Choose Your Own Adventure

From ETS

Jump to: navigation, search

Return to Main Page

If you are outside Penn State, you may obtain a Friends of Penn State account to contribute.

Contents

Project Overview

The Team

Plans

Schedule

Intended Outcomes

Current To Dos

Ideas and Meeting Notes

References

KML Notes

Not-so-obvious syntax 

Each place mark has a unique ID that looks like this in the KML: <Placemark id="p1">
To link to those place mark within the same KML, use <a href="#p1">Link to place mark1</a>

Video tutorials save instruction time

Perhaps we can compile a page (that contains video) to walk students through the basics so instead of spending one class on the technical details, this can be one homework assignment -- tell students to go through the tutorial and create a simple KMZ file that annotates places meaningful to them.

Among Google Earth Outreach's video collection, some notable ones:

Spreadsheet Mapper

Basic Use

Spreadsheet mapper makes it easy to quickly build a map by filling out content info (names, location names, coordinates, image URL) and style preferences (font color, size, etc.). This tutorial shows how to start doing so. Note that since Google is constantly update their Spreadsheet app, there is one incompatibility problem; to get around that, switch to Old Version of Google Spreadsheet before copying the link into Google Earth!

Note that when pasting the reference into a folder under MY PLACES in Google Earth, we get a folder called "Link to - Spreadsheet", under which we get a folder, say it's called "TK KML doc name", that contains the real content we created in the spreadsheet. If you right click on the "Link to - spreadsheet" folder and save it as a KML file, what you get is only a reference online; if you make any modification to your local copy, you need to save "TK KML doc name" as a KML file; otherwise, you will lose the changes you make. In the example shown in the picture, right click on "TK KML doc name" folder to save it as KML, not the "Link to - Spreadsheet" folder.

Pasting the reference gives you a folder called "Link to - Spreadsheet"


It should be obvious that that whenever you REFRESH "Link to - Spreadsheet" folder, all the contents will copy from the online version again; therefore, you may consider dragging "TK KML doc name" folder outside of "Link to - Spreadsheet".

Dragging "TK KML doc name" out for local modification


Embedding Slideshows Using Picasa

Click one of the images below to see a larger version. Key links are highlighted in a red box.

STEP 1: From the Picasa main album screen, click the "link to this album" link on the right hand side of the screen.

STEP 2: Click the "embed slideshow" link.

STEP 3: Select the slideshow options you want, then copy the embed code in the yellow box.

STEP 4: Paste the embed code in the spreadsheet, whereever you would like it to be displayed. For this example, we have pasted it in the PhotoURL box (Placemark Data sheet).

STEP 5: Save the spreadsheet, refresh the link in Google Earth, then click on the location where you added to slideshow to. It may take a few minutes before the change will be reflected in Google Earth (allow up to 5).

Advance Use

To build your own template, see this tutorial; also see | another post about customized template.


Known Bugs

Google Earth Notes

The following is no longer relevant thanks to the use of the Spreadsheet Mapper tool. Not being deleted (just in case)

Adding Google Earth to Your Blog 

<script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://code.google.com/apis/kml/embed/embedkmlgadget.xml&up_kml_url=<$mt:AssetURL encode_html $>&up_view_mode=earth&up_earth_2d_fallback=1&up_earth_fly_from_space=1&up_earth_show_nav_controls=1&up_earth_show_buildings=1&up_earth_show_terrain=1&up_earth_show_roads=1&up_earth_show_borders=1&up_earth_sphere=earth&up_maps_zoom_out=0&up_maps_default_type=satellite&synd=open&w=500&h=400&title=&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script>


<mt:EntryAssets file ext="kmz kml" sort_by="created_on">
<script src="http://www.gmodules.com/ig/ifr?url=http://code.google.com/apis/kml/embed/embedkmlgadget.xml&up_kml_url=<$mt:AssetURL encode_html $>&up_view_mode=earth&up_earth_2d_fallback=1&up_earth_fly_from_space=1&up_earth_show_nav_controls=1&up_earth_show_buildings=1&up_earth_show_terrain=1&up_earth_show_roads=1&up_earth_show_borders=1&up_earth_sphere=earth&up_maps_zoom_out=0&up_maps_default_type=satellite&synd=open&w=500&h=400&title=&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999&output=js"></script></mt:EntryAssets>

