Latitude and Longitude
This unit has evolved to include a more formal introduction to latitude and longitude on Monday. While some students recall that the equator is the middle line of latitude, fewer remember or know of the prime meridian. None seemed to know the location of Pohnpei in terms of latitude and longitude.
This term I opened with the coordinates for minimal typhoon Mitag which was churning in the Philippine sea. I moved on to latitude and longitude.
By 12:30 I had moved on to describing the operation of the GPS units. This was area that had been assessed as needing improvement. Touchscreen and smartphone era students seem less capable of deciphering older button driven devices.
The globe was my only prop in this lecture, along with the GPS units.
I also suggested the option to use an app such as GPS coordinates.
The app is ad supported, there appear to be no apps that directly read out the raw GPS coordinates in real time. Google Maps does not provide real time continuous read outs from the GPS. The downside to the apps is that one can type in coordinates and then map those coordinates, potentially circumventing the intent that students discover which way the latitude and longitude numbers change as one walks on campus.
Wednesday was unusually clear and sunny - a period of a few dry days and west winds have settled in over Micronesia. Around 12:13 I heard a group pass just to the north of my position. I felt certain they would turn and find me once the longitude number lined up, but they would later report that they saw another group of students and headed over to meet up with them. This took them away from my position.
I considered this term to be a "shallow hide term" in that I was only a few meters inside the polystachion grass near the agriculture classroom. I had found a small hollow shielded in part by Curcuma petiolota, and that proved a rather effective visual shield. By laying down, I was not visible from outside of the polystachion grass. The hide was deceptive: the grass looked short, and was indeed not long, but the depression I was meant that when laying down I could not be seen even from close by.
A second group of five sounded like they were bearing due west on my line of latitude, but then they apparently saw the trail into the forest and must have gotten a hold of the idea that I was in the forest. I could hear them off in the forest, and eventually I heard someone fall. That group would then pass north just east of my position, eventually circling back to my west side and finally locating me at 12:20. No other group was in the vicinity at this point, so I dismissed them advising the one student to get his toe bandaged by the nurse. He had apparently cut his toe on tile he had stumbled on over by the forest.
Perhaps the first group passed along delaying information to the others they met as a second group would not arrive until 12:33. Susan and Joyceleen were working their way west along the line of latitude and were following the line into the polystachion grass. They paused at the trail and trampings of the first group, I could see Joyceleen through the polystachion grass. Susan was on lead, looking ahead more than down. The Curcuma longa was really a good screen, and for a brief moment I thought perhaps Susan might keep walking and simply step on me - which would serve me right for laying down in the tall grass. There is a point to this, however: GPS coordinates can lead one to an injured hiker even if the hiker may no longer be conscious when found.
Susan saw me quite literally at the last instant when she looked down, and let out a yelp, which caused Joyceleen a few feet back to do the same. This alerted the other nearby groups and they converged on my position.
Thursday's laboratory then built off of the hide and seek exercise, exploring just how close 0.001 arcminutes puts one to a physical location. The laboratory also produces the number of meters per arcminute as a general conversion factor and once again results in a linear relationship where the slope has a physical interpretation. I opened with the hide and seek coordinates.
Past terms have shown that the procedure is confusing to the students, so I spent more time laying out the rational and structure of the procedure, connecting this back to the hide and seek exercise and to Monday's introduction to the orientation of latitude and longitude.
Upstairs in A204, after gathering the data, I guided the table set up structure and the need to adjust the domain and range of the graph.
At the end of the laboratory session I announced that the midterm would require working as partners with one partner having Desmos.
This term I opened with the coordinates for minimal typhoon Mitag which was churning in the Philippine sea. I moved on to latitude and longitude.
By 12:30 I had moved on to describing the operation of the GPS units. This was area that had been assessed as needing improvement. Touchscreen and smartphone era students seem less capable of deciphering older button driven devices.
The globe was my only prop in this lecture, along with the GPS units.
I also suggested the option to use an app such as GPS coordinates.
The app is ad supported, there appear to be no apps that directly read out the raw GPS coordinates in real time. Google Maps does not provide real time continuous read outs from the GPS. The downside to the apps is that one can type in coordinates and then map those coordinates, potentially circumventing the intent that students discover which way the latitude and longitude numbers change as one walks on campus.
Wednesday was unusually clear and sunny - a period of a few dry days and west winds have settled in over Micronesia. Around 12:13 I heard a group pass just to the north of my position. I felt certain they would turn and find me once the longitude number lined up, but they would later report that they saw another group of students and headed over to meet up with them. This took them away from my position.
I considered this term to be a "shallow hide term" in that I was only a few meters inside the polystachion grass near the agriculture classroom. I had found a small hollow shielded in part by Curcuma petiolota, and that proved a rather effective visual shield. By laying down, I was not visible from outside of the polystachion grass. The hide was deceptive: the grass looked short, and was indeed not long, but the depression I was meant that when laying down I could not be seen even from close by.
A second group of five sounded like they were bearing due west on my line of latitude, but then they apparently saw the trail into the forest and must have gotten a hold of the idea that I was in the forest. I could hear them off in the forest, and eventually I heard someone fall. That group would then pass north just east of my position, eventually circling back to my west side and finally locating me at 12:20. No other group was in the vicinity at this point, so I dismissed them advising the one student to get his toe bandaged by the nurse. He had apparently cut his toe on tile he had stumbled on over by the forest.
Perhaps the first group passed along delaying information to the others they met as a second group would not arrive until 12:33. Susan and Joyceleen were working their way west along the line of latitude and were following the line into the polystachion grass. They paused at the trail and trampings of the first group, I could see Joyceleen through the polystachion grass. Susan was on lead, looking ahead more than down. The Curcuma longa was really a good screen, and for a brief moment I thought perhaps Susan might keep walking and simply step on me - which would serve me right for laying down in the tall grass. There is a point to this, however: GPS coordinates can lead one to an injured hiker even if the hiker may no longer be conscious when found.
Susan saw me quite literally at the last instant when she looked down, and let out a yelp, which caused Joyceleen a few feet back to do the same. This alerted the other nearby groups and they converged on my position.
Thursday's laboratory then built off of the hide and seek exercise, exploring just how close 0.001 arcminutes puts one to a physical location. The laboratory also produces the number of meters per arcminute as a general conversion factor and once again results in a linear relationship where the slope has a physical interpretation. I opened with the hide and seek coordinates.
Past terms have shown that the procedure is confusing to the students, so I spent more time laying out the rational and structure of the procedure, connecting this back to the hide and seek exercise and to Monday's introduction to the orientation of latitude and longitude.
Upstairs in A204, after gathering the data, I guided the table set up structure and the need to adjust the domain and range of the graph.
Kimmy, Susan, and Dexter. Staisy has her back to the camera.
James and Jerick
Mayboline and Susan
At the end of the laboratory session I announced that the midterm would require working as partners with one partner having Desmos.
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