Education and Geosciences Faculty Collaboration at West Virginia University WVU to Integrate Geospat

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Education and Geosciences Faculty Collaboration
at West Virginia University (WVU) to Integrate
Geospatial Tools into Preservice and Inservice
Teacher Education
Jim Rye, Ph.D.,Curriculum Instruction (Science
Education), WVU ltjim.rye_at_mail.wvu.edugt Rick
Landenberger, Ph.D., Geology Geography
(Director, WV View), WVU ltrick.landenberger_at_mail.w
vu.edugt
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Target Audiences

• Preservice and inservice teachers in a graduate
  secondary science methods course
• Inservice teachers in an NSF funded project
• Need to Integrate geospatial thinking / learning
  tools
• This close coupling spatial thinking and
  reasoning is not present during the grades 9-12
  experience. (NRC, p. 131)
• Since it was introducedthere has been very
  little adaptation of GIS for K-12 education
  (NRC, p.164)
• -National Research Council (NRC) (2006) Learning
  to Think Spatially. Washington, D.C. National
  Academy Press

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Early Outcome from Collaboration

• NSF Award GEO-0807249 (7/1/08-6/30/10)
• Development Of kNowledgeable Teachers Geospatial
  Understanding in Earth System Science (DONT
  GUESS)
• PI Rick Landenberger, Geology Geography
• Co-I Jim Rye, Curriculum Instruction Tim
  Warner, Geology Geography
• Major content focus Watershed Dynamics (GLOBE)
• Sustained professional development combining
  technical skills with content area. (NRC, 2006)

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The Science Educators Initial Experiences with
GPS GIS

• Increase physical activity opportunities in WV
  communities walkable communities
• Civil and environmental engineering resources
• CDC funding through WVBPH targeting
  cardiovascular disease in underinsured WV women
  (Contract G040471)
• NIH CDC funding to provide teacher professional
  development and secondary student science/math
  enrichment along with health sciences career
  orientation (Contracts 2 R25 RR012329-07
  H75/CCH322130-01, respectively)
• One to two day workshops on GPS and GIS
• Self-instructional modules
• Email/assistance from on-campus experts (WV GIS
  Center Geography/Geology/Engineering faculty)

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Example Walking Route with Waypoints from
WVBPH/CDC Funded Project
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Geosciences Collaboration Integration in
Graduate Science Methods Course

• WVU Geosciences faculty/WV View
• GLOBE Program/Protocols/Human Resources (NASA
  Educational Resource Center)
• GPS
• Garmin eTrex/cable/software
• GLOBE GPS Chapter/Protocol
• GIS (AEJEE) (My World GIS)
• GPS/GIS software and data resources

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Excerpts from GPS/GIS Software and Data
Resources Document
Obtaining Geo-referenced Topographical and Aerial
Photo Maps 1. WV GIS Technical Center site
http//www.wvgis.wvu.edu/. Select GIS data.
Then select subjects DRG for topographical and
Photography for Aerial maps. 2. Sample IMS
Servers for Maps/Data http//www.geographynetwork
.com/ and http//www.mapwv.gov. Connect directly
through GIS software. Data Sources and Sites
Related to GIS o ACME Mapper http//mapper.acme.c
om/ o Geodata.gov http//gos2.geodata.gov/wps/por
tal/gos o GIS.com http//www.gis.com/ o Global
Land Cover Facility http//glcf.umiacs.umd.edu/ind
ex.shtml On-line GIS Map Making (sample
sites) o Geodata.gov http//gos2.geodata.gov/wps/
portal/gos o Google Earth http//earth.google.com
/ o Maps Live http//maps.live.com/ o National
Atlas http//nationalatlas.gov/
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Overview of Geospatial Experiences in Graduate
Course

• Experience spans the first 1/3 of the course
  (live on-campus with web-based support
  follow-up extending into remainder of course)
• GPS
• Remote Sensing and West Virginia View
• MUC/Landcover GLOBE Investigation integrating
  collection of surface temperature using infrared
  sensors
• GIS
• Map and layer data sources
• Web-based GIS
• Desktop GIS
• Integrated GLOBE Investigation with Statistical
  Applications (landcover, atmosphere, hydrology)
• Participant-developed GIS Projects/Presentations
  and Technology Integrated Units

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GPS Sequence of Experiences

• Orientation and setting up GPS Unit to be GLOBE
  ready
• Completing GLOBE Field Investigation
• Collecting waypoint and track data
• Downloading and saving data as projected shape
  files
• Layering shape files from GPS over geo-referenced
  aerial and topo maps in GIS program
• Follow-up assignment incorporating GPS, MUC, and
  GIS.

