I have been playing around with various ways to implement remote sensing with inexpensive sensors - particularly home made sensors and those that can be purchased from Vernier. Presently, I'm looking at ways to use remote sensors to facilitate kitchen chemistry style projects. What I envision is a platform that connects a sensor (lets say a pH meter) to a web-based interface that allows others to view the data being collected as well as access data from completed experiments. In it's most basic form, an instructor could perform an experiment with the data being posted in real time for students on the other end of a virtual meeting to view, download and analyze. Students could also have access to their own connected devices and post their data on web for either the instructor to view and assess or peers to aggregate and develop more enriching group-oriented projects.
I've identified a few key design challenges that warrant attention prior to moving forward with the project, and if something of this nature is of interest to you, I would appreciate your feedback.
1. What level of turn key or plug and play is required for you and your students to embrace a technology such as this? Is the idea of developing a platform for sharing data from connected devices (software) or putting the electronics together (engineering-like) a meaningful way to bring an interdisciplinary component to your teaching or would it be more trouble than it's worth?
2. What sort of learning environment do YOU envision with web-enabled/connected/remote sensors? I outlined my vision above, but there are undoubtedly others.
3. How many sensors? There is discussion on how current solutions only allow access to one sensor at a time. What is a realistic number of sensors that one applies simultaneously to a single experiment?
4. How important is it to have a battery-powered device?
5. If technology such as this is adopted in your classroom, how likely would it be incorporated into your undergraduate laboratory? How much quality assurance/quality control do you expect from a device that is initially designed for teaching?
BoB