ES / TLT 368: Teaching and Learning with Geospatial Tools (Jan, 2016)

Catalog description: Exploration of geospatial tools, including but not limited to global positioning systems (GPS), geographic information systems (GIS), and related visualization tools (e.g., Google Earth). Application of these tools and techniques to instructional settings, including appropriate pedagogy and assessment.

Course format: This class is being held during the Winter Term (January Term) for the first time. The course begins January 11 and ends on January 22, with no class session on Monday, January 18 (Martin Luther King Day). The class will meet face-to-face from 4 pm until 8 pm in Iacocca Hall, room E-106 except for the two Wednesday sessions (Wed, 13 Jan and Wed, 20 Jan). For those two classes, materials will be posted online for students to view and interact with.

Recommended equipment, software & web services

• GPS unit or GPS-enabled smartphone. I have GPS units for students to borrow during the course. (They are far more accurate than any smartphone app that I have seen to date.)
• Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/ – I believe the "Pro" version is currently free!
• My World GIS: No longer sold or available as a trial download. PC version available from the instructor...but it looks like the Mac version can't work as a local install in our classroom.
• ArcGIS.com: https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html– free web-based GIS from Esri
• (A spreadsheet program; Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets or an equivalent)
• For those interested in augmented reality: ARIS (Augmented Reality Interactive Storytelling): http://arisgames.org/

Class sessions & topics – Each topic links (or will link) to supporting pages. I will be posting as much material as possible on this publicly-available wiki and will make minimal use of CourseSite. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due on the day in which they're listed.

• Monday, January 11: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room E-106
  • Review of syllabus (pdf)
  • Significance of geospatial tools: ConnectED initiative, geospatially-related careers / workforce, resources for geospatial education
  • Relative vs. absolute location (i.e., lat-lon) – I'm going to defer to Wikipedia's entry on Location (geography) for this.
  • GPS activity to apply & extend understanding of lat-lon, geospatial awareness. (Due to limited daylight, we will do this first)
  • A limited discussion of geocaching.
  • For those who need it: How to deal with that "other" operating system
    • PC users grappling with Macs: https://delicious.com/tchammond/MacHelp
    • Mac users wishing they weren't on a PC: https://delicious.com/tchammond/PChelp (sorry, there's just not as much stuff here...)
      
      
• Tuesday, January 12: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room E-106
  • Connecting GPS activity & Google Earth
  • Introduction to Google Earth: Interface & navigation; basic markup; editing, organizing, saving, & sharing markup
  • Spatial thinking overview. Note that this is a four-page discussion – the bottom of each page links to the next one.
  • Where/how to find Google Earth datasets.
  • ...and a mantra for this course: 10% is good enough for our purposes. I like to explore this through a markup layer about the SS Savannah (1819-1821): Savannah_1819.kmz. 
  • Brainstorming Google Earth project topics.
    
    
• Wednesday, January 13: Online, no face-to-face component; complete at your own pace
  • Map projections (i.e., why doesn't my map overlay work???)
  • Google Earth vs. Google Maps (i.e., client-side software vs. web services)
  • First look at ArcGIS.com.
  • An altogether insufficient look at mobile environments: Google Earth on a computer vs. Google Earth on an iPad; ArcGIS.com mobile services ...could not get to this
  • assignment due: Google Earth proof-of-concept: KMZ or KML file, plus text file describing how you hope to use the finished product and what you need to do to complete it.
    
    
• Thursday, January 14: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room A-122 (note change)
  • Google Earth, second pass: Advanced features, de-bugging your projects
  • An introduction to GIS: software options...and what is GIS?
    • Client side: Using My World and pre-built data – watch my demo of Why bother with GIS? Follow-up: Getting your hands on GIS, using my LINIQES acronym.
    • Web service: Re-tracing those same steps in ArcGIS.com
  • How to import point data into GIS
    
    
• Friday, January 15: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room A-122 (note change)
  • GIS review: What is it? What does it do? What are your options? Can you load some data, browse it, analyze it?
  • GIS work, step 1.5: Adding new data to an existing map. However, I've pre-processed the data for you. (You're welcome.)
    • Working with point data, which is the easiest possible data (it's in lat-lon, so it's universal)
      • A small dataset: Iacocca Hall geocache locations.csv
      • A larger dataset: CSV_Main_Eastern_theater_ver01.csv
    • Working with polygon data, that you will then merge into an existing polygon layer
      • Jewish demographics circa Holocaust -sheet 2.csv
  • GIS, second pass: Finding data, finding maps; building data...and you never want to build your own map
  • And now the training wheels are off! GIS under your own power.
  • GIS example: Here's what you might end up with after working with that school district data: Lehigh Valley school districts.
  • Time to brainstorm again: What will you do for your GIS project?
  • A necessary but entirely wholesome evil: Spreadsheet kung-fu
  • assignment due...later: GIS proof-of-concept: GIS files (or web URL, if you are using ArcGIS.com), plus text file describing how you hope to use the finished product and what you need to do to complete it. This can be turned in over the weekend or even on Monday, Jan 18.
    
    
• Monday, January 18: No class (observance of Martin Luther King holiday)
  
  
• Tuesday, January 19: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room E-106
  • Augmented reality, using ARIS
    • As a true geospatial tool: Outdoor game triggered by lat-lon
    • As a human-space tool: Indoor activity using QR codes
  • GIS work time / intro to building in ARIS
    • GIS trouble-shooting: Work-around for error in saving My World 5.0 projects.
  • Final project brainstorming.
    
    
• Wednesday, January 20: Online, no face-to-face component; complete at your own pace
  • A necessary topic: Map design
  • A relevant topic: Diffusion of innovations, and specifically the innovation of geospatial tools
  • A complex topic: How is teaching with geospatial tools different than teaching without them?
  • Other geospatial tools.
  • For those interested in augmented reality: Readings on AR are in CourseSite
  • assignments due: Google Earth final product and GIS final product
    
    
• Thursday, January 21: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room E-106
  • Project work, prepare presentations
  • For those interested: Augmented reality building time
    
    
• Friday, January 22: 4-8 pm, Iacocca Hall room E-106
  • Present final projects
  • Closing ceremonies
  • assignment due: Final project files and presentation files of final project. These can be turned in no later than Sunday, January 24.