Resources for Virtual Fieldwork

 
 

Watch this site for a growing list of resources.  The first to be posted are panorama icons for use in Google Earth. 

 

Useful WebSites

 

Downloadable Project Resources

Guides Useful in the Development of Virtual Fieldwork:

The range of relevant software is vast, but Google Earth is the dominant force.  Here are some useful guides for figuring out how to use it in your classroom:

  1. BulletDesigning and Creating Earth Science Lessons with Google EarthTM  This manual was authored by teachers Steve Kluge, Drew Patrick, Eric Fermann.  The intent of this project is to provide teachers with little Google EarthTM experience the information and ideas that will enable them to develop high quality, good looking lessons using the Google EarthTM geospatial tool.  The manual was written for an earlier version of Google EarthTM, but is still very usable.

  2. Bullet[digital explorer] Virtual Fieldwork Using Google Earth compiled by Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop.  Find the guide on the right side of the page.  This provides an overview of how to use Google EarthTM in the design of fieldwork.

  3. BulletEncounter Earth: Interactive Geoscience Explorations, also by Steve Kluge.  Ideal for teachers who want to integrate Google Earth™ in their classrooms, Pearson’s new Encounter Earth supplement gives students a new, well-organized way to visualize key topics in their introductory geoscience courses. This guide saves instructors assignment preparation time—and helps students find Google Earth™ locations for assignments created.


Free Web Space for Teachers:

There are many different providers of free web space, some just for teachers.  They come in different forms like blogs, wikis and those with just space.  Information will be added soon.

  1. Bullet   www.engrade.com

  2. Bullet    http://www.wikispaces.com/

Photo Sharing:

There are several popular sites for photo sharing.  Using them allows you to readily share your images without using your own (possibly limited) web space.  Linked below are photo sets related to VFEs in different photo sharing sites.

  1. BulletNiagara Gorge Photos on Picassa  Picassa is Google’s photo sharing site.  Picassa displays the html code with each picture so it can easily be embedded in websites or Google Earth.

  2. BulletAlleghany (New York) State Park on Flickr.com.  These photos have more fungus than geology.

  3. Bullet  Other photo sharing sites include:

  4. BulletSnapfish.com

  5. BulletShutterfly.com  Photo sharing via email was clunky when tried with the Firefox browser. 

  6. BulletPhotobucket.com  Photbucket displays the html code with each picture so it can easily be embedded in websites or Google Earth.


Resources from the original project

ReaL Earth System Science grew out of a Proof-of-Concept grant while Don Duggan-Haas was a faculty member at Colgate University.  Many project resources were available on Don’s Colgate website.  The most relevant of those resources are linked below.  Note that some links may not work as this material is being reformatted for its new home.


  1. BulletVirtual Fieldwork Experiences.  This includes downloadable files and links to VFEs created for the original project. 

  2. BulletThe Technology of ReaL Earth System Inquiry.  This page describes and links to electronic resources (primarily software) used in the original project.

  3. BulletOther Virtual Field Trips/Fieldwork.  This is a set of links to other projects doing related work.

Here you will find a series of “how tos.”  Click here to go to the Tutorials page. 

Tutorials