Hi everyone,
I was looking for some recommendations for digital microscopes that are easy to use for students to be able to explore and take pictures with. Preferably one that connects to Chromebooks. There are a lot of affordable (for a school) choices out there and it hard to narrow down. Are there features people wish they had? What megapixel should I be looking for? Any advice would be appreciated.
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What are you focusing on? You might have to compromise on one to get the other features.
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Suggestions are really dependent on what exactly you plan to use the microscope for. Your first choice will likely be between a compound microscope (used for looking at things at the cellular level) or a stereo microscope (aka dissection microscope; used to magnify a three-dimensional view of a specimen).
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Search for ‘Microbehunter’ on Youtube. He is a teacher and has a lot of information about microscopes and microscopy that may be suitable. He does cover everything from hand held cheap USB scopes on up. https://www.youtube.com/@Microbehunter/featured
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One thing I’ve used in education that is easy for kids, and attaches to anything with a USB port, although the magnification is more appropriate for looking at insects than anything smaller, is this: https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Microscope-Flexible-Observation-Magnification/dp/B00XNYXQHE/
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That’s a good question… I guess anything that is versatile. Looking at leaves, or small insects mostly.
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Something more along the lines of a stereo microscope. Looking for students to be able to take pictures of small creatures like insects or basic structures on leaves.
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I have a couple of digital microscopes like in the link below. They are available from multiple sources but I believe they are all the same - the only difference I believe is the price. They work good with the camera app on my Chromebook. You could get one and see if it fulfills your needs.
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