Measure surface reflectance and albedo with smartphone apps part of Teaching Activities
Jessie Turner, Old Dominion University
Using smartphones, students can measure the reflectance and albedo of water and other earth surfaces in the field. This is a great activity to reinforce the central concepts used in remote sensing. The smartphone ...

Mapping Bedrock Outcrops with Stride & Compass and a GPS Unit in a soil and forest mantled landscape part of Geoscience in the Field:Activities
Les Hasbargen, SUNY College at Oneonta
Students take a two mile hike along a trail in a forest and map bedrock exposures. The project takes place over a few days. Students will need 2-3 hours to collect the data in the field, and another 2-3 hours to ...

The Amazing Race Geocache part of Geoscience in the Field:Activities
MICHELLE KINZEL, Southwestern College
This hands on activity sends participants along a pre-determined course, using handheld GPS units, clues, and math skills to search out visual locations. Students compete in teams using basic functions of a Garmin ...

Visualizing Sun Position of the Seasons part of Visualization:Examples
Chris Sinton, Ithaca College
The goal of the exercise is to help students visualize and better understand how the sun changes apparent position over the course of the seasons.

Names in the Field: A Simple GPS Field Exercise part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Teaching with GIS:Examples
Brian Welch, Saint Olaf College
Simple field exercise to introduce the concepts of GPS position data acquisition. Students "write" words in a field and upload the data to map it in GIS or spreadsheet software. -

Calculation of Stream Discharge part of Introductory Courses:Activities
Bruce Rueger, Colby College
This lab is a field oriented exercise that visits two sites on the same stream to calculate stream discharge. It illustrates the influences of stream cross-sectional area on discharge and the resistance of bedrock ...

GPS Treasure Hunt part of Starting Point-Teaching Entry Level Geoscience:Games:Examples
Rebecca Teed, Wright State University-Main Campus
Students are divided into teams, each of which is given a list of instructions and a GPS unit, and sent to find certain locations. At each stop, they identify a particular building stone or a plant. -

Campus Mapping Tour part of Structural Geology and Tectonics:Activities
Helge Alsleben, Texas Christian University
This exercise allows students to learn how to produce a geologic map. Students will pair up and explore campus as a "virtual" field area. This works well in areas where outcrop is generally sparse, but ...