PASCO PASPORT USB probes are cool and blue and easy to use - for both teachers and students! To help teachers get started, PASCO publishes Teacher Resource Kits (TRK's) on various science topics. The TRK I was recently looking at is called "Measuring Matters." One of the topics in the TRK is the concept of pH. Within 2 short pages, teachers are brought up to speed on the science content and then are provided with all sorts of activities - hands-on without science probes and hands-on with science probes - not to mention weblinks, etc. The digital probe for pH provides fast results so that the following exercise could be done as a review or as a series of measurements that the students do in small groups.

When you run this eZediaMX project or QTI project, you move your mouse over the position on the scale where you think the particular substance will be located. As you move over a point on the scale, the picture will pop-up as a rollover and then disappear again once you move off of the picture.

How did I do this?
Well, it's almost too easy.
1. I created a scale for the pH and added it to the background of the eZedia frame. Note - this can be done using eZediaMX or eZedia's QTI. I'm providing samples of both.
2. I typed up my text and adding things in the list that would be readily available. With very young children, you will want to control the access to things like household ammonia and Milk of Magnesia.
3. I then located pictures and also took pictures of the items in my list.
4. I brought in the pictures and resized them so they would fit on my diagram.
5. I then placed the pictures on the appropriate spot on the scale. I double-clicked each picture to bring up the dialog box and simply checked the "rollover" option. That's all there is to it.

In the graphic below, you can see an example of the one I created. The eZediaMX file that I used to create this is available for download in a zipped format right after the graphic. The file is not locked so you can see how I did it.

Think students not teacher!
By that, I mean let the students work in groups to create these one frame projects where they could do some research on pH levels of substances beyond what they will use in the classroom and let them create these simple review exercises to share with other students. If the list of items was established and the pictures gathered, the students could complete one of these projects in about 15 minutes.