehensive user manual exists for all PASCO’s wireless sensors (as well as other products). But printed manuals are not supplied with the sensors – PDF files of the manuals can be downloaded from the Find Product Manuals and Resources search engine. For your convenience the pH manual can be directly viewed by clicking on the following link:
Wireless pH Reference Guide
This comprehensive guide is an excellent resource to learn how to care for and operate your pH sensor.
Key points from the reference guide not to be overlooked when getting started
It’s recommend to read the entire manual thoroughly, including the insightful section on the theory of calibration. The better you understand how the pH sensor records calibrated measurements, the less of a black box it becomes, and the greater likelihood you’ll achieve accurate results. However, if time is limited, be certain to pay attention to the following:
‘How Do I’ Videos
PASCO continues to expand its very helpful collection of task specific videos. These videos are developed by their teacher support department and address common software and sensor concerns. The best place to view these videos is on PASCO’s YouTube channel as it features an effective search tool. For pH, there are a number of very useful videos on this channel with the most important ones linked below:
Properly Connect and Disconnect Electrode to pH Amplifier
Calibrate a pH Sensor (SPARKvue)
Calibrate a pH Sensor (CAPSTONE)
Preparing pH Electrodes for Storage
When to replace a pH Electrode
Additional safe operation tips
PASCO products are made with a variety of materials, and each material might have specific cleaning requirements. The following applies to all products:
Using a 70 percent isopropyl alcohol wipe or mix or Clorox Disinfecting Wipes is generally safe. You may gently wipe the hard, nonporous surfaces of your PASCO product, such as the display, buttons, or other exterior surfaces.
Warranty: Liquid damage or damage cause by harsh (unauthorized) chemicals or cleaning methods is not covered under the PASCO product warranty. For any concerns or questions in regard to cleaning a specific PASCO product, please contact PASCO Technical Support for further guidance.
Host Mike Paskowitz will be demonstrating live experiments using his favourite PASCO product, the Materials Testing System. Mike will take you beyond simple load-displacement curves using a thermal camera, microscope, and video analysis to complete in-depth sample analysis. Don’t miss your chance to participate in this live investigation of sample tension and bending.
The PASCO Materials Testing System(MTS) includes everything needed to do tensile testing straight out of the box. With 6 different versions there are options to fit every budget! The educationally designed MTS is ideal for kinesthetic learning as the manually driven crank enables students to “feel” the strength of the material. Students can accurately & easily test material compression, column buckling, shearing, three and four-point bending, photo-elasticity, cyclic deformation & more.
To support educators and students as they transition to remote learning during the COVID-19 school closures, we are granting free access to the Essential Physics 3rd Edition Student e-Book and Teacher e-Resources for the remainder of the 2020 school year. The Student e-Book includes a full year of curriculum that can be used for high school, AP, IB, and algebra-based courses.
To request your teacher access code please complete the form below.
If you would like to receive a PASCO physics catalogue, please complete this form.
Most companies offer a one year warranty, and a smaller number have an extended warranty for two years. PASCO’s five year warranty is exceptional and is demonstrative of a company that has immense confidence in the products they manufacturer and also capability to live-up to its promising when an issue arises.
“Happy customers are repeat customers, and keeping our word and your trust is simply good for business.”
PASCO Teacher Support Team
What’s the catch? Will PASCO really repair or replace a defective product for 5 years? The answer is yes! As long as the product was not tampered with or damaged due to misuse, PASCO will repair or replace the unit in a timely and efficient manner
A hassle-free process – PASCO does not want you to waste your valuable time and energy by needlessly jumping through hoops. To process a warranty claim, a simple short conversation is often all that is required. If a repair is required, return labels and shipping instructions will be quickly emailed.
Why PASCO can afford such a long warranty
Products are designed for student use – Student labs can be tough – really tough – on equipment. PASCO has 55 years of experience producing long-lasting high quality instructional equipment and educational technology. Thoroughly testing products before shipping to customers is also a critical step in the process.
