GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION RESEARCH MERGING SMARTPHONE-AIDED FIELD TRIPS AND GOOGLE EARTH FOR GEOMORPHOLOGIC LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS

The perception of the space in which we move is increasingly delegated to GPS (Global Positioning System) equipped devices, which speed up the calculation and execution of paths, automatically performing the process of "orientation" usually required by the use of a map. The visit of a territory is easily achievable through virtual experiences, thanks to digital interactive maps, aerial photographs or satellite images.

The everyday use of these tools by the teenagers and the interest raised by digital devices is an opportunity for introduce them in Geoscience education. During 2013/2014 school year, about 200 secondary school students (aged 12-15 years), living in the Piemonte Region (NW Italy), participated in a research program proposing new knowledge on the geomorphologic landscape by using new technologies. The learning experience has been designed for:

• encouraging students to study the geomorphic landscape using familiar, informal, and friendly devices they appreciate, such as smartphone, tablet and PC;
• providing students with new uses, aimed to the interpretation of a territory, of smartphone and software that offer free aerial photos and satellite images.

In order to involve students, an approach based on the IBSE (Inquiry Based Science Education) method is applied. They use smartphone and tablet in the field and use the application Trimble Outdoors Navigatorfor tracking a geological trail and taking georeferenced pictures and notes. Back to school, students download the digital data in a .kml file for the visualization on Google Earth. Comparing digital trails with hand tracked trails on a paper map, they discuss about precision of the tools; the overlap of a digital/semitransparent version of the 2D paper map used during the field trip on the 3D landscape of Google Earth helps them to interpret conventional symbols such as contour lines; they perceive the landforms observed during the field trip as a part of a more complex landscape (the Rivoli-Avigliana Morainic Amphitheatre).

Feedback are positive: students are stimulated by the use of ICT for learning Geoscience, and the method proposed actively involve them in the research. They appreciate the use of digital tools with a learner centred approach, and also recognize the importance of integrating and comparing traditional and innovative methods.