Creating a CYOA Shell With Almost No Programming

  • In order to create the basic structure for a CYOA with no real programming required, try this
  1. create a new 'place' in google earth
  2. right click and 'save place as' - use a name that will easy to reference later
  3. upload the resulting .kmz file to an accessible site (personal.psu.edu is an easy option)
  4. create a new place. In the placemarker notes (right click place --> get info --> description) add a link, which points to the .kmz file you just previously uploaded
  • In the CYOA context, each link represents a decision point, or a branch in the narrative. Because the links are to 'places', the story will chain around Google Earth with the locational content you've provided. Obviously this is bare bones, but it provides an easy way to create the shell for a CYOA style exercise that takes advantage of Google Earth, with almost no programming experience required (other than the ability to create html links)


Demo of Google Earth API

Google Earth plugin may look bare, but with the API, it's actually very flexible. A lot of things that come with Google Earth can be done and the API can realize our imagination even further. There are a few examples:

http://code.google.com/apis/earth/documentation/examples.html

Among those, for our purpose, this is probably the most relevant:

http://kml-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/interactive/index.html

This is a good thing to add for them to learn KML:

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/demos/kmlplayground/index.html

And this is a fun Quiz demo:

http://earth-api-samples.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/demos/geowhiz/index.html

Here's another elaborated appliation:

http://www.gaiagi.com/3d-driving-simulator/

Course/Learning Portfolio Designed by Students

Links that may help: Schreyer Institute Teaching and Course Portfolios (w/Assessment Rubric)


College of Education Learning Portfolio


My Learning & Class Portfolio


From Univ. of Washington (see below) we are currently working to integrate CommonView and Google Sites, from the UW Google Apps suite. The integration will join the robust content creation and publishing features found in Google Sites with the security and course management functionality of Catalyst Tools. This ePortfolio "mash-up" will be available in time for Autumn Quarter 2010.

Fire Blog

Categories for blog (also outline for the semester)

Students will have an entry with their Google Earth file interface. Students will tag each of their entries to the discussion postings with their names.


Meeting Notes

Notes from 7.27.10 call


Tech assessment,what they learned, and also overall impressions pre-survey - attitudes toward technology. Google earth as a part of this pre-assessment.

In class tutorial (early - 2nd week for fire class), small group project (Lorax), end of semester project. Aaron will be down 3rd week of course to train students on podcasting/ garage band.

Course start date August 22nd.

plan is to run the fire course as a "dry run".

Tutorials: using the google earth spreadshet, using google earth as the portfolio pull together honors college student reflections (Laura wants reflections based on something meaningful - themes with her course, like the Honors college students were)

Laura will be around sunday evening, be moving in late monday morning. should be around through wed (possibly Thursday morning).

If the Google Earth plugin does not work, there should not be a google fallback. Laura would rather the students get the plugins than see the 2d map.

Usability guide for google earth and Blogs@psu. Look into opening up the blog for more real estate so that it is not constrained.

Brainstorm questions for the pre-post tech survey. Put together a google doc.

GeoSci 21 in the spring (full semester intro course). 60 students

Can google survey include images as a part of the questions.


My Equipment List for EARTH 400 - FIRE

My dream digital voice recorder (which also acts like a MP3 player) is the Olympus WS-700M - direct USB plug in, no special software needed, runs ~$100. The problem - not available until sometime in September, too late for my fall semester course.

Seems like the Sony Digital Voice Recorder will work. The ICD-UX200 does not act as a MP3 player, but it does have the USB plug and appears not to require special software. This also runs ~$100 but is currently on sale for $90 The B&H Warehouse online catalog shows this for $75, and that is it also a MP3 player? Maybe this is the one!

Next up - getting some more flip cameras (still seem to be the best and easiest to work with?). Which is the best one? Ultra? Ultra HD? Mino? I'm not really sure of the differences.

Misc. Links

placeSpotting

Penn State's Amazing Race

Based on Geo Whiz, can be used as a survey in the beginning and at the end of a semester.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/txl20/GoogleEarth/ 

1) state and country boundaries is top priority
2) reverse timer (hidden, only for submission)
2) side navigation (zoom and compass thing)
2) integration with login and email/ database tracking
2) remove the silly comments (milk truck) and misspelling of rectangle on first box
3) student movement tracking
Retrieved from "http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure"
Personal tools
Namespaces
Variants
Actions
Navigation
Toolbox