Geoscience Education
Ako Aotearoa Funded Research: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to field class
ABSTRACT
Smart device apps are revolutionising how information is recorded outside of the office in all workplaces. Despite the growing utility and availability of apps built for field work, few tertiary classes actively use them to teach skills and increase team building. Here, we will use a field data collection app to incorporate technology, improve spatial awareness and sense of place, and develop community mapping programs in geology and geography field classes. Students will be trained to use apps to record GPS positions, attach photos and notes, analyse data, and track their progress on basemaps. Additionally, data can be synced to a ‘master’ dataset during or after field work to encourage more meaningful engagement with the peers throughout the field work and over the duration of long-term, student-led projects. This study will provide a model for sustainable change in the use of emerging technologies applicable across the tertiary education sector.
WEB TUTORIAL: Using Digital Mapping Technology in Field Science