This morning, Google released Science Journal, its latest free app for Android phones. Science Journal is a digital science notebook that allows kids (and amateur scientists of all ages) to use the sensors on their Android phones for experiments. With a just a phone you can measure sound, light, and motion for some easy-access science!
The app itself is open-ended, providing the tools in a simple format that’s intuitive, but to really kick off the launch of this app Google has partnered with the experts at Exploratorium to create a number of hands-on projects. These projects are detailed on their companion site Making & Science, and kits are available to create projects around external sensors (including a kit from Make:!).
Combining physical experiences with digital experience is really the future of STEM education. Science Journal makes it easy for science educators to introduce the idea that science doesn’t need to be difficult or confined to the lab. With Science Journal on your phone, you have the basic tools you need to follow your curiosity and get started with experiments of your own.
You can get Science Journal for your Android phone now, or if you happen to be at Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend, you can try out the app yourself with a fun wind speed experiment and talk to some of the developers behind the app.
In the coming year, expect to see more announcements from Google about Science Journal: additional projects, more sensors and kits, and in the summer the Android app will go open source to create a rich community of creators who can come up with and share projects and kits of their own.
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