False reality or hidden messages: Reading graphs obtained in computerized biological experiments

Abstract

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become an inseparable part of schoolwork and a goal of education to prepare scientifically literate and digitally competent citizens. Yet the introduction of computers into school work has been much slower than its introduction in other spheres of life. Teachers' lack of knowledge/skills and difficulty in integrating ICT into instruction affect the realization of computer-related goals in schools. Another hidden obstacle that can affect the introduction of computers into the Biology laboratory can be discomfort with the interpretation of graphs obtained by data-loggers. We can group these difficulties with graph outcomes into 4 areas: 1) Explanations of the curves that lie beyond the domain of Biology, in Physics, Chemistry or some other discipline; 2) Hardware properties; 3) Unknown properties of experimental components; 4) Occasional equipment breakdowns or crashes. © 2012 by ESER, Eurasian Society of Educational Research.