Other than computer code, the Micro Phone Lens just might be the lightest accessory you can add to your tablet or phone. Weighing in at a fraction of a gram, the tiny lens leverages the optical power of existing cameras on phones and tablets. And like a contact lens, its power is not measured in size but in performance.

Taking close-up photos and video, and I mean really close-up, pushes not only the limits of phone camera technology, but also the physics of visible light. In order to refract the light waves enough to focus on a subject that is a few millimeters from the lens, a significant amount of light-bending convex transparent material must be in the path of the light. Of course it would be easy to do that when the camera was made, but since most photos are not extreme close ups, the lens optics favor the more distant subjects. Close-up or macro photography captures details much smaller than what an unaided human eye can see. So macro can be the details on a penny, or a pinhead, or even a pinpoint.

One major difference between the Micro Phone Lenses and other clip-on accessory lenses is that the Micro Phone Lens is about the same size or even smaller than the camera lens on the device so it fits directly on the camera and is unaffected by anything surrounding the lens. Any lens accessory larger than the camera can be affected by a phone or tablet case. And worse, any space between the accessory lens and the camera lens wreaks havoc with the camera’s ability to focus, not to mention the tunneling or vignetting that separating causes.

A Kickstarter Campaign in 2013 launched the 15x Micro Phone Lens after the original two lenses, a 4x and 8x were the brainchild of the inventor Thomas Larson who dreamed up the idea while a mechanical engineering student at the University of Washington in 2012. And a second Kickstarter funded the R&D and production of a 150x lens in 2015.

In particular, the 15x and 150x are true micro lenses that easily see well below the naked human eye threshold. But that power in shaky hands will produce poor quality images. Optically, there are a set of undebatable rules that when violated produce blurry images, and when followed will allow stunning images to be captured all day long.

The rules include:

1)   The higher the magnification, the thinner the depth of field (thickness of what’s in focus).

2)   Higher magnification also magnifies camera movement.

3)   The amount of light necessary increases with magnification.

4)   The working distance between subject and camera is reduced as magnification increases.

5)   Bright lighting solutions are necessary to illuminate highly magnified subjects.

6)   Perfect timing between a focused image and the shutter capturing the picture is critical.

7)   The picture or video must be taken when exposure is perfect and the subject is in focus. With auto-adjusting cameras, the image often constantly swings between good and bad. Luckily a near-unlimited supply of pictures can be taken minimizing the the chance you walk away with nothing useful.

The Macro Phone Lenses are made of a special scratch resistant soft plastic. While I prefer glass lenses when available, or even sapphire lenses like on the new iPhones, the other features of the Micro Phone Lenses provide many more advantages compared to the traditional designs. The adhesive properties of the soft plastic keep the little bubble stuck to the camera protecting the lens as you get close to subjects.

I was a little skeptical at first that the adhesivness would continue after plenty of fingerprints and dust got on the lens, but rarely did I need to wash off the lenses in warm water to regenerate their stickiness. However, I wouldn’t advise slipping the lensed camera into and out of a pocket. Most likely the lens will fall off, but if not, it will be covered with lint.

The images the Macro Phone Lens captures are excellent given the absolute simplicity of this product. Of course they are not as good as my Leica microscope, but at one one-hundredth the cost, and infinitely lighter and smaller, the MicroPhone Lenses leverage existing phones, tablets and even laptop computers in ways a microscope could only dream of.

The focal point of the 15x is well in front of the lens, but the 150x image requires a pressure focusing that in turn requires some precision and fine motor skill dexterity. Using a special soft and compressible outer ring the same diameter of the Micro Phone Lens, a traditional microscope slide can be placed upon lens and gently and slowly depressed until focus is achieved. It’s a simple solution to an expensive problem.

