New Directions in Remote Sensing EducationNew Directions in Remote Sensing Education
Michael F. Goodchild
University of California
Santa Barbara
An educator’s perspectiveAn educator’s perspective
New technologies in the classroom Sharing of instructional resources Vertical integration in K-16 Education vs training Lecture vs hands-on Motivating students
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105
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Education for whom?
Technology-centric
Application-centric
QuestionsQuestions
Which level of the pyramid?– and what are the associated educational
goals?– what principles are relevant at what levels?– what are the characteristics of the culture
at each level? How to move people higher?
– if the lowest level is the point of entry and the most strongly motivated?
Stages of problem solvingStages of problem solving
Formulate the question
Formulate the question
Observe, acquire data
Observe, acquire data
AnalyzeAnalyze
Seek solutions
Seek solutions
Intervene and change
Intervene and change
Elements of a problem-centric perspectiveElements of a problem-centric perspective
There are many potential sources of data– how to evaluate fitness for use– how to find, access, and retrieve– how to integrate– how to deal with misalignment– how to assess the effects of uncertainty
There is potentially too much to learn– what are the essential concepts and principles that
will still be true in 20 years?
A model of traditional education
Information sources: books, journals, …
Instructor’s office
Classroom
Metaphors for the officeMetaphors for the office
The filing cabinet– fixed and linear ordering of class materials
The bookshelf– random ordering
The pile– last in first out
The hard drive– folder tree
New technologies in educationNew technologies in education
The geolibrary– the Alexandria Digital Library– putting a map and imagery library online– generalizing to any data with a footprint– www.alexandria.ucsb.edu– many similar projects– terabytes of data
Persistent issuesPersistent issues
Vertical integration Interoperability Collection-level metadata Misregistration
CLM of the Alexandria Digital Library
ADEPT: The Alexandria Digital Earth PrototypeADEPT: The Alexandria Digital Earth Prototype
Value of a geolibrary in the classroom? Other information types
– curriculum– class notes– learning modules– readings– annotation – simulation models– decision support systems
Concepts as an organizing principle
SimulationsSimulations
1.8 vehicles per driveway Driver behavior influenced by:
– lane width– slope– view distances– traffic control mechanisms– information feedback– driver aggressiveness
770 homes– clearing times > 30 minutes
2D clip
3D clip
Policy implicationsPolicy implications
Addition of new outlets Better deployment of traffic control
resources Understanding the risk Reduce cars used per household Problems of shut-ins, elderly, latch-key
kids
Towards an infrastructure for dynamic modelsTowards an infrastructure for dynamic models
Infrastructure for sharing– search– discovery– evaluation of fitness for use– acquisition– execution
Falling through the cracksFalling through the cracks
Text-sharing infrastructure– libraries, bookstores, books, journals, WWW,
search engines
Data-sharing infrastructure– metadata schema, archives, clearinghouses, data
centers
Model-sharing infrastructure– models are the highest form of sharable
knowledge of the Earth system
Current statusCurrent status
Some archives– some pre-WWW
No standards No clearinghouses www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/~scott
Building a metadata standard for describing models
Building a metadata standard for describing models
A model is a transformation– characterized by metadata for inputs and
outputs Write down the key elements
– compare FGDC CSDGM How do humans do it?
– we’ve been doing it for decades A first-draft standard
DLESE: Digital Library for Earth System EducationDLESE: Digital Library for Earth System Education
www.dlese.org A digital archive of learning resources Directed by the community Library metaphor
– accession process– gatekeeper– IP at the object level
Peer to peer resource sharingPeer to peer resource sharing
In the style of Napster Registration of object by contributor No management of IP Grass roots
Challenges in RS education (1)Challenges in RS education (1)
Identify the fundamental and persistent principles of the field
– that will still be true in 20 years– that can frame any technological
innovation
Challenges in RS education (2)Challenges in RS education (2)
Reinvent traditional instruction– to take advantage of new instructional
technologies– to better integrate K-16– to reach new types of students– to share resources better between peers– to accommodate individual learning styles
Challenges in RS education (3)Challenges in RS education (3)
Focus on the solution of problems as the primary motivation– whether in science or in society– data integration– spatial decision support– simulation modeling– accuracy assessment