Introduction

A web-based template was created during the process of developing an interactive web site for teaching elementary school students about remote sensing and biodiversity. Our requirements are twofold: a highly interactive, challenging environment, and a high quality educational resource usable in the classroom. First, to create an interactive environment, we developed a navigable interface consisting of geographically contiguous, remotely sensed images. Remotely sensed images present an ideal foundation because they can refer to an extensive range of content areas. A story narrative is used to challenge the student to explore the interdisciplinary content. Java script adds interactivity to the interface and feedback to the student. Secondly, most multimedia educational programs overlook practical application in the classroom. The site provides resources for reinforcing and integrating educational content. These resources are indexed by educational outcomes which aid teachers in customizing lesson to accommodate their individual student and curriculum requirements. The site forms a viable educational template to present interdisciplinary content through the combined use of remote sensed imagery, story narrative, interactive environment, and teacher resources.

Background

The educational objective is to show an application of remote sensing through NatureMapping to demonstrate how scientific discovery from space can enhance life on earth. Building on earlier more linear educational prototypes [Masuoka, 1996], the current project enhances the interactivity with a non-linear format to effectively engage elementary students in educational content. These students need a challenging environment that is non-linear and highly interactive and comparable to video games on the market today. Missing from many edutainment multimedia titles is the practical application of educational content in the classroom. The site must introduce students to educational content within an interactive site and provide teachers with resources to reinforce these concepts in the classroom. To meet these objectives, a template was created.

Creation of a Web-based Adventure Environment

The story introduction sets the stage for the interactive adventure. This interactive story develops the characters and challenges students to accomplish a mission. The mission prepares the student for the interactive adventure portion of the site.

The interactive adventure environment uses three tiers of web pages. A tier is a coordinate system comprised of a Landsat mosaic image cut into squares. A web page is created for each square. The first tier introduces the student to the remote sensed image and the educational content of that square, but does not allow navigation to any of the adjacent squares. The combination of story narrative and Java scripting encourages the student to click on the image to investigate. Upon investigation, the second tier in the same geographic location is displayed. The educational content is presented on this second tier. The student continues to the third and final tier where they receive a directional clue. The student may then navigate north, south, east or west to the next square.

The clues direct the student to a series of lessons. The programming of ³cookies² into the web pages allows the browser to store information about the students progress. A ³cookie² is a variable programmed into the web page for each lesson. As the student visits a location where a lesson exists, the status of that cookie changes. The status of these cookies prompts the site to which clue to display. The student must visit all lessons to finish, but not necessarily visit all squares of the geographic region before they finish. Additional tools are provided for the student to help in their travels, including maps and a help button which displays a hint. When the student completes a lesson, the achievement is acknowledged and the clue for the next lesson location is revealed. This system creates a linear sequence of lessons within a non-linear interactive environment.

Educational Content and Lesson Modules

The three tiered architecture of web pages forms a template for the inclusion of educational content. As the student travels through the system of squares, the geographic location and remotely sensed imagery will reference educational content. Remote sensing is a scientific tool which has the ability to reference a wide variety of content areas. Examples of disciplines that utilize remote sensing data of the earthıs surface include geology, biology, urban planning, and hydrology. Lesson modules are included to highlight the critical concepts pertaining to the overall educational objectives of the site. These lesson modules are comprised of web animations, illustrations and lesson narrative. The supporting story narrative, in conjunction with the geographic location, forms a foundation to integrate a variety of educational content.

Teacher Resources

The teacher resources consist of thematic units which facilitate the integration of site content into the classroom. Within each unit, lesson plans, lesson modules and content pages are organized by national science educational outcomes. This enables teachers to construct lessons to accommodate their individual student and curriculum requirements. The lesson plans provide teachers with ideas on how to reinforce the content and provide practical applications of the complex concepts covered in the interactive portion of the site.

In addition to lesson plans, direct links to the lesson modules and the content pages are available. These links give teachers direct access to the lesson module animations to assist in their classroom presentations of such complex concepts. Teachers can also access the content map which describes the content for each square the students may encounter. This flexibility allows teachers to use the animations to supplement lessons in their classrooms.

Future Enhancements

This project is scheduled for release in June 1998. Enhancements to the program will be discussed after the completion of beta testing in May of 1998. Such enhancements include the randomization of the location of the lesson modules within the coordinate system. This would allow students to replay the adventure and view content not visited on their first trip. Other future expansions may use this template for mulitple geographic regions and content areas.

Reference

Masuoka, P.M., Samadi, S., Khosand, M., and Foresman, T., 1996. Developing a Mulitmedia Package for Remote Sensing Education. 1996 ASPRS/ACSM Annual Convention and Exposition Technical Papers, Vol.1 pp. 531-538.