Always be prepared – is the famous Scout moto that is central to PASCO’s commitment to honoring its warranty promise. For at least 5 years after purchase PASCO will maintain a dedicated inventory of replacement units – even for products that have been discontinued. In addition, PASCO has an extensive inventory of replacement parts and occasionally surprises customers (in a very pleasant way) by helping revive an old but still valuable piece of equipment that was purchased decades ago.
The Spectrometry application provides support for experiments including, analysis of emission spectra, absorbance spectra of colored solutions and plant pigments, Beer’s law determination of unknown concentrations, and kinetics experiments. The learner-centered interface makes it easy for all levels of students and teachers to integrate spectrometry into the teaching and learning of physics, chemistry, and biology.
The Wireless Spectrometer measures emission spectra, intensity, absorbance, transmittance, and fluorescence. It easily connects to students’ devices and utilizes free PASCO Spectrometry software to display data and generate standard curves. Data is collected in less than a second, making it ideal for undergraduate labs constrained by time and technological resources.
Download for Free
The free apps may be downloaded directly from the App Store or Google Play respectively and update notifications will be sent directly to your device.
Spectrometry Software User Guide
With Google’s introduction of Android apps running on Chromebooks, the PASCO Spectrometry application can now be downloaded from Google Play store and used with a growing list of compatible Chromebooks. See the following links for compatibility and installation tips.
Models labeled on this list as “Stable” currently support PASCO Spectrometry software.
Follow the instructions to install Google Play on your Chromebook and then download the PASCO Spectrometry app.
Follow the instructions to install Google Play on your managed Chromebooks and then download the PASCO Spectrometry app.
A big thanks for all the help and support you provided – I want to take some time to say a big thanks for all the help and support you provided me to select the best equipment in order to make the best possible use of the funds available. It is really exceptional that you happily connected with me multiple times even during the weekend and was always motivated to help. Please accept my big thanks for this.
Gurpreet Sidhu | Physics Instructor | University College of North | The Pas, MB
Wireless Spectrometer Big Hit With Students – PASCO’s wireless spectrometer has been utilized very well by our earth science and physical science teachers. It’s an excellent piece of equipment and we have very much enjoyed its addition to enriching our classroom. It definitely brings students to a higher level of understanding wave interaction at a molecular level.
Matt Tumbach | Secondary Instructional Technology Leader | Tommy Douglas Collegiate | Saskatoon, SK
Excellent Smart Cart – I thought the cart was excellent. The quick sampling rate for force will be very useful for momentum and collision labs we do. I’m recommending we include this in our order for next school year.
Reed Jeffrey | Science Department Head | Upper Canada College | Toronto ON
Your lab equipment is of the highest quality and technical support is always there to help. During the 25 years we have used a wide array of lab equipment including computer interfacing. Your Pasco line has a high profile in our lab and will continue to do so far into the future.
Bob Chin | Lab Technician | Kwantlen Polytechnic University | Surrey, BC
Datalogging Activities are Cross-Curricular
Throughout the province of Nova Scotia, PASCO’s probeware technology has been merged with the rollout of the new P-6 curriculum. We chose a number of sensors for use with our project-based activities. Both the functionality and mobility of PASCO’s dataloggers enable students to collect authentic, real-world data, test their hypotheses and build knowledge.
Mark Richards | Technology Integration Consultant | Annapolis Valley R.S.B. | Nova Scotia
We have a large number of PASCO wireless spectrometers and love how they have improved the learning experience for our students.
Shawn McFadden | Technical Specialist | Ryerson University | Toronto, Ontario
During distance learning due to COVID-19 school shut down, I was given a short window to collect what I could from my classroom to teach online. The PASCO wireless sensors and Smart Carts were my top priority to collect to implement distance learning. By sharing experimental data with students via SPARKVue, the sensors were pivotal in creating an online experience that still allowed students to grow with their lab skills. It was easy to record videos of the data collection and share the data with my students. They did a phenomenal job examining and interpreting the data.
