EARTHSPEAK© – KNOWLEDGE-BASE FOR TOPICAL COURSES IN THE EARTH SCIENCES

EarthSpeak is a folder of power point modules that provide students the geologic background needed to best understand material covered in non-standard (topical) introductory-level courses in earth science at Ohio State University. In today's “market for minds” earth science teachers at all levels continue to develop offerings that highlight the many interesting aspects of our science (geology of the national parks, energy & mineral resources in society, gems and gemology, geologic hazards, oceanography, the planets, water resources, etc.). These courses are introductory in scope, but for maximum learning they rely on background geologic information that may be difficult to work into the course framework. For example, when we first offered Geology and the National Parks at OSU, we did not get to the Parks until the third week of the term – geology now is gently introduced throughout the term, but the enigma remains of how best to accomplish this.

Topics in EarthSpeak range in complexity and scope from cosmology and the origin of elements, to weathering and jointing of rocks. The folder currently holds 12 Power point presentations, with at least three more to follow. Presentations range to more than 75 slides, but generally are much shorter (30 slides or less). Modules contain fundamental principles and explanations, reduced as much as possible to the seminal characteristics, whenever possible relying on simple line drawings and illustrations from early textbooks, and photographs taken over more than 45 years by the author, or gleaned from sources such as the USGS archive. Features and concepts are interpreted in the light of decades of personal experience – examples will be given.

EarthSpeak is included with the pdf files that are posted of class presentations, and students are referred to the ES folder for background material, preserving as much time as possible for topical materials. NOW, students are students, and there is nothing like the threat of exams and quizzes to get the little darlin's to explore the wonders in the EarthSpeak folder.