Graphical Analysis vs. SPARKvue

SPARKvue is uniquely designed to deliver the features educators love within a framework students can easily use. It provides a powerful all-in-one platform with intuitive tools for data collection, visualization and analysis, as well as coding and collaboration. This all-in-one approach enables science students to streamline experiments for deeper learning, while also equipping STEM and after-school programs with the tools they need to code, create, and explore.

Graphical Analysis is designed specifically for data collection, visualization, and analysis with Vernier sensors. It provides standard graph, table, and meter displays that work well for most science courses. Graphical Analysis Pro introduces a video display that allows an imported video to be synced with sensor data, which can be helpful for reviewing experiments. Both software options help structure science experiments by providing students with a standardized template for data collection, visualization, and analysis.

SPARKvue takes data collection to an exciting new place, and better yet, manages to do so for a wide variety of disciplines and grade levels. This app has the potential to revolutionize the way that science is taught for the 21st century learner.

When starting SPARKvue, students can choose to collect data in real time, enter measurements manually, or establish settings for remote data logging. Teachers may also choose to have students work within a configured PASCO Experiment file by selecting a title from the Welcome Screen. Data sampling rates are automatically determined based on the connected devices, but can easily be adjusted to optimize the performance of individual sensors. This extra control allows students to increase a sensor’s sampling rate to capture fast changes, like collisions, or decrease the sampling rate to conserve battery during long-term logging experiments.

Graphical Analysis gives students the choice to collect real-time sensor data or enter measurements manually. In addition to these options, Graphical Analysis Pro users may also choose to open an experiment file by downloading it from Vernier’s website. Both software choices allow students to adjust the duration and sampling rate of data collection, but these settings are applied uniformly to all sensors. Because of this, students may have difficulty obtaining accurate measurements for experiments involving multiple sensors, like acid-base titrations and kinematic motion labs.

I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent trying to get older probes connected to a computer and actually working with some piece of complicated software. That’s definitely not the case with these wireless probes and SPARKvue. The time I spent getting these probes connected to my iPad (including unboxing) was less than 1 minute. I took it out, turned it on, tapped the Bluetooth button within the SPARKvue app, and that was that. Ridiculously easy, and something that students, even elementary classrooms would be able to handle.

The SPARKvue Welcome Screen makes setup quick and easy.

Choose from dozens of ready-to-use PASCO experiments with labeled graphs, tables, and more.

Setup Wireless Sensors to log data remotely for experiments that last hours, days, or weeks!

SPARKvue gives students the freedom to customize their science journal with selectable displays that provide real-time insights into their experiments. Students can view up to six displays at a time, making it easy to hone in on the most relevant findings, while hiding less relevant formats.

SPARKvue includes the following displays:

• Live Data Bar: Displays current sensor reading without recording data.
• Table
• Meter (digits)
• Meter (analog)
• Line graph (up to six)
• Bar graph
• Bar meter
• FFT
• Oscilloscope
• GIS map
• Import image
• Capture media (image or video)
• Assessment Q&A
• Text

Graphical Analysis and Graphical Analysis Pro provide students with a structured template for graphing experimental data. Students begin with a table and line graph template, which can be expanded by turning on the meter display or displaying two additional graphs. Graphical Analysis Pro provides access to additional features, including a bar graph, oscilloscope, and FFT, as well as video syncing.

Graphical Analysis includes the following displays:

• Table
• Meter (digits)
• Line graphs (up to three)

Graphical Analysis Pro includes the following displays:

• Live Data Bar: Displays current sensor reading without recording data.
• Table
• Meter (digits)
• Line graph
• Bar graph
• FFT
• Oscilloscope
• Video syncing

SPARKvue is very friendly to use, and simple enough that elementary students could handle the app. That being said, it also includes more in-depth and complicated features for secondary classrooms that want to dig deeper.

We used the SPARKvue app in our physics class with my iPhone. It flowed seamlessly as we tested the various ways we could measure and change our acceleration. The app definitely worked as expected and there were many options to customize how and what you measured. It helped seeing the data in a graph and having the max, min, and mean values already calculated. If you’re looking for a solid and accurate app for this type of utility: this is it.

Create custom science journals with up to six displays.

Choose from a variety of displays, including graphs, digits, tables, text, and more.

Observe changes in real-time by automatically recording data in a graph and table.

Mix and max displays to suit your experimental needs.

Incorporate images from experiments or field sites.

Enhance data visualization with specialized displays for colorimetry, gis, and more.

Monitor measurements with a glance using large, simple displays.

Engage students in weather tracking using the specialized Weather Dashboard.

Explore GIS applications by mapping sensor measurement locations.

SPARKvue’s capabilities are consistently expanded to support the evolving needs of students and teachers. SPARKvue 4 introduced a new Blockly coding integration, which enables teachers to introduce coding as part of science and STEM learning. This integration sets SPARKvue apart by pairing PASCO's real-time data collection, graphing, and analysis system with an intuitive coding interface that scales to students’ skill level. Rather than simply teaching students how to code, SPARKvue helps students apply coding to projects that produce real-world results for more meaningful learning.

