Smartphones in Physics Education: Elements for Choosing Apps for Experimental Activities

Abstract

Experimental activities are acknowledged as important elements for learning Physics, both in basic education and in higher education. However, basic education schools, in general, do not have the physical structure, in the form of adequate equipment and spaces, to carry out experiments and demonstrations. One alternative to overcome this obstacle is the use of smartphone apps that record and allow data analysis from both simulated and real experiments. Aiming at the reasonable offer of available apps, the objective of this work is to promote the theoretical discussion about some elements to be considered in their choice. For this, bibliographic research was carried out, as it offers a comprehensive view of the theme. The search for articles was done in Google Scholar, using specific keywords, and covering the period from 2009 to 2021. Sixteen articles were selected and critically analyzed, resulting in the following themes: theoretical framework, gamification, usability, and collaborative work. We hope that these themes will help teachers to select apps to make experimental activities more meaningful.