ERIC Number: EJ1164751
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jan
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1089-9995
EISSN: N/A
Introducing Teachers to Geospatial Technology While Helping Them to Discover Vegetation Patterns in Owens Valley, California
Sherman-Morris, Kathleen; Morris, John; Thompson, Keith
Journal of Geoscience Education, v57 n1 p64-72 Jan 2009
A field course attended by science teachers in California's Owens Valley incorporated geospatial technology to reinforce the relationship between elevation, aspect, or the direction a mountain slope faces, and vegetation. Teachers were provided GPS units to record locations and plant communities throughout the 9-day field course. At the end of the field course, they completed an exercise utilizing ArcGIS and/or Google Earth. A similar essay question about vegetation and elevation was answered at the beginning of the course and after the GIS/Google Earth exercise. Scores on this pre- and postactivity question as well as responses to a survey questionnaire indicate that GIS and Google Earth both helped the teachers understand how elevation influences vegetation. The role of aspect was not as well demonstrated in the post-test responses as that of elevation. Teachers reported being more likely to use Google Earth in their classrooms than GIS (75% to 58.3%). Combined with GPS, Google Earth provides a free, easy and flexible way to teach a number of earth science concepts and meet several National Geography Standards.
Descriptors: Geology, Geographic Information Systems, Plants (Botany), Questionnaires, Computer Software, National Standards, Science Teachers, Course Descriptions, Masters Programs, Graduate Students, Earth Science, Teacher Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Teaching Methods
National Association of Geoscience Teachers. Carleton College W-SERC, One North College Street, Northfield, MN 55057. Tel: 540-568-6675; Fax: 540-568-8058; e-mail: jge@jmu.edu; Website: http://nagt-jge.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A