Someday I expect to see Thomas Larson, the creator of MicroPhone Lens on a TED stage for changing medicine in third world countries. By using existing and ubiquitous technology to view blood smears and cell structures, it’s possible for remote, poor, and even war-torn sites to inspect or email critical medical imagery. But in the meantime, there is a big wide world of very tiny things that fit nicely into the science curriculum.  The macro viewing advantages and low cost of the Micro Phone Lens crosses all grade bands and science subjects. So for about the cost of a single traditional microscope, you could leverage phones and tablets and put microscopy in every student’s hands.

On January 31, the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee voted to approve the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education by a party-line vote of 12 to 11.

After the committee’s vote two key Republicans–Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska–said they would vote against DeVos’ confirmation on the Senate floor. All Democrats have unified against the DeVos nomination and the nomination vote count now stands at 50 to 50. The Republicans 52- seat majority in the Senate means a “no” vote from one more Republican senator could derail DeVos’ nomination since Vice President Pence would cast the tie-breaking vote. 

The full Senate will begin debating the DeVos nomination and a final Senate floor vote is expected on Monday or Tuesday.

As reported in a previous issue of the NSTA Legislative Update there was a great deal of opposition to the DeVos nomination.   Thousands are calling their Senators to oppose her nomination. The NEA reports that over one million people used an online form during the past three weeks to email their senators to urge opposition to DeVos.

Prior to the committee vote, DeVos submitted written answers follow-up questions submitted by HELP Senators. Many of these questions/answers focused on STEM, CTE, standards, and more (if you are interested in reviewing her answers about science/STEM, email me at jpeterson@nsta.org)

NSTA and Leading Scientific Groups Urge Trump to Rescind Immigration Order

NSTA joined 164 scientific, engineering and academic organizations on a letter to President Trump asking him to rescind the executive order on immigration and visas issued on January 27, declaring it “damaging to scientific progress, innovation and U.S. science and engineering capacity.” Read more here.

March for Science Set for April 22

The March for Science campaign has scheduled its demonstration in Washington for Earth Day, April 22.  Read more here.

Stay tuned, and watch for more updates in future issues of NSTA Express.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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NSTA, in collaboration with 100kin10 and other key STEM leaders, has developed a new campaign designed to ensure that STEM and science/STEM teachers are a focus of the new federal education law at the state and local levels.

The goal of the Every Student Succeeds with STEM campaign is to support members of the STEM community with information, tools, and resources to catalyze action and support the kind of engagement with education leaders, policymakers, parents, STEM professionals, and others to ensure that STEM is a priority in new state plans submitted to the U.S. Department of Education as required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). We also want to ensure this priority is reflected in the policy and funding guidance state education agencies (state departments of education) will provide to local education agencies (districts).

ESSA—which became law in late 2015 as the replacement to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)—puts greater emphasis on ensuring a well-rounded education and equity, two issues that are critical to STEM learning.

ESSA provides states with flexibility to set new policy and funding priorities, and they can do that to support STEM learning. Every state is now developing a new plan, which includes new accountability measures, they will submit to the U.S. Department of Education detailing how they will implement ESSA. States must submit plans for approval on either April 3, 2017 or on September 18, 2017.

These plans will have an impact on the science/STEM education in your state for years.

As states develop new plans under ESSA, all members of the STEM community have an important role to  play to keep great STEM teaching and great STEM learning a top priority for students and ensure that Every Student Succeeds with STEM.

What should I be saying about STEM and ESSA?

STEM learning opportunities and support for STEM teachers are mentioned specifically throughout ESSA. Making STEM a priority in every state under the new Every Student Succeeds Act is important because:

• STEM education helps ensure students have the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to succeed in school, work, and life.

• High-quality STEM education is essential to a well-rounded education for all students.

• STEM is a way of thinking and learning as much as it is tied to a specific set of classes. It helps engage kids in school and learn important life skills, such as creativity, perseverance and experimentation.

• Increasingly STEM skills are needed across the workforce, and high-quality STEM education helps students gain the skills they need to be successful in life, no matter the career they choose.

• The majority of jobs in today’s economy now require the knowledge, training, and skills gained through STEM. Employers are looking for workers with STEM skills. STEM-related fields are the fastest growing job sectors in our economy.

