TEACHING BASIC GEOGRAPHIC CONCEPTS WITH GOOGLE EARTH AND GPS

First year labs in the geosciences typically contain a component that includes the interpretation of topographic maps. These labs are usually undertaken with paper maps, and include exercises on geographic coordinates, UTM grid references, magnetic declination, bearings, scale calculations, and distance measurement. Many of these exercises readily transfer to Google Earth and GPS, therefore in the past academic semester we have started to incorporate these tools into the lab exercises. Our preliminary results indicate that students find the labs more enjoyable with Google Earth than with paper maps, with a higher level of student engagement. In contrast to paper maps, the students perceive Google Earth and GPS as technologies that are accessible to them outside of the classroom. The new labs have also enabled the introduction of more advanced geodetic concepts. We anticipate further additions of Google Earth into exercises examining various sub-disciplines in physical geography including glaciology, fluvial geomorphology, coastal geomorphology and remote sensing.