....may have been online for a
few months, but only now do we hear the story behind the atlas. Thanks,
Martha Henderson, for sharing this with the AWG!
>From: "Henderson, Martha"
>CC: "'neilsorenson@hotmail.com'"
>Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 10:37:12 -0800
The Virtual
Atlas of the Pacific Northwest was created last year. I
received a grant from Northwest Academic
Computing Consortium that allowed me to build the structure of the atlas.
NWACC funded the project again, and this year we (my graduate research
assistant and two undergraduate geography students) are preparing
curriculum
for 7 & 8th grade Washington geography students. We are working with a
teacher who has attended Geography Alliance training sessions in
Washington,
D.C.. There will be about 20 lessens attached to the atlas. We hope to
have
a training session for teachers this summer at Evergreen.
The only map that is of my own design is the map that defines the
sub-regions of the region. I do not plan to create any new maps. My
research
is primarily on cultural landscapes in Nevada. I had hoped to inspire some
student work on various topics and add student maps to the file but this
did
not materialize. I have set some standards with regards to the types of
maps
and data that is included in the atlas. The number one criteria is that the
data and map sources be based on research, not chamber of commerce
material.
Putting a date on the atlas is a good idea. I will establish 1999 as the
origin date. I hope to be able to maintain the atlas for the next three
years. I am dependent upon student labor. The current undergraduates who
are
working on the atlas will be going on in Evergreen's Masters in Teaching
program and I am hoping to keep them funded. They are very committed to the
project.
Here's a story worth telling: last spring I taught an upper division
geography class called Geography of the Northwest. These same two
undergraduates started working with the atlas. They approached a local
elementary school and ended up working with a 4th grade class that was
getting ready for a trip to eastern Oregon. |
The Evergreen
students put
together a specific lesson on the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
with special links to the monument's Web page. The 4th graders worked on
regional geography, atlas skills, and computer skills with the assistance
of
my students. My class was also going to the Fossil Beds on our 9 day field
trip through the region. When my class got to the monument and signed in
at
the visitor's desk, the previous entry was the 4th grade class. This was
very
gratifying to my students and made a real connection in their minds. As we
visited the monument, I heard some interesting conversations, wondering
what
the 4th graders saw, and how seeing the monument's Web page ahead of time
was nothing like really being there.
One of the things I have learned from building this atlas is that virtual
reality inspires people to get out and see the real place. Too often, the
assumption is that the Internet will "distance" us and students from the
environment and geographical places. My experience is just the opposite.
When I taught the geography class at Evergreen, I did not require the
students to buy the standart OSU atlas. I had students use the virtual
atlas. But once my students got a feel for the region, they started buying
the OSU atlas for their own reference libarary. Other folks who have
contacted me via the atlas project have mentioned the same thing. The
virtual atlas made them want to get more information and learn more about
the region.
We will continue to refine the atlas this year plus finish the curriculum.
Local school systems are thinking about the atlas as a primary text for
classes. We hope to put on the training session with the Washington
Alliance
project. It's great to hear we are attached to the UW site. I am looking
into an alternative to a copyright for the atlas. My only goal is to make
geography more accessible.
I am copying this message to Neil Sorenson and the Washington Geography
Association.
Martha Henderson,
Ph.D
>Geographer and Member of the Faculty
>The Evergreen State College
>Olympia, Washington
>360-866-6000x6841
>mhenders@evergreen.edu
|
Newsletter 1998-1999
