AEE 526 - Information Technologies in Agricultural and Extension Education

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Module 8:

Using GPS in Education (1 unit)

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Introduction:

One of my most enjoyable courses in college was surveying. Then for two summers I worked as a soil conservation intern with the USDA Soil Conservation Survice. In the SCS office we had aerial photographs of the entire county. So for two summers I spent a lot of time surveying and working with aerial photographs to design terraces, farm ponds, and farm conservation plans. I used this knowledge when I taught high school to teach about topographical maps. Then I became a Boy Scout leader. My specialization was Dutch Oven Cooking and Orienteering. I could teach the Scouts how to find a specific spot in the woods 5 miles away just by using a compass. All of this was enjoyable but if I were teaching these concepts or working with the SCS today, things would be drastically different because of GPS and GIS technology. This lesson is somewhat different from the other lessons in this course. Most of the lessons have focused on the use of technology to convey information to others. This lesson focuses on a specific technology that can be taught to others. You might want to print out the module 8 worksheet and keep it handy as you complete the instructional activities.

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Learning Objectives:

Describe how GPS works. Identify how GPS can be used by educators Identify some uses of GPS technology in agriculture. Define what is meant by GIS Identify factors to cosider in buying a GPS unit. Become familiar with Geocaching.

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Instructional Activities:

The Smithsonian has a Readers Digest type overview of GPS. Watch a video that explains how GPS works. What is Geocaching? Watch this video to learn the basics. This is a popular sport that is like a scavenger hunt using GPS technology. Geocaching is a very popular sport. There are several geocaches on the NCSU campus. Are there any caches near where you live? No matter where I travel in the US, there are geocaches. From the Geocaching home page, type in your zip code. Then click on the geocache that sounds interesting near you. When you click on the link to get a description of the geocache, click on the map link. Then click on the Sat link on the map.  It is pretty amazing. The Hyb map link is the best. You can zoom in. And you can click on the map and move around. (you may have to register but it is free) Would you believe there is a North Carolina GeoCache group? Do you know what an EarthCache is? This on-line tool allows you to convert your street address to latitude and longitude. You might  want to know this to more fully utilize the Geocaching web site. Learn about GPS use in Precision Farming. The Smart Nozzle also works with GPS technology. What  features should you look for  when purchasing a GPS unit? See what the Geocaching folks believe you should look for in buying a GPS unit. It wouldn't hurt to become familiar with some GPS terminology! Some people confuse GPS and GIS. They are two different things but GPS often uses data from GIS. Learn more about GIS by reading this brief article. Learn a little more about GIS by watching this video from Harvard libraries.

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Lagniappe:

What does a GPS unit think about?

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Assignments:

Complete this worksheet for Module 8. This worksheet is a 25 item multiple choice quiz that can be answered primarily from the instructional activities. There are a few questions you may have to search to find the answers. The primary reason for this type of worksheet is to reinforce the acquistion of the technical content contained in this lesson and to force you into using the materials in some of the web sites. Save this worksheet as module8.doc in your www space.

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