Students can use Blockly in SPARKvue to:

• Program any PASCO sensor or interface.
• Create programs that collect and respond to live sensor data.
• Apply variables, loops, conditionals, and other coding concepts.
• Control sensor data collection.
• Control how data is displayed.
• Trigger a response once a measurement is reached.
• Use sensor data to control output accessories. (e.g., motors, lights, fans)

Flexibility is essential to inspiring student creativity in STEM learning. That’s why SPARKvue provides STEM educators with simple tools for facilitating student discovery – from student-led projects to guided STEM activities. SPARKvue supports engineering and design practices by providing students with a digital workspace where they can code, problem-solve, collect and review data, while collaborating with classmates hands-on.

SPARKvue allows students in STEM to:

• Program and test physical projects.
• Use data from PASCO sensors to improve iterations.
• Simplify code using the PASCO Code Library.
• Easily share code with classmates.
• Control motors, lights, fans, and more – with or without sensor data.

Graphical Analysis and Graphical Analysis Pro do not include any comparable features, and as such, are not suitable for applications involving coding.

Compare the heat produced by fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs. Then create a program that reports their energy efficiency!

Students can observe their code working in real time.

Create a program to automatically determine whether the solution measured by a pH sensor is acidic, basic, or neutral.

Students use their knowledge of the pH scale to test their program’s accuracy.

Create a Blockly program to reinforce student understandings of heat and chemical change.

Illustrate the potential of programming in science learning. Here, Blockly helps students identify the exact moment a chemical change begins.

SPARKvue helps educators keep students engaged in science learning, regardless of their device or distance. Teachers can start a Shared Session to stream experimental data to students in real time, enabling remote classes to collaborate on experiments, without loaning any equipment to students. After the session, teachers can choose to have students perform their analyses within the experiment file, or export the data in .csv, .txt, or .png format. These secure sessions are cross-platform compatible, making it easy for students to join an experiment remotely using whatever device is available.

SPARKvue’s features for collaboration include:

• Shared Sessions: Educators can stream live data from an experiment – with each student capturing the shared data on their own device.
• Export data in .csv format.
• Export data in .txt format.
• Snapshot Tool: Capture a .png of your journal to print or export.
• Capture and export images from the experiment.
• Save and open experiments in .spklab format.

Graphical Analysis provides users with limited options for collaboration, compared to Graphical Analysis Pro. In Graphical Analysis, users can export a .png of their graph, download the data as a .csv file, or save the experiment for later. Graphical Analysis Pro offers the same export options, as well as a Data Sharing feature, which allows students and teachers to share real-time data from an experiment with all participants.

Graphical Analysis includes the following features for collaboration:

• Export graph as .png file.
• Export data in .csv format.
• Save experiment file.

Graphical Analysis Pro includes the following features for collaboration:

• Data Sharing: Educators and students can create their own live experiments and share real-time sensor data with the class.
• Export graph as a .png file.
• Export data in .csv format.
• Export a .pdf of the experiment.
• Save experiment file.

The data logging and data sharing functions of the data acquisition system from PASCO [provide] versatile and useful functions which, in my opinion, open up new possibilities, especially in student experiments [where] the systems from Phywe and Vernier lack.

Create, organize, and export student journals with one or more pages.

Start a Shared Session to collaborate as a class on a single experiment. Stream data from a single device to all participants, regardless of their device or distance.

See who’s actively attending at any time.

SPARKvue is designed alongside science educators, so it’s easy to use for both students and teachers. Still, integrating new software can be a different experience across classrooms, which is why we provide around-the-clock support to help educators find quick answers to all their software questions. Educators can request live assistance from an in-house representative via chat, email, or phone call, or they can use our convenient Help Guide and support videos to learn more about SPARKvue’s features and settings at any time. These robust resources are searchable, shareable, and readily accessible, making it easy for educators to receive the level of support they need when they need it.

SPARKvue’s teacher support and help resources include:

• Online SPARKvue Help Guide (source)
• FAQ/Knowledge Base (source)
• Dozens of tutorial videos (source)
• Bite-sized how-to videos (source)
• Free webinars (source)
• Free experiments & sample data files (source)

Graphical Analysis and Graphical Analysis Pro users can receive live support during business hours via email or phone call. Vernier also provides teachers with digital support resources, including a user manual, FAQ page, five tutorials, and free webinars.

Graphical Analysis & Graphical Analysis Pro include the following teacher support and help resources:

• Dense user manual
• FAQ page
• 5 tutorial videos
• Free webinars
• Sample data (requires Graphical Analysis Pro)

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Great service and quick turn around on chat, able to complete during my prep. A dream!

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Find step-by-step solutions for all your software needs with our online Help Guide.

Browse dozens of tutorial videos – from brief how-to’s to advanced feature walkthroughs.