Summer 2017
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 a short-form course, meeting face-to-face for 8 days over a 9-day stretch (Saturday, 24 June through Sun, 2 July; no class on Weds, 28 June). Class begins at 8:30 am and ends at 1:00 pm.
Recommended equipment, software & web services
- GPS unit or GPS-enabled smartphone. I have GPS units for students to borrow during the course. A relatively good iOS app is Spyglass but it costs a few dollars. The GPS units I have are free and very accurate.
- Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/ – I believe the “Pro” version is currently free! Go here to download: https://www.google.com/earth/download/gep/agree.html
- ArcGIS.com: https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html– free web-based GIS from Esri. This will be our primary tool for this class. You can also use the Lehigh (Enterprise) account and sign in with your Lehigh ID/PW – it is accessible from lu.maps.arcgis.com
- For those interested in augmented reality: ARIS (Augmented Reality Interactive Storytelling): http://arisgames.org/
- A spreadsheet program; Microsoft Excel or Google Spreadsheets or an equivalent
Class location – We will be meeting in the Mac lab of Iacocca Hall (E106) each day however we will venture outside on occasion for activities.
Class sessions & topics – Each topic links to supporting pages. I will be posting as much material as possible on this publicly-available webpage and will make minimal use of CourseSite. Unless otherwise noted, assignments are due on the day in which they’re listed.
- Saturday, June 24: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- Introductions – please post a little bit about yourself here.
- 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.
- Introduction to Google Earth: Interface & navigation; basic markup; editing, organizing, saving, & sharing markup
- How did we do with the ‘Happy Place’ assignment?
- Share your Happy Place!
- …and two Key Thoughts for this course: 10% is good enough for our purposes, and everything is in beta always. I like to explore this through a markup layer about the SS Savannah (1819-1821): Savannah_1819.kmz.
- Share your Happy Place from arcGIS!
- For those who need it: How to deal with that “other” operating system
- PC users grappling with Macs: https://del.icio.us/tchammond/MacHelp
- Mac users wishing they weren’t on a PC: https://del.icio.us/tchammond/PChelp (sorry, there’s just not as much stuff here…)
- Sunday, June 25: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- GPS activity to apply & extend understanding of lat-lon, geospatial awareness.
- Geospatial Games! Introduction to ARIS (Mountain Top Meltdown), Ingress, & Pokemon Go!
- A limited discussion of geocaching.
- Google Earth vs. Google Maps (i.e., client-side software vs. web services)
- Google Earth, second pass: Advanced features
- Where/how to find Google Earth datasets.
- Google Earth, last pass
- Map projections (i.e., why doesn’t my map overlay work???)
- Brainstorming Google Earth project topics.
- assignment due…sometime today or tomorrow: 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.
- Monday, June 26: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- Google Earth – Any project de-bugging we need to do? Questions?
- Illustration of value-added from geospatial tools
- Say hello to our new friend: First look at ArcGIS.com.
- https://learn.arcgis.com/en/gallery/
- Search for “Hawaii” – Getting Started with ArcGIS Online
- Map & Data for lesson are at http://lu.maps.arcgis.com/home/group.html?id=95b198caf94b4c9486f379043e08c5b3
- Go get new pre-made layers inside and outside of arcGIS!
- Sharing ArcGIS.com work: Editable Google Doc.
- GIS in the “real world”
- https://learn.arcgis.com/en/gallery/
- Explore the gallery – what inspires you? What sparks an idea? What do you like? Post your “cool map” here.
- working time for assignment due tomorrow
- Tuesday, June 27: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- assignments due: Google Earth final product
- Small groups to share Google Earth projects (and feel free to discuss GIS work as well!)
- Present to your group, then we’ll briefly report back to the whole class.
- Spatial thinking overview – Note that this is a four-page prose discussion. Alternatively, you can glean the same info from this slide deck.
- A necessary topic: Map design
- 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
- Importing polygon data….it’s sort of hard (read impossible) to do so with just arcGIS
- But…let’s try to import this data set into arcGIS and see what happens
- Now, let’s see what happens when the same data is first processed through a “client” GIS like My World and then imported into arcGIS
- Our guest star, Dr. Hammond, will dive more deeply into this on Friday.
- Creating your own POINT DATA set for ArcGIS – Spreadsheet KungFu!:
- First – I saw this article:
- Then I went and got the raw data for test scores
- Then, I needed addresses for the PA schools
- Then, I needed to mesh the two together…this is the Kung Fu!
- Resulting in this csv file
- Resulting in….this map app
- Working with point data, which is the easiest possible data (it’s in lat-lon, so it’s universal)
- An altogether insufficient look at mobile environments: Google Earth on a computer vs. Google Earth on an iPad; ArcGIS.com mobile services
- Time to brainstorm again:
- Talk to some peers to clarify your thoughts…
- Then post your idea in: What will you do for your GIS project?
- Working time & Peer/Teacher assistance time
- Wednesday, June 28: No class
- Thursday, June 29: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- assignment due: GIS proof-of-concept: Web URL for ArcGIS.com, plus text file describing how you hope to use the finished product and what you need to do to complete it.
- ArcGIS proof-of-concept debrief – how is it going?
- Quick and dirty intro to HTML – simple styling adds a lot! (If I teach this class again, I’ll move this up earlier in the course so folks can use it in Google Earth)
- Augmented reality AND using & playing games with ARIS
- ARIS – intro to building a game
- Building a game is an iterative process!
- Tutorial for the day!
- Media download for tutorial
- Learn more about the game’s premise: Dow Riot @ UW Madison
- If you want to mod my games – Import the game files into ARIS. Just download the zip file listed below to your computer and then add it to your ARIS account by choosing “Import” from the first screen in the ARIS editor page (at the bottom).
- Online sources for learning the basics:
- New AR tool tutorial (I haven’t had time to play with this yet)
- What devices should I get for my students? (Assuming there’s a budget!)
- GIS work time / more ARIS building
- Friday, June 30: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- We will meet in the CITL
- VR Google Earth!
- Affinity groups: Discuss GIS work, final project
- Geospatial tools and pedagogy: Direct instruction v. inquiry (if we have time)
- Special Guest Star: Dr. Thomas Hammond
- GIS review: What is it? What does it do? What are your options? Can you load some data, browse it, analyze it?
- How to import point data into GIS
- GIS, second pass: Finding data, finding maps; building data…and you never want to build your own map
- An introduction to client side 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
- 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.
- A necessary but entirely wholesome evil: Spreadsheet kung-fu
- Working time
- Saturday, July 1: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- Final project presentations – Group 1 Sign Up
- A relevant topic: Innovation, Diffusion, & Geospatial Technologies
- Other geospatial tools.
- Technical support time!
- assignments due: GIS final product
- Sunday, July 2: 8:30 am – 1:00 pm
- Checking in on project work, presentation work
- Final project presentation – Group 2 Sign Up
- Working time
- Closing ceremonies
- assignment due: Final project files and presentation files of final project. These can be turned in no later than Monday, July 3.
Julie Oltman 