IntelPlay QX3 Microscope Mosquito Images and Animations Tutorial Home Page

mosquito imaging setup

mosquito imaging setup closeup 1mosquito imaging setup closeup 2
image map link to lessonsequence1 image map link to lessonsequence2 image map link to lessonsequence3 image map link to lessonsequence4 image map link to lessonsequence5 image map link to lessonsequence6 image map link to lessonsequence7 lesson map image map
Lesson Sequence 1 Lesson Sequence 2 Lesson Sequence 3 Lesson Sequence 4 Lesson Sequence 5 Lesson Sequence 6 Lesson Sequence 7
National Science Education Standard: Life Science Content Standard C
As a result of activities in grades K - 4, all students should develop understanding of
  • The characteristics of organisms
  • Life cycles of organisms
  • Organisms and environments
International Society for Technology in Education Performance Indicators: Prior to completion of Grade 8 students will:
  1. Use content-specific tools, software and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research.
  2. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity, group collaboration, and learning throughout the curriculum.
  3. Design, develop, publish and present products (e.g., Web pages, video tapes) using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom.

Audience for this lesson

The target audience for this lesson is science teachers for grades 4 through 8 (upper elementary to middle school). In Texas, this lesson is specifically targeted at fourth grade teachers. (select this link to understand why)

Rationale for this lesson

The rationale for this lesson is to utilize simple, easy-to-find, low-cost technologies to enhance the ability of students to visualize concepts in biology, specifically metamorphosis, a component of the life cycles of organisms. Time-compressed animations can greatly enhance understanding of the sequence of life stages, as well as enabling additional modes for student presentations.

Objectives for this lesson

The objectives for this lesson are:
  • The student should be able to visally map the stages of the lifecycle of a caterpillar to a butterfly on a graph of time.
  • The student should be able to discuss or describe how a butterfly changes in shape from its larval to adult stage.
  • The teacher should be able to execute a lesson with technologies appropriate to facilitate the student-centered objectives listed above

Materials for this lesson

The materials for this lesson are:
  • A Windows-based computer with a USB connection that can support the IntelPlay digital microscope. (You can hack a Mac, or Linux GIMP software can also work, using the "acquire image" menus). Note: the original version of the software for the IntelPlay miscroscope will cause Windows 2000 and Windows XP machines to crash. There is a free upgrade for the software available from the soon-to-be-defunct IntelPlay website. Recent versions of the microscope do not have this problem...just look for "Windows 2000 compatible" on the box).
  • The IntelPlay QX3 Digital Microscope. This microscope is still available in many toy or computer stores for between 70 and 120 dollars (depending on the season, and various sales). It can be bought online directly from Fisher Scientific, among other providers. At Fisher Scientific, just search on the term "QX3". Note: The Fisher "Education Package" includes curriculum materials, and is priced higher than simply buying the microscope by itself. IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE DIRECTLY FROM INTEL, AS THE INTELPLAY LINE OF ITEMS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED. Still, the microscope continues to be widely available from a variety of sources. See this link for IntelPlay QX3 Microscope Information copied directly from the IntelPlay site.
  • Time exposure software for the microscope (many webcams come with this, for example, the Intel Pro PC Cam 430). Shareware like SupervisionCam can also be used.
  • (Optional) Animation software to stitch the images together. (Spin PhotoObject, or free animation tools like Microsoft Gif Animator, available from the Internet by searching on the term "msgifani"). Macintosh users can use the shareware animation tools Gif.Gif.Gif or recent versions of GraphicConverter (available for download from Macintosh software archives).
  • Pondwater with mosquito larvae.
  • A small (50 ml.) beaker with a screen or gauze on top.
  • OPTIONAL, BUT VERY USEFUL: Graphics editing software for manipulating individual images. Paint Shop Pro is one of the best bang-for-the-buck options for Windows users. There is a time-limited version available for download from www.jasc.com. A totally free, and extremely powerful PhotoShop-style graphics software tool that is available on both the Windows and Linux platforms is the GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program), available for free from www.gimp.org.

animation of the mosquito imaging setup   qx3 10x animation of mosquito larva

Animated gif of a mosquito larva, generated from images captured using the setup discussed in the lesson.
10x image of a mosquito larva 10x image of a mosquito larva

Lesson Sequence 1 Lesson Sequence 2 Lesson Sequence 3 Lesson Sequence 4 Lesson Sequence 5 Lesson Sequence 6 Lesson Sequence 7
Education Technologies Home  | Larva Images Page 1  | Larva Images Page 2  | Larvae Quicktime VR  | Mosquito Imaging Home

This lesson and all of its images were developed by and are copyrighted by B. H. Giza, Ph.D. © Last updated May 7, 2002