More Tech Tools! Digital Microscopes



Hello again! Today I bring you more thoughts on technology tools and technology integration. I do have a tech tool and ideas for using it, but first – let me tell you something about technology models that I recently learned:

I taught for four years in a public high school and two years in a charter school (also public but there are some notable differences) before beginning this journey into library science. In those years, the SAMR technology model was something that was pushed on us teachers when we were trying to integrate new technologies into the classroom. Standing for Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition, this model categorizes the use of technology in the classroom. We were actually assessed by our administration on which level our technology integration fell into during observations. I didn’t realize until reading this article ("Through the Looking Glass") by Dr. Lucy Green, that this model is a hoax! Well maybe hoax is a strong word, but I feel pretty misled as a teacher! This model, according to Dr. Green’s research, is not written by anyone with an education background, is not based on any research she could find, and appears to be formulated only as a nice graphic by an independent education consultant. It was presented to us by our administration (the technology department included!) as a research-based technology integration model that we should be following.

A Better Model – The Technology Integration Matrix


This model, the TIM, was developed by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) – a bit more reputable and research based than an independent research consultant with no educational background. This matrix is a grid created by the intersection of five characteristics of meaningful learning environment and five levels of technology integration, resulting in 25 categories for technology integration. This is a much more realistic look at how technology can be used in the classroom because it takes into account the learning as well as the environment. 


On to the Tech Tools!

I bring to you the digital microscope – a great tool for any level of science classroom. In my years teaching science at the public charter school, I was the science department head and one of my missions was to bring the lab equipment as close to the 21st century as possible. This school was operating on a budget of zero dollars and a lab that looked more like my kitchen – only household chemicals and tools. They really were using cake pans and kitchen stove top burners because that’s what they could afford to buy themselves – kitchen equipment from the dollar store.
A few dozen grants later, I was able to purchase this digital microscope (Celestron LCD Digital Microscope) along with six other standard compound light microscopes for the science department.



There are lots of ways this microscope could be used in a classroom since it has an LCD display as well as a TV output and SD card for recording. A teacher could:
  1. Have students view specimens in real time using the TV output to display the images on a projector or interactive whiteboard
  2. Record images and/or video ahead of time of specimens and use it for lessons and assessments
  3. Have students (independently or in small groups) use the microscope themselves using the LCD display and record their work on the SD card
These are examples of using the technology in an Active/Entry, Active/Adoption, Collaboration/Adoption, and the Collaboration/Adaptation categories of technology integration according to the TIM model. Depending on the level of exploration and independence the teacher allows for the students, the integration could be at the infusion level. 

This article from the CITE Journal (Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education) goes into detail about a case study done in a rural high school in North Carolina using similar technology.


This blog has some ideas on using a digital microscope that could easily be adapted to a full sized microscope instead of the handheld one featured in the blog article.

The possibilities to get students engaged in learning science and using technology are endless with this tool - plus it is just fun to use!





Green, L. (2014). Through the looking glass. Knowledge Quest, 43(1), 36-43.

Dickerson, J., & Kubasko, D. (2007). Digital microscopes: Enhancing collaboration and engagement in science classrooms with information technologies. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 7(4). Retrieved from https://www.citejournal.org/volume-7/issue-4-07/science/digital-microscopes-enhancing-collaboration-and-engagement-in-science-classrooms-with-information-technologies


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