HR: 1330h
AN: ED32B-1195    [PDF]
TI: 3-D Visualizations At (Almost) No Expense
AU: * Sedlock, R L
EM: sedlock@geosun.sjsu.edu
AF: San Jos\'{e} State University, Department of Geology, San Jos\'{e}, CA 95192-0102 United States
AB: Like most teaching-oriented public universities, San Jos\'{e} State University (part of the California State University system) currently faces severe budgetary constraints. These circumstances prohibit the construction of one or more Geo-Walls on-campus. Nevertheless, the Department of Geology has pursued alternatives that enable our students to benefit from 3-D visualizations such as those used with the Geo-Wall. This experience - a sort of virtual virtuality - depends only on the availability of a computer lab and an optional plotter. Starting in June 2003, we have used the methods described here with two diverse groups of participants: middle- and high-school teachers taking professional development workshops through grants funded by NSF and NASA, and regular university students enrolled in introductory earth science and geology laboratory courses. We use two types of three-dimensional images with our students: visualizations from the on-line Gallery of Virtual Topography (Steve Reynolds), and USGS digital topographic quadrangles that have been transformed into anaglyph files for viewing with 3-D glasses. The procedure for transforming DEMs into these anaglyph files, developed by Paul Morin, is available at http://geosun.sjsu.edu/~sedlock/anaglyph.html. The resulting images can be used with students in one of two ways. First, maps can be printed on a suitable plotter, laminated (optional but preferable), and used repeatedly with different classes. Second, the images can be viewed in school computer labs or by students on their own computers. Chief advantages of the plotter option are (1) full-size maps (single or tiled) viewable in their entirety, and (2) dependability (independent of Internet connections and electrical power). Chief advantages of the computer option are (1) minimal preparation time and no other needed resources, assuming a computer lab with Internet access, and (2) students can work with the images outside of regularly scheduled courses. Both methods have been very popular with both cadres of students, comprehension and performance have measurably improved, and local middle- and high-school teachers now use these methods with their own students.
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting