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Participatory Professional Development: Geospatially Enhanced Urban Ecological Field Studies

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Teaching Science and Investigating Environmental Issues with Geospatial Technology

Abstract

Bohr’s often quoted phrase “reduce experience to order” highlights that studying science is about collecting data through experiences, inferring patterns or relationships in those experiences, and then developing explanations that provide understanding into why certain patterns emerge and others do not. Geospatial technologies offer educators powerful learning resources to engage students in this scientific process. For 3 years, we have been using a range of geospatial technologies including online applications such as Google Earth to powerful desktop applications such as geographic information systems (GIS) to assist teachers who are introducing their students to the rapidly emerging field of urban ecology. Geospatial technologies along with computational modeling tools have proven to be a powerful way to support teachers and students as they critically examine their own neighborhoods.

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Acknowledgments 

This work is supported in part through a National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program (Grant # 0525040) and a Hewlett Packard Foundation – Technology and Teaching Foundation (Grant# 189660).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Room 123, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA, 02467, USA

    Michael Barnett

  2. School of Teacher Education, San Diego State University, North Education #93, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA

    Meredith Houle

  3. STEM Education Post-Doctoral Fellow, Center for Urban Resilience (CURes), Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90045, USA

    Sheron L. Mark

  4. Director of Public Programs, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130, USA

    Daphne Minner

  5. Learning and Teaching Division, Educational Development Center, 43 Foundry Avenue, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA

    Linda Hirsch

  6. Urban Ecology, Los Angeles, USA

    Eric Strauss (Presidents Professor)

  7. The Center for Urban Resilience, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90045, USA

    Eric Strauss (Director)

  8. Groundwork Lawrence, 60 Island Street, Lawrence, MA, 01840, USA

    Lindsey Cotter-Hayes

  9. The Pennsylvania State University, 230D Chambers Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Beth Hufnagel

Authors
  1. Michael Barnett
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  2. Meredith Houle
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  3. Sheron L. Mark
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  4. Daphne Minner
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  5. Linda Hirsch
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  6. Eric Strauss
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  7. Eric Strauss
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  8. Lindsey Cotter-Hayes
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  9. Beth Hufnagel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael Barnett .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, USA

    James MaKinster

  2. Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Nancy Trautmann

  3. Lynch School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA

    Michael Barnett

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Barnett, M. et al. (2014). Participatory Professional Development: Geospatially Enhanced Urban Ecological Field Studies. In: MaKinster, J., Trautmann, N., Barnett, M. (eds) Teaching Science and Investigating Environmental Issues with Geospatial Technology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3931-6_2

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