Using The New 3D Digital Model Of Ontario’s Paleozoic Geology To Bridge Gaps In The Traditional Education Framework (original) (raw)
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The Hidden Earth-Interactive, computer-based modules for geoscience learning
SPECIAL PAPERS- …, 2006
Geology is among the most visual of the sciences, with spatial reasoning taking place at various scales and in various contexts. Among the spatial skills required in introductory college geology courses are spatial rotation (rotating objects in one's mind) and spatial visualization (transforming an object in one's mind). Geologic curricula commonly require students to visualize the earth in many ways, such as envisioning landscapes from topographic maps, the interaction of layers and topography, and the progressive development of geologic features over time. To facilitate learning in introductory college geology laboratories, we created two geologic modules-Visualizing Topography and Interactive 3D Geologic Blocks. The modules were developed as learning cycles, where students explore first, are then introduced to terminology and concepts they have observed, and finally apply their knowledge to different, but related problems. Both modules were built around interactive QuickTime Virtual Reality movies, which contain landforms and geologic objects that students can manipulate on the computer screen. The topography module pairs topographic maps with their 3D representations on the same screen, to encourage students to visualize two-dimensional maps as threedimensional landscapes and to match corresponding features on the map and 3D perspective.
Terrae Didatica
Three-dimensional modeling connects several fields of knowledge, both basic and applied. 3D models are relevant in educa-tional research because the manipulation of 3D objects favors students' acquisition of spatial vision, but in the Geosciences, there are few didactic publications in Portuguese on the subject. The authors develop an educational research project to produce three-dimensional models of didactic examples of sedimentary basins: the Paraná Basin (Silurian-Upper Cretaceous), the Tau-baté and the São Paulo basins (Neogene). 3D-compatible files will be produced to compose didactic and display material, from maps and geological-structural profiles of certain regional stratigraphic levels of each basin. The research challenges are: (a) to obtain an overview of the available resources for 3D modeling; (b) to evaluate their potential, characteristics, advantages and limitations for applications in Geology and Geosciences; (c) to create computational models of the basins; (...
Journal of Geoscience Education, 2005
A basic goal of historical geology courses is for students to gain an understanding of the methods, theories, and logic used in interpreting geologic histories. This is traditionally taught as a series of individual, isolated lessons in identification of rocks, fossils, and sedimentary structures and interpretations of radiometric dating, sequences of events, past depositional environments, and past tectonic events. A supplemental project incorporating these lessons teaches students to evaluate different types of data and use critical thinking to reconstruct a geologic history. Here, a semester-long, group project has been developed that allows students to use their lab-and classroom-honed skills on real rocks in a field setting. Our "field area" includes 11 artificial outcrops, representing six rock types. Students must: (1) identify rock types and fossils;
Three-dimensional geological mapping, workshop extended abstracts
2009
A large regional case study of 3-D modeling is presented by Keller, who cites increasing demands for groundwater and hydrocarbons as the two main drivers for 3-D modeling. The first model covered the Winnipeg area of southeastern Manitoba and then extended north to include the Lake Winnipeg basin and west to complete the southern Manitoba Phanerozoic terrane. A regional scale model was recently created covering Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and future modeling will include Minnesota and North Dakota to produce a Red River Valley 3-D geological model. Last is a planned 3-D model of the Hudson Bay Lowland area of northern Manitoba. CONCLUSIONS Basic 3-D geological information is critical for addressing many of geoscience's "hot button" international issues such as global climate change (including sea level rise), water resources and allocations (closely allied with global warming), and earth hazards. Unfortunately, as these issues have gained prominence, there has not been a universal worldwide upswing in providing commensurate and additional geological information that is the solid underpinning that addresses many aspects of the hot topic issues in the first place. However, once we place geologic information within a 3-D perspective, we immediately achieve improved understanding of the geologic setting for decision makers, and by default, the information becomes more relevant to the general public. But we must also couple our improved geologic understanding with an efficient procedure for delivering that information to users via the Web or other delivery systems. All of this is essential to address, in a timely fashion, many of our global, national, state/provincial/regional, and municipal land-and water-use issues. The message must be clear if we expect to achieve a global commitment for 3-D geologic mapping activities.
A basin analysis approach is used to help understand a complex aquifer system in the Oak Ridges Moraine and Greater Toronto areas, southern Ontario, Canada. The aquifer complex consists of a sequence of discontinuous strata that have a prominent regional unconformity. To help visualize this architecture, a stratigraphic database has been developed and used to construct a 3-D stratigraphic model, through selective integration of disparate data. To accurately interpret borehole logs, geological context was supplied by using expert knowledge constrained with a conceptual stratigraphic framework. Utilizing a digital stratigraphic training framework derived from manually coded, high-quality data, an expert system automatically interpreted and coded a large number of low-quality water well records. The expert system was designed to emulate the manual borehole interpretation process by applying knowledge-based geological rules, within the constraints of the digital training framework. Issu...
The Spatial Thinking Workbook: A Research-Validated Spatial Skills Curriculum for Geology Majors
Journal of Geoscience Education
Spatial visualization is an essential prerequisite for understanding geological features at all scales, such as the atomic structures of minerals, the geometry of a complex fault system, or the architecture of sedimentary deposits. Undergraduate geoscience majors bring a range of spatial skill levels to upper-level courses. Fortunately, spatial thinking improves with practice, and students benefit from intentional training. Several promising teaching strategies have emerged from recent cognitive science research into spatial thinking: gesturing, predictive sketching, and comparison, including analogy and alignment. Geoscience educators have traditionally incorporated many of these tools in their teaching, though not always consciously, intentionally, and in the most effective ways. Our research team, composed of geoscientists and cognitive psychologists, has collaborated to develop curricular materials for mineralogy, structural geology, and sedimentology and stratigraphy courses that incorporate these strategies intentionally and purposefully, supporting student understanding of the spatially challenging concepts and skills in these courses. Collectively, these two dozen learning activities comprise the Spatial Thinking Workbook (http://serc.carleton.edu/spatialworkbook/index.html). Pre-to posttest gains on a suite of assessment instruments, as well as embedded assessments, show that these curricular materials boost students' spatial thinking skills and strengthen their ability to solve geological problems with a spatial component.
2013
The rock cycle is a key component of geoscience education at all levels. In this paper, we report on a new guided inquiry curricular module, Sleuthing Through the Rock Cycle, which has a blended online/offline constructivist design with comprehensive teaching notes and has been successful in pilot use in Rhode Island middle and high school classrooms over the past 3 y. The module consists of two overarching activities: (1) SherRock Holmes and the Case of the Mystery Rock Samples, and (2) Cracking the Case of the Changing Rocks. The module encourages hands-on activities, peer collaboration, and real-time teacher review of embedded textual and reflection components. Overall, Rhode Island teachers report that the module is an outstanding teaching tool and that the associated professional development is empowering
The Hidden Earth: Visualization of Geologic Features and Their Subsurface Geometry
annual meeting of the …, 2002
Geology is among the most visual of the sciences, with spatial reasoning taking place at various scales and in various contexts. Among the spatial skills required in introductory college geology courses are spatial rotation (rotating objects in one's mind), and visualization (transforming an object in one's mind). To assess the role of spatial ability in geology, we designed an experiment using (1) web-based versions of spatial visualization tests, (2) a geospatial test, and (3) multimedia instructional modules built around innovative QuickTime Virtual Reality (QTVR) movies.