• No matter a student’s background or where they live, all students should have access to high-quality STEM learning in and out of school.

The Every Student Succeeds with STEM campaign website has these talking points and a wealth of information you can use to help make STEM a priority in your state, including information on the new law; updated information on where states are with their ESSA plan and links to the plans and implementation milestones; specific STEM programs in ESSA; messages about why STEM matters; how you can participate in the stakeholder engagement process; and tool kits, tips for crafting emails and phone calls to state leaders and your state team encouraging them to prioritize STEM learning.

Learn how you and teachers in your school/district can impact your state’s plan by promoting STEM here. Click here to also get all of our legislative updates and action alerts learn more about ESSA specifically here.

Jodi Peterson is Assistant Executive Director of Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and Chair of the STEM Education Coalition. Reach her via e-mail at jpeterson@nsta.org or via Twitter at @stemedadvocate.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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Many students nowadays are dependent on electronic devices. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to separate them from their smartphones and tablets. As Donna Governor, Michael Bowen, and Eric Brunsell—the authors of Big Data, Small Devices—point out, “Today’s students see technology as an integral part of their world and find technology solutions for almost every need.”

It seems like a natural fit, then, to use these same devices for meaningful instruction. But it’s not always easy to turn digital devices into valuable learning tools. That’s why Big Data, Small Devices is such a helpful resource for science teachers who want to use smartphone and tablet apps that provide “real-time” data to explore Earth and environmental science concepts.

The authors point to several sites that provide real-time data (stream quality, groundwater levels, toxic waste amounts, sunrise and sunset times, earthquakes, and so on) collected by various government agencies. The data are free of cost and available as a public service. The book provides sample activities that use smartphones and tables for more than two dozen investigations using the real-time data. Each activity has a student handout, technology notes that provide appropriate websites and apps, and analysis and reflection questions.

As you can see from this sample chapter, each activity also provides teacher notes that include information on learning goals, disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and background information. Investigations are organized into groups that focus on using real-time atmosphere data, geosphere data, biosphere data, hydrosphere data, and celestial sphere data.

In addition to providing specific activities, the book offers an excellent overview for how real-time data can be used for Earth and environmental science investigations. The authors do a great job at providing tips and tricks for accessing the technology and for how real-time data can be used to help students develop a deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

With the help of this book, students can engage in the higher-order thinking that comes with analyzing and interpreting data. And, as the authors state in their book, “Allowing students to conduct investigations using their smartphone in app-based activities allows them to be more engaged in science investigations.”

This book is also available as an e-book.

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I finished a unit in middle school science two days ahead of our winter holiday break. We went on to the next unit, but my students didn’t seem focused, and I think I’ll have to review or repeat the activities when we come back. My colleagues advised that next time I should do holiday-themed activities, but this is my first year and I need suggestions.  — L., CA

The days before a long break can be challenging. Some students may leave early for the break, and, as you noticed, others mentally leave in anticipation. I agree that jumping in to a new unit may be frustrating. But time is too valuable to spend on a study hall, a busywork activity, or an unrelated video (and students get bored with these, too).

I like ideas that recognize the season but add a science focus. For example, I noticed that my middle schoolers assumed that all evergreens were “pine” trees, so before our winter break we used references to identify a variety of specimens donated by a local nursery, and looked for patterns to identify characteristics for naming them (e.g., pines needles are in packages, spruces are sharp). And the lab smelled wonderful!

Other science/seasonal ideas:

• The art and physics of snowflakes
• Reason for the seasons (we can’t review this enough!)
• Winter storm patterns
• The heart—Up close and personal
• The truth about bats
• Bones of the skeletal system
• Science of movement (skiing, skating, surfing, soccer, basketball, dance)
• The science of cooking (but don’t eat in the lab)

These “extra” days are also good for vocabulary games, discussions of current events, design contests (e.g, paper airplanes, towers, egg drops), organizing notebooks, or review activities.