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January 4–7, 2014
Sundayafternoon
Session AE: Panel – Life After
Retirement
Location: Salon 5
Sponsor: Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists
Date: Sunday, January 5
Time: 2–4 p.m.
Presider: Ann Brandon
This is a panel discussion on the opportunities for retired
physics teachers.
Session AF: Using Tablets in the
Physics Classroom
Location: Salon 8
Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies
Date: Sunday, January 5
Time: 2–2:50 p.m.
Presider: Benjamin Van Dusen
AF01:
2-2:10 p.m. An Electricity and Magnetism
Problem-based Learning Experience Using Tablets
Contributed – Rosa Maria Garcia-Castelan, ITESM-CCM, Calle del
Puente 222, Col. Ejidos de Huipulco, Tlalpan, Mexico, DF 14380;
A neutrino detection scenery taken from the Science 360 app is
analyzed in the problem-based learning (PBL) formalism. This activ-
ity was worked out in three undergraduate electricity and magnetism
courses where 90 students majoring in engineering participated in the
2013 fall semester. Tablets were the main tool used in all PBL steps.
The way in which the PBL technique was worked out before tablets
were invented is contrasted with the way in which it is applied now
with tablets.
AF02:
2:10-2:20 p.m. First Year Experiences Using
Tablets in Physics First
Contributed – Gail Van Ekeren, Mount Olive High School, Flanders, NJ
07836;
Brian Holton, Mount Olive High School
Our school adopted Physics First for all students three years ago, but
this is the first year where all freshmen are taking the course. At the
same time, this is our rollout year for every freshman using AMPLIFY
tablets in all classes. The Amplify system allows in-class interaction
through several very useful classroom tools including, of course,
access to the Internet by every student at all times. With our ever
advancing digital students, using tablets for classroom learning activi-
ties has opened up many avenues of instruction. We will discuss our
successes and failures in implementing Physics First with tablets.
AF03:
2:20-2:30 p.m. Augmenting Reality for Teaching
with Tablets or Smartphones
Contributed – Anne J. Cox, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL 33711;
Trying to find a way to engage students with tablets and smartphones?
Now there’s a way to make lab equipment “come alive” through the
use of augmented reality. By aiming their camera at lab equipment,
students can, at their own pace, get detailed image, video, and audio
directions. This talk will demonstrate the use of the Aurasma App
(
to use and build these resources for your
lab and classroom.
AF04:
2:30-2:40 p.m. How to Develop JavaScript Models
for Tablets
Contributed – Wolfgang Christian, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
28035-6926;
Felix G. Clemente, Francisco Esquembre Universidad de Murcia
A free open source version of the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) model-
ing and authoring tool is now available for teachers and students who
wish to create simulations that run on any JavaScript-enabled device,
including tablets. In this talk, I will describes the EJS 5 JavaScript
platform and demonstrate how it creates ready-to-run simulations.
Additional JavaScript simulations are hosted on and distributed from
the OSP Collection of the ComPADRE National Science Digital
Library and can be found by searching this library for “JS Model.” The
Open Source Physics Collection is available at .
AF05:
2:40-2:50 p.m. Using a TabletPC as a Double-sized
Virtual Whiteboard
Contributed – Roberto Salgado, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, La
Crosse, WI 54601;
One complaint about using a TabletPC as a projected virtual white-
board is that only one board is visible at a time, unlike the multiple
whiteboard setup in a typical classroom. Using a DisplayLink USB
graphics adapter and a second projector, we show how to ink on the
primary desktop display while using the extended desktop display for
something else (e.g., a screenshot of a past board or a PowerPoint pre-
sentation). We can interact with the extended display with a mouse,
keyboard shortcut, or automated macro (AutoHotkey script).
Session AG: The Magic of
Astrophotography
Location: Salon 9
Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy
Co-Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies
Date: Sunday, January 5
Time: 3–4 p.m.
Presider: Don Smith
AG01:
3-3:30 p.m. PROMPT and the Skynet Robotic
Telescope Network: Science and Education
Invited – Dan Reichart, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
27599-3255;
Funded primarily by the National Science Foundation and recently
by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Skynet is a grow-
ing collection of fully automated, or robotic, professional-quality
telescopes under the control of software developed by the University
of North Carolina. Spanning four continents, Skynet is an easy-to-use,
web-based, shared resource between participating colleges, universi-
ties, and private individuals. Originally conceived to observe cosmic
explosions called gamma-ray bursts, which are the deaths of massive
stars and the births of black holes, Skynet has now taken over 6 mil-
lion images for hundreds of professional astronomers, for thousands
of college and university students, for thousands of high school
students, and for tens of thousands of middle and elementary school
students and members of the public.
AG02:
3:30-4 p.m. Budget Astrophotography: How to
Make the Most of Your Equipment
Invited – Mario J. Belloni, Davidson College, Physics Department,
Davidson, NC 28035-6910;
Over the past dozen years, the field of digital astrophotography has
changed by leaps and bounds. With new computerized tracking and
autoguiding mounts and digital still and video photography it has be-
come easier and cheaper to take high-quality astrophotographs. While
it is easy to spend $15,000 or more on a single astrophotography setup
or even a single device (telescope, camera, and mount), taking simple,
