HR: 1340h
AN: ED23A-0966    [Abstracts]
TI: Visual and Experiential Learning Opportunities through Geospatial Data
AU: * Gardiner, N
EM: ned@amnh.org
AF: American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th, New York, NY 10024, United States
AU: Bulletins, S
EM: kinzler@amnh.org
AF: American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th, New York, NY 10024, United States
AB: Global observation data from satellites are essential for both research and education about Earth's climate because they help convey the temporal and spatial scales inherent to the subject, which are beyond most people's experience. Experts in the development of visualizations using spatial data distinguish the process of learning through data exploration from the process of learning by absorbing a story told from beginning to end. The former requires the viewer to absorb complex spatial and temporal dynamics inherent to visualized data and therefore is a process best undertaken by those familiar with the data and processes represented. The latter requires that the viewer understand the intended presentation of concepts, so story telling can be employed to educate viewers with varying backgrounds and familiarity with a given subject. Three examples of climate science education, drawn from the current science program Science Bulletins (American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA), demonstrate the power of visualized global earth observations for climate science education. The first example seeks to explain the potential for sea level rise on a global basis. A short feature film includes the visualized, projected effects of sea level rise at local to global scales; this visualization complements laboratory and field observations of glacier retreat and paleoclimatic reconstructions based on fossilized coral reef analysis, each of which is also depicted in the film. The narrative structure keeps learners focused on discrete scientific concepts. The second example utilizes half-hourly cloud observations to demonstrate weather and climate patterns to audiences on a global basis. Here, the scientific messages are qualitatively simpler, but the viewer must deduce his own complex visual understanding of the visualized data. Finally, we present plans for distributing climate science education products via mediated public events whereby participants learn from climate and geovisualization experts working collaboratively. This last example provides an opportunity for deep exploration of patterns and processes in a live setting and makes full use of complementary talents, including computer science, internet-enabled data sharing, remote sensing image processing, and meteorology. These innovative examples from informal educators serve as powerful pedagogical models to consider for the classroom of the future.
UR: http://sciencebulletins.amnh.org
DE: 0399 General or miscellaneous
DE: 0799 General or miscellaneous
DE: 0815 Informal education
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
DE: 3399 General or miscellaneous
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting