Global World History Atlas Introduction 2004

DRAFT GWHAT PROPOSAL

1

GWHAT Project Proposal – March, 2004

GWHAT – Graphical World History ATlas

Provides map content and map browser at no cost •  GWHAT content: high quality, comprehensive, & interoperable •  GWHAT browser: for easily finding and displaying maps

To help teachers teach better •  By providing materials that: are easy to find, customizable, work

together, and can be tied directly to curriculum requirements

And to help students learn in new ways •  By providing a means to explore the world throughout history


2

The GWHAT need: current history and geography achievement are unsatisfactory Millions of students and teachers use maps each year •  32 million students, 4 million new each year (grades 5-12) •  1 million teachers teach history and geography

But students are not meeting US standards 12th graders below basic achievement (2001) •  History – 57% •  Geography - 29%

And not doing well relative to non-US students •  American students – scored 41% on National

Geographic Geography Literacy Survey •  Others scored >67% - Sweden, Germany, Italy


3

The GWHAT need: current map-based resources are inadequate Textbook maps, wall maps – limited in scope, variety, and interactivity, quickly outdated

Online maps – clumsy, incomplete, and hard to find

Commercial software – expensive, proprietary, not customizable

GIS – interoperable data, but can be very complex, hard to learn


4

The GWHAT solution: free map content and free map browser

MAIN CONTENT TYPES

BASIC GEOGRAPHY – like shorelines, terrain relief

THEMATIC INFORMATION – like political boundaries, census data, battle campaigns

MAIN BROWSER FUNCTIONS

FINDING MAPS – think of it as a

DISPLAYING MAPS – that can be animated or interactive, the same way a media player plays video

Map


5

GWHAT content addresses key shortfalls of existing content for K-12 use

GWHAT content Existing digital content -  Poor labeling -  Scope limited by area of map -  Snapshot in time -  No interoperability -  Inconsistent shorelines -  Very often niche in focus - Often restricted for reuse … is a fuzzy picture

-  Standardized labeling -  Comprehensive across globe -  Comprehensive across time -  Interoperable – maps work together -  Consistent shorelines -  High level to start -  Freely resuable -  Designed to be viewed online -  Designed for K-12 education needs -  Expandable … creates a virtual time machine


6

GWHAT browser brings GWHAT content to life

map and player source: www.timemap.net

Makes maps easy to find – search by region or time period

Enables comparisons by overlaying information from multiple maps at the same time

Displays map animations to show the unfolding of events over time

Zooms in to show more detail

Zooms around to show what else was going on at that time

Supports multiple languages

Can display non-GWHAT maps

Links from map to related information


7

Sample teacher workflow using GWHAT

Teacher reviews lesson plan

Uses browser to search for relevant content

Finds and downloads map produced by teacher across the state

Adds other map modules to provide additional information

Removes some map info not relevant to lesson

Adds notes & publishes new, custom map so other teachers can find it.

Uses map in lecture using printouts or LCD projector

Students access map online from class, library, or home


8

GWHAT could provide totally new benefits for education

STUDENTS

•  Comparative learning – e.g. overlaying a natural resources map with a population density map

•  Exploratory learning – panning across the world to Asia to see what was happening there at the same time Columbus was discovering the New World

•  Experiential learning - animations – remembering the sequence of history because you have watched it, instead of by remembering dates

TEACHERS

•  Customizable course materials – bundle together sets of different maps for a particular lesson plan

•  Quickly find course materials – quickly find the right maps instead of searching the web endlessly and compromising on content and quality

•  Self-populating content catalog – teachers can publish content to the search engine and also find content created by other teachers


9

GWHAT in action: Supporting current events

6th grade students in California study ancient river valley civilizations, like Mesopotamia

A teacher wants to describe how

current Iraq conflict is related to what her students are studying

GWHAT use: 1.  Teacher starts with a current

map 2.  Removes terrain information 3.  Adds transparency of current

ethnic diversity 4.  Plays map backwards in history

to show where current ethnic groups came from (not shown)

5.  Keeps playing map backwards, all the way to the dawn of civilization (next slide)


10





GWHAT use: 1.  Teacher starts with a current map 2.  Removes terrain information 3.  Adds transparency of current





11





GWHAT use: 1.  Teacher starts with a current map 2.  Removes terrain information 3.  Adds transparency of current





12

GWHAT in action: “Drilling down” into more detail

Students are still studying Mesopotamia, which they now know is where current-day Iraq is

The students then: 1.  Select a region of

Mesopotamia in Iraq 2.  Go back in time, stopping to

notice Hammurabi 3.  Back further, to the period of

interest 4.  Then the city of Babylon 5.  Then the Temple of Marduk

(GWHAT supports pictures, too!)


13




Mesopotamia in Iraq 2.  Go back in time, stopping

to notice Hammurabi 3.  Back further, to the period of




14





notice Hammurabi 3.  Back further, to the period

of interest 4.  Then the city of Babylon 5.  Then the Temple of Marduk


NOTE: Internet viewers may need a special plug-in to see the animations


15








NOTE: Internet viewers may need a special plug-in to see the animations


16






interest 4.  Then the city of Babylon 5.  Then the Temple of

Marduk (must supports pictures, too!)


17

GWHAT in action: Multilingual support for language studies

GWHAT-targeted content will be able to support multiple languages

Map labeling can be switched

from one language to another at the touch of a switch

Contextual information, such as

links to related web-based information can be changed as well

Students can use the same tool

across classes


18

GWHAT in action: Multilingual support for language studies

GWHAT-targeted content will be able to support multiple languages

Map labeling can be switched

from one language to another at the touch of a switch

Contextual information, such as

links to related web-based information can be changed as well

Students can use the same tool

across classes


19

GWHAT in action: Art history

Example: Picasso’s career Students can see the order of

his paintings and styles and where he created them

Layers could be added to

compare the careers of Matisse or Braque

Could compare art to other

world events, such as the fighting that inspired Guernica


20









21









22









23









24









25









26









27









28









29









30

GWHAT content library will be built up from structured and unstructured programs GWHAT will provide high-level

baseline content •  Global “background” info •  Civilization and country evolution

animations

Existing content will then be added and linked

•  Tiger team of GWHAT volunteers

Further GWHAT custom content will be provided by:

•  Open source contributions, wikis •  Teachers creating local materials •  Grant-funded content creation

Funded content

Teachers’ materials

Existing Web Content

GWHAT animations

GWHAT backgrounds


31

The GWHAT concept can work

Collaborative content successes •  Oxford English Dictionary •  Human Genome Project •  Wikipedia

Open source software successes •  Linux operating system •  Apache web server •  Mozilla browser

Standards successes •  HTML fuels WWW growth •  .doc, .xls fuels Office growth

It would work best by moving quickly, with a well-coordinated, well-funded approach.


32

GWHAT operations

•  501(c) 3 organization – nonprofit corporation

•  Centered around education, technology, community activism, and information sharing

•  Centralized management, distributed volunteer participation

•  Drives agreement on appropriate maps display and interoperability standards

•  Coordinates open source, free software and content development

•  Funded by philanthropy, foundations, and government grants

Education

Global World History Atlas Introduction 2004