Smartphones as Measuring Instruments in the Physics Classroom: What Do Students Think?

Abstract

Smartphones and mobile communication have become an important part of students’ daily lives. Little by little mobile devices are also introduced into the classroom, as they offer a variety of possibilities for learning applications. From the physical perspective smartphones and their integrated sensors may also serve as handy measuring instruments. This study aimed at investigating which ideas a group of students connects to the smartphone as a measuring device after being confronted with a small set of experiments. Continuing feedback and follow-up interviews showed that the students have very different ideas about whether the smartphone is a useful tool for (school) experiments and whether it is a reliable instrument or not.