Geographic Techniques for Teachers GCU 674

Today’s Challenges Local, National, Global Environmental, Social, Political, Economic … What is done to help address these issues? Information Bottom Line: We need data and techniques to answer more complex questions covering larger geographic extents than ever before

The Computer’s Current Role in Society  Worldwide fast communication (e.g. internet services)  Data is much more available than before  A whole new set of skills are needed (e.g. from the typewriter to the word processor)  Data (and being able to use it) is a tool of power …

Geographic Technique Literacy Learning to use these sources of information as you use a text document… –Extract details –Summarize main points –Evaluate its quality –Generate new ideas “Thinking Spatially” With … words numbers

Geographic Information Technologies Understanding the data … –Topographic maps –Thematic maps –Aerial photography –Satellite imagery –Global Positioning Systems (GPS) –Geographic Information Systems (GIS) And what can be done with it!

Speculate. “Why is that there?” –Geographers speculate about all sorts of things: location, space, time, and physical and anthropogenic phenomena… –Speculation results in a hypothesis and/or research question. Or multiple hypotheses and/or questions SODA

Observe. “What do you see?” –Observation leads to supporting or not supporting Speculation

SODA Describe. “What did you see?” and “How did you do it?” –Geography as a word means “to describe the earth” –Not only describe the earth, but also expound upon how we describe it –What methods were used and why Specific and general details about Observations and Speculations

SODA Analyze. “What do your findings say?” –Synthesize your data and other information –Take into account multiple phenomena when assessing one specific topic –Seek out patterns and trends others might miss –Take any Speculation – and through Observation and Description – Analyze it to find an answer (or support/not support hypotheses)

Organization of this Class 1.Cartography –Scale and Maps –Determining location –Projections –Geodesy –Coordinate systems –Symbology 2.Geographic Information Technologies –GIS, GPS, RS 3.Field Techniques –Human vs. Physical –Qualitative vs. Quantitative –Field site selection and data logging –Ground truthing