INNOCENTS ABROAD: USING HAWAIIAN VACATIONS AND GOOGLE'S TOUR CREATOR TO TEACH GEOLOGY

Using local examples of geology is an effective way to illustrate geological phenomena because these places are already familiar to students. However, what if the local geology cannot provide a sufficient variety of phenomena? Popular vacation spots can provide the same familiarity and same learning advantages as local areas. Students at our institution are much more likely to have gone on vacation to Hawaii than to any of the volcanoes in our state, so they are much more familiar with Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay on Oahu than with most California volcanoes. On the other hand, although students have visited Hawaii, many likely remain innocent to the geology encountered during their stay. Revealing the geologic phenomena at tourist destinations they may have visited in Hawaii connects students’ familiar knowledge with geological concepts. A mixed reality (virtual and augmented) geologic tour of popular tourist sites, created with Google’s Tour Creator, can be used as an engaging teaching tool for students who have visited these places, as well as for those that have not. For students who have not yet visited the locations, the Google tour may serve as a geologic preview—a field trip “pre-trip” of what to look for when they do vacation in Hawaii, changing them from “innocents” to geologists abroad. Finally, everyone can access and use the tour as a resource while traveling in Hawaii.