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Here is list of tasks that need to be completed for the PalmPilot Teacher Skill Ladder. Remember that verification is required to advance on the skills ladder; so, think about how you can communicate the results of your work to project staff.
q Task 1 Checking Batteries. Get out your PalmPilot and check to see if there are batteries in it. If not, add batteries. After the batteries have been installed configure the time and date on your PalmPilot accordingly. Always have a spare pair of batteries available for the Palm.
q Task 2 Loading Palm Software. Your PalmPilot needs to communicate with your personal computer. So, load the Palm Organizer Software now by inserting the CD into your computer and following the directions. There is a necessary item called a ‘cradle’ that needs to be connected to your computer. The CD directions will tell you when to connect the cradle to your computer.
q Task 3 Getting Ready for Students. Desktop Features. Your PalmPilot will communicate with your computer through the COMM port that you connected the Cradle into. When you installed the Palm software your computer automatically ‘sequestered’ that COMM port. To verify that your computer can communicate with your Palm do the following tasks:
q Task 4 Find the Palm HotSync Icon on the extreme bottom taskbar on your computer. It should be right next to your clock (far right; do not confuse this icon with the Palm Organizer Icon on your desktop). The icon is a blue/red circle with blue/red arrows pointing inward.
q Task 5 Right click that icon and choose ‘Setup’. Notice that the checked box will show that the Palm connection is always on. Choose ‘Local’ from this General menu and notice that the COMM port that connects the Hotsync is identified. [This is important for those of you who have more than one COMM port on your computer and want to use both ports for doing probe stuff.]
q Task 6 Another important feature to set up for your classroom is for students to use an icon on the desktop to enable the Palm Hotsync application again. For example, if you have to disable the Palm Hotsync Manager you should have an easy way to enable it again. The Hotsync Manager is found as follows: go to the Start Menu, then to StartUp and then to Hotsync Manager. You could open it here and enable it again; but, lets just create a shortcut to the desk top by removing it here and placing it on the Desktop. Right click the Hotsync Manager icon and ‘cut’ it and then close everything. Go to the desktop and right click there and ‘paste’. The Hotsync Manager icon appears on the desktop and can be used easily by students. Close everything.
q Task 7 Disabling and Enabling the Palm HotSync. Go back to the Hotsync icon in bottom lower right hand task bar on your screen. Right click to open and choose exit. Notice what happens to the icon? You have just disabled the Palm Hotsync connection to your computer. To reactivate it, go to your new Hotsync icon on the desktop and double click it to open it. That’s it. [This is a powerful feature for those of you who are doing field-based projects with kids because often times you will want to use the COMM ports for other probes, etc and the Palm takes away 1 of these ports.]
q Task
8 Perform Tasks 1-7 on all of your
computers. Congratulations, you have completed Part A for PalmPilot work.
------------------ Beginning of
Part B of Palm Task Sheet -----------------------
Part B of the PalmPilot Task
Sheet focuses on the use of the PalmPilot and ImagiWorks interface to collect
field data with probes. If you are not
collecting data with probes you might not want to do this part now.
q Task 1 Loading ImagiProbe Software. ImagiProbe Software allows your PalmPilot and probes to communicate. Place the ImagiProbe CD into the drive and follow the directions to load the software that allows the Palm to communicate with a probe. After completing this process you need to check to see if the software was properly loaded onto the Palm. To do this, touch the little ‘house’ icon on the Palm screen. All of the application programs that are available on the Palm will appear in the form of an icon. Find the ImagiProbe icon. If it is not there you have not loaded the software properly.
q Task 2 Setting up ImagiProbe Interface. Find the interface in your ImagiProbe box. It is a small plastic gray attachment with a large connection clip on the top and the word ‘imagiworks’ on the front. Carefully slide open the battery holder (it is the top slider with the word ‘imagiworks’ on it) and place the batteries inside correctly. Close it up. Batteries for probes generally last about 20 hours of use.
q Task 3 Connecting Interface to PalmPilot. Remove the Palm from the cradle and clip the interface onto it.
q Task 4 Connecting a Probe to the Interface. Find a temperature probe in the ImagiWorks box (it has a long brass tube with a silver metal probe cap on the end of it and it has a long cable attached to it). Also, find in your box is a typical phone jack adaptor that will plug into the temperature probe. Connect those and then attach it to the interface. Attach the entire interface piece with probe into the PalmPilot. You are now ready to take some temperature measurements.
q Task 5 Taking Temperature Data.
(i) Task Tap the ImagiProbe icon with the pen.
‘Investigations will open up.
(ii) Task
Select
‘New Investigation’. Leave the investigation name as ‘Investigation 1’ or
rename it by tapping the abc letters on the Palm Screen in the rectangle near
the bottom of the Palm screen.
(iii) Task
Select
‘New Trial’ Keep the default name Trial 1 or rename it.
(iv) Task
Select
Port 1 and choose temperature (-15 C to 110 C). The Palm reverts back to the
Trial SetUp.
(v) Task
Check
Sampling time by touching ‘Sample’ and touch OK.
(vi) Task
Check
‘Duration’ to see what that does.
(vii) Task
Touch
‘Preview’ to start recording data and get an idea what the data will look
like.
(viii) Task Touch ‘Collect’ to start collecting real time
data.
(xi) Task
Touch
‘Stop’ to end the trial and touch ‘Save Data’ if you want to keep the
data. That’s it for collecting data.
q Task 6 Uploading Data to your Computer. Be sure your HotSync Manager is activated on your desktop. Just Doubleclick it and the HotSync Icon will appear in the lower right task bar on your computer screen. Place the Palm in the cradle. Press the HotSync button on your cradle and the uploading process will begin. Ignore any email message icons. You should get a message on the Palm screen saying the operations were complete.
q Task 7 Finding Data. Go My Computer on the desktop. Select C drive. On the C drive you will find a folder named just like you did when you loaded ImagiProbe (it asked you to name the user. Most of us usually put our names here; but, this is where you would customize your desktop for the Palm to use for other students and data). Click on the folder with your name (or whatever you named it) to open it. Open up the folder for the trial #1 (or whatever you named it). Check out various display forms of the data. Notice the data is provided in both web page format and a text file. You have completed all of the necessary tasks for the Palm and ImagiProbe interface. Read and complete the last required task below.
q Task 18 Explore the various uses of the Palm.
q Task 19 Practice collecting data with other probes.
q
Task 20 Create your own
calibration file for another probe. You used a
default calibration that was loaded into the Palm when you loaded
ImagiProbe. Many probe calibrations
were not on the list. Check out the
list to see what calibrations were not there.
Pick up another probe from David Tucker and load in your own calibration
file.
q
Task 21 If you are doing a
field research project you may need to order more probes. Remember that you were allocated $500 for this. Go the Vernier website: www.vernier.com
and look at their probe selection.