Michelle Brosseau | Physics Teacher | Ursuline College Chatham | Chatham, Ontario
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Order Form: 2022 AYVA Order Form
I have taught grade 9 applied science, science and technology, grade 10 applied, regular and enriched science, grade 11 chemistry and physics for 33 years at Westwood Senior High School in Hudson Québec. I discovered the PASCO equipment in 2019 and it completely changed my life. I love to discover, produce experiments and share discoveries. I am looking forward to work with your team.
Having graduated with a major in Computer Science and minors in Physics and Mathematics, I began my teaching career at Killarney Collegiate Institute in Killarney, Manitoba in 2009. While teaching Physics there, I decided to invest in PASCO products and approached the Killarney Foundation with a proposal about funding the Physics lab with the SPARK Science Learning System and sensors. While there I also started a tremendously successful new course that gave students the ability to explore their interests in science and consisted of students completing one project a month, two of which were to be hands-on experiments, two of which were to be research based, and the final being up to the student.
In 2011 I moved back to Brandon, Manitoba and started working at the school I had graduated from, Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School. In 2018 I finally had the opportunity to once again teach Physics and have been working hard to build the program. Being in the vocational school for the region has led to many opportunities to collaborate with our Electronics, Design Drafting, Welding, and Photography departments on highly engaging inter-disciplinary projects. I believe very strongly in showing students what Physics can look like and build lots of demonstrations and experiments for my classes to use, including a Reuben’s tube, an electromagnetic ring launcher, and Schlieren optics setup, just to name a few that have become fan favourites among the students in our building. At the end of my first year teaching Physics at Crocus Plains I applied for CERN’s International High School Teacher Programme and became the first Canadian selected through direct entry in the 21 years of the program. This incredible opportunity gave me the opportunity to learn from scientists working on the Large Hadron Collider and from CERN’s educational outreach team at the S’Cool Lab. Following this, I returned to Canada and began working with the Perimeter Institute, becoming part of their Teacher Network.
These experiences and being part of professional development workshops with the AAPT and the Canadian Light Source (CLS) this summer has given me the opportunity to speak to many Physics educators around the world to gain new insights into how my classroom evolves. As I work to build our program, I am exploring new ideas that see students take an active role in their learning, more inter-disciplinary work with departments in our school, the development of a STEM For Girls program in our building, and organizing participation in challenges from the ESA, the Students on the Beamline program from CLS, and our local science fair.
Though I graduated with a BEd qualified to teach English and Social Studies, it just wasn’t meant to be. My first job was teaching technology courses at a local high school, a far cry from the English and Social Studies job I had envisioned myself in. I was lucky enough to stay in that position for over ten years, teaching various technology courses in grades 10-12, while also obtaining a Master of Education in Technology Integration and a Master of Education in Online Instructional Media.
You will notice what is absent from my bio is any background in science. In fact, I took the minimum amount of required science courses to graduate high school. Three years ago I switched roles and currently work as a Technology Integration Leader; supporting teachers with integrating technology into their pedagogy in connection with the provincial outcomes. All of our schools have PASCO sensors at some level (mostly grades 4-12) and I made it my professional goal to not only learn how to use them, but to find ways to make them more approachable for teachers with no formal science background (like me!). Having no background or training in science has allowed me to experience a renewed love of Science, making it easier for me to support teachers in learning how to use PASCO sensors in their classrooms. I wholeheartedly believe that if more teachers could see just how easy they are to use, the more they will use them in the classroom and I’ve made it my goal to do exactly that.
I enjoy coming up with out-of-the-box ways of using the sensors, including finding curriculum connections within subjects outside of the typical science realm. I have found that hands on activities with immediate feedback, which PASCO sensors provide, help students and teachers see the benefits of technology in the classroom and will help more students foster a love of science and STEAM learning.