VERMONT STUDENTS GATHER DIGITAL
IMAGES OF HUMAN-INDUCED LANDSCAPE CHANGE
MALLARD, Laura D., MASSEY, Christine
A., and BIERMAN, Paul R. GSA Abstracts with Programs, vol. 32, no. 7.
K-16 students are creating a web-based
archive of historical and modern photograph pairs documenting 150 years of human
interaction with the Vermont landscape: http://www.uvm.edu/perkins/landscape. Students
learn how to use GPS, a digital camera, and computer imaging equipment as part
of ongoing research to document change in the Vermont landscape from the mid-1800Ős
to the present. University geologists introduce high school students to the
geomorphology and the settlement history of Vermont. High school teachers, with
the aid of student and teacher manuals we have prepared, lead students through
the research process and focus classroom study on interdisciplinary concepts
related to environmental science and human-induced landscape change of their
local areas. Two pilot classrooms participated in the spring of 2000. We received
data from >30 locations in 8 Vermont towns. Historical photographs were collected
from as early as 1850Ős and as late as 1998. Interviews, libraries, and historical
societies were used by students to determine the ages and locations of the historical
photos. Geo-referencing of each site required each student to use a GPs and
learn the concept of latitude and longitude. Students used a digital camera
to record modern images on disk. The historical photos were scanned to an iMac
computer provided by us. Most schools use an IBM compatible interface, so it
was useful for them to get experience using a Macintosh. Students were introduced
to word-processing and image manipulation as they produced paper poster presentations
of their findings. Students also provided digital images and text files that
we published as an individual page in our web database. Problems with the data
collection included erroneous use of the GPs, receipt of paper deliverables
instead of digital images, and images that did not show 'landscapes'. At least
16 more schools will participate during the 2000-2001 school year.
