Like any good Seattle-transplant, it’s early and I’m jacked-up on caffeine (inferior Denver coffee to be precise), and feeling like one of my own ill-prepared 7th graders. Months ago, I registered for 3 days of jam-packed workshops- Blogs, Google Earth, podcast, you name it. Turns out, I only did the FIRST stage of registration. As I look back to my planner page I see the bold type, “Some events require special registration,” and can here echoes of my September through June mantra, “READ THE DIRECTIONS.” Fear not, however, for I am small and good at seeming flustered and emotionally fragile, and have talked my way into getting tickets for everything I originally signed up for. The conference is saved.
Moving on, my first workshop was on Google Earth. Who knew that Google Earth could actually perform a lot like ArcMap? Not me! In fact, I’m still sitting on two sea turtle papers because I was waiting for an ArcMap license; now I can get to writing and publishing- hooray! Mike Little from Marshall University in West Virginia was a fantastic presenter who walked us through a student field activity in which students use handheld GPS devices, digital cameras, and notebooks to create an interactive Google map with text and picture links. (Pete, does our department have any handheld GPSes? Can we get some?) It’s a fantastic, inexpensive activity that could be used in all disciplines and on SAAS grounds. I definitely plan on incorporating this into my class next year. Full instructions and links to free software are posted on the site below; I encourage you to check it out and ask me if you have any questions. As for now, hunger is gnawing and I hear there is a doughnut stand in the house! Tiny Turtle out.
http://www.marshall.edu/AMSP/Place/index.html
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