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GIS Sequence of Experiences

• Google Earth Completion of Figure 4 exercise
  in Stahley, T. 2006. Earth from above. The
  Science Teacher, 73 (7), 44-48.
• On-line GIS experience
• e.g., National Atlas (e.g., mapping superfund
  sites)
• Georeferenced map and data sources (e.g., WV GIS
  Center using WV Gazetteer)
• Building competence in desktop applications of
  GIS using GPS collected data and data available
  in My World as well as Internet sources.
• Some Issues IMS servers Mr.Sid files
  Projections

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Example for Course Participants Illustrating GPS
Data Collection and GIS Mapping of Bicycle
Commute

• Surfaces mathematical connections with PSSM
  standards
• Measurement
• Data Analysis
• Representation
• Context
• Specific applications for
• slope
• relationship

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Bike Commute Two Routes
My World GIS Constructed Map of Bicycle Commute

• Home to Work (by Airport and on Mileground) 13.7
  km (orange line)

? Home to Work 13.7 km (orange line) ?
Home
Work
? Work to Home 16.9 km (yellow line) ?
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Describe the cyclists ride home in terms of
effort.Waypoint 1 shows begin altitude and
Waypoint 11 shows end altitude. (Note Data
to the right also can be obtained by using
Information tool in My World.)
End
Begin
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Using My World, prepare a scatterplot of
longitude vs altitude for the 11 waypoints on
the ride home.
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Use My World to determine the correlation (r) and
best fit line between longitude and altitude for
the ride home
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Use the measurement tool in My World and the data
below to determine which portion (which 2
sequential waypoints) of the ride home has the
steepest slope?
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The distance between Waypoint 6 and 7 along
Dughill Road has the greatest slope (grade)

• Rise 52 m (408 m - 356 m altitude)
• Run 331 m
• Slope (grade) 16 (52/331 100)

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GIS Investigations Created This Year

• Most frequently targeted water issues
• Included natural disasters (flooding), mountain
  top removal, mineral resources, alternative
  energy (windmills), greenspace
• Example (Mountaintop Removal and Watershed
  Impact) follows

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Example GIS Investigation Map Note layers for
watersheds (blue), counties (black), actual and
potential mountaintop removal areas (yellow).
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DONT GUESS (NSF Grant Award GEO-0807249
(7/1/08-6/30/10)

• Six graduate credits spanning one year.
• Year 2009 Summer on-site (WVU) experience
  followed by on-line learning and collaboration
  (Threaded discussions, WIMBA Live Classroom, etc)
  Throughout Fall-Spring, 2009-2010.
• Desired Outcomes
• Teacher-Participant proficiency in GPS, GIS,
  Watershed Dynamics GLOBE module/protocols
  Approved graduate courses that are team taught by
  natural science and education faculty
• Technology (geospatial) integrated watershed
  dynamics units developed, field-tested, revised
  and disseminated by teacher-participants and
  project staff.
• Teacher-participants inservice their colleagues
  in school districts
• Presentations at professional meetings and
  publications in peer reviewed journals
• Proposal submitted for phase 2 funding

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Summary of DONT GUESS

• We are developing a two course sequence for
  in-service science teachers at West Virginia
  University, aimed at providing the scientific
  content and applied scientific and technical
  skills necessary for middle to high school
  science teachers to lead an inquiry-based study
  of local watersheds. Modeled using the GLOBE
  Watershed Dynamics investigation and using new
  and established GLOBE protocols, the course
  content focuses on physical processes and
  interactions between land cover and hydrologic
  systems occurring within watersheds. Taking an
  Earth system science approach, geospatial
  technologies are applied in support of spatial
  thinking and spatial analysis remote sensing,
  GPS, and GIS are used to explore, map, and
  analyze interactions between terrestrial and
  fresh water systems. The course sequence is an
  interdisciplinary partnership between the West
  Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and
  Sciences and the College of Human Resources and
  Education.
• - NSF Award GEO-0807249
• - PI R. Landenberger Co-I J. Rye, T. Warner

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Other Potentials

• Honing students working knowledge of
  experimental design (especially variables)
• Collaboration with mathematics education faculty
• Past collaborative work with pedometers
• Geometry
• Data analysis and statistics