Thursday, December 8, 2016

Taking education to a new level: Topographic sandbox

On Friday December 2, three guest speakers from NASA Development came to visit John I. Burton's science department.  The guest speakers came to Mrs. Scott's 8th grade physical science class to discuss topographic maps.  The speakers, Micheal Brooke, Christine Stevens, and Aubrey Hilte, brought an augmented-reality sandbox for a hands-on learning experience.  The sandbox allowed the class to create bodies of water and any form of elevation.  This allows the users of the sandbox to have an overview of a created region.

The machine uses 3D visualization applications to project elevation lines on a regular sandbox.  The sandbox was not the only tool used in that lecture.  The visitors also brought authentic topographic maps as well as a PowerPoint.

Ms. Scott hopes that the session taught her students how to use/read topographic maps.   She states, "I hope this experience encourages them to read topographic maps properly.  This was a good learning experience for them."

Written by: Tiffany A. and Paloma B.