For my Wicked Problem, I want students to understand the concept of distance. In order to begin their understanding of this issue, I have chosen to incorporate GPS units and/or smartphones, and Google Maps/Google Earth into my solution. This technology will support my teaching strategies and methods by allowing students to have a real-world experience in calculating distance. It is one thing to look at a map, whether it is on a wall or computer screen, but to have students go outside and locate a specific, given point based on directions and/or geographical coordinates using their GPS devices as guides, they are gaining tremendous experience that cannot be duplicated through simulations.
Distance will become a tangible variable that can be manipulated for understanding by having students explore with GPS devices and compare with maps on the Internet. To see a visual representation on Google Maps of what we plan to explore and then going out into the field, students will have a distinct opportunity to make the connection between scale and distance. It may look like a distance is simply a matter of inches on the computer, but in the world, they can experience how far the distance actually is. This will give them a clear sense of how a map’s scale is calculated. They will then be able to use this information to translate distances to other locations we may study, thus providing them with a richer understanding of how far something is and the estimated time it would take to travel that distance, either by foot or a mode of transportation.
The pedagogical content knowledge for the solution of helping students to understand distance is to begin with the basics of understanding what my students know. We will discuss the different types of maps, focusing on physical, topographic, and road maps. This overview will allow students to ask questions in order to acquire the same basic knowledge of maps. From there, we will delve into how latitude and longitude are used to mark exact locations on a map. With an understanding of these key elements, we will then discuss Global Positional Systems (GPS). Using GPS and latitude and longitude, it will enable us to utilize online maps, such as Google Maps and Google Earth, and therefore give students a concrete representation of the concepts before we go outside and locate places using our GPS devices. Also, visual representations will be presented in a variety of manners from globes and wall maps to images on the computer screens. This will enable all students of various learning styles, to gain the most from the initial presentations. Also, once we begin to explore maps on the computer, it is my hope that students will work individually so that I can actively monitor their progress and help alleviate any frustrations or difficulties.
