Tracking Time Visualization of History using Timeline 3D

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Tracking Time Visualization of History using Timeline 3D"

Clinton Hudson
5 years ago
Views:

1 Tracking Time Visualization of History using Timeline 3D A Proposal to the IDC Committee By Kathleen Affholter Natural and Behavioral Sciences March 18, 2011

2 Introduction Timeline 3D, by Bee Docs, is a program that allows the creation of visually exciting linear timelines on many scales. Information such as text, pictures, videos and sound can be added to the timeline, and events on the timeline can be scrolled backwards or forwards across a screen. More than 60% of students learn with visual- spatial presentations. 1 This timeline program has the potential to be able to help students understand history and trends in science by putting details in context of a bigger picture in a visually pleasing way. The scale of the timeline is flexible. Although the geologic timescale covers billions of years, and the history of the beginnings of geology in Scotland and England takes place over tens of years, a timeline can be created for any story length. There are many places to customize the timeline by changing scales, adding different colored backgrounds and markers for events. I propose obtaining a site license that would allow a copy of this program on 24 laptops available for student use in geology classes and on 1 instructor console. Applications The discussion of geologic time is fundamental to geology. Historical Geology is the description and study of 4.6 billion years of Earth s history. Throughout the course of the semester, changes in rock types (Figure 1), plate tectonics, flora and fauna are tracked from Earth s formation from a swirling mix of gas and dust, to the explosion of life in present day. The Geologic Time Scale portrays that history by dividing time from 4.5 billion years to the present. Some parts of the chart represent vast expanses of time in billions of years, whereas other divisions may represent thousands of years. Figure 1: Banded Iron Formations (above) are not found younger than 2 billion years. After 2 billion years Red Beds are found indicating a difference of oxygen levels in Earth s atmosphere before and after 2 billion years.

3 The Geologic Time Scale is divided into eons, eras, periods and epochs. Numerous versions are available on-line, with the oldest time unit on the bottom and the youngest on top. The chart is further divided with the greatest expanse of time, the eon, on the left, and the smallest, the epoch, on the right. Names are given to the different units in the time scale, and all told, even using the simplest example (Figure 2) the number of different names, unfamiliar to most students, adds up to about 30. In some on-line examples, flora and fauna are added to the table at the time unit where representative fossils of them have been found. To be able to integrate and discuss geological concepts, it is important for students to learn the names of the time units in the geologic time scale and be able to record changes in the positions of tectonic plates, and changes in flora and fauna through geologic time. One way to do that is with the help of the program, Timeline 3D by Bee Docs. The New Way of Looking at Time Figure 2: Time scale ( The program, Timeline 3D by Bee Docs, provides the capability of creating an interactive linear timeline on different timescales depending on the information portrayed. At any mark in time, a description of events, pictures, and sources can be added. In the case of a Historical Geology timeline, since distance is equal to a certain amount of time, the events are seen with sometimes great and sometimes small amounts of empty space between them giving a physical picture of the different amounts of time between events. This important concept cannot be easily illustrated on the standard geologic time scale seen at the right..

4 Timeline 3D is easy to use. With this program students could create their own timelines as the class progresses through Earth s history. By creating their own timeline, students would be required to find information to make their timeline accurate, find and choose pictures that would best represent the time unit, and list events that took place during that time. By spending their own time creating their own interactive timeline, the facts that need to be committed to memory would be meaningful. The timeline would become their journal of the geologic history of the Earth. Each timeline could be different, as different events during a time unit may interest different students A snapshot of a portion of the linear interactive geologic time scale follows (Note: a new version of the timeline includes geologic time with Before Common Era labels instead of the BC labels in this example.) In addition to event labels, descriptions and illustrations or photos can be added at any place in time (Figure 3). Individual events can be highlighted and brought forward (Figure 4) for emphasis. Figure 3: A snapshot of a portion of a timeline created using a personal copy of Timeline 3D by BeeDocs which was launched March 15, 2011

5 Figure 4. One event is highlighted and brought forward during a presentation. Timeline 3D could also be used by students in Concepts of Geology classes to understand geologic history, to compare information and to emphasize recent geologic worldwide events. The serious study of geology began by gentlemen, James Hutton and Sir Charles Lyell, who traveled throughout Great Britain and Europe. Both spent time in London and Lyell is still there, buried at Westminster Abbey. The ideas of these men inspired observant people after them such as Charles Darwin, and are mentioned in all introductory geology textbooks. The American naturalist, John Muir added to our understanding of geology. A segment of a timeline with information about the contributions of these men is shown in Figure 5. Other unique histories could be tracked using Timeline 3D. For example, students could illustrate the history of women in geology, or the path that led to plate tectonic theory, one of the foundations of modern geology. Other topics might be creating a list of recorded tsunamis in Japan since the 7 th century overlain by a list of the moon at perigee (when it is closest to the earth) and apogee (when it is farthest from the earth) to see if there is a relationship. Tsunamis (caused by underwater earthquakes) and tides (caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and the moon on the earth) are caused by two completely different processes, but are often confused even though there is no relationship of one with the other. A student could plot volcanic eruptions on Iceland with an explanation of how volcanic eruptions affect climate, or a student could plot super-volcano eruptions throughout history and superimpose climate changes. The ideas are endless, and students would not only be learning an easy technology that could be

applied in any subject or grade level they choose to teach, but would be investing some of their own thought in a creative process. Figure 5. Founding fathers of geology and naturalist John Muir.

6 applied in any subject or grade level they choose to teach, but would be investing some of their own thought in a creative process. Figure 5. Founding fathers of geology and naturalist John Muir. Materials The NEXT classroom has 24 Apple computers and an instructor console with Mac OS X that could be loaded with the Timeline 3D program. Pre-Test and Post-Test A pre and post-test covering the history of geology and the history of chemistry would be designed and administered to assess student achievement.

7 Budget An education license for 25 seats would be $450 dollars. From Bee Docs: Education Licenses Individual $39 PURCHASE 10 seat $250 PURCHASE 25 seat $450 PURCHASE 75 seat $750 PURCHASE 150 seat $950 PURCHASE 250 seat $1,250 PURCHASE Education licenses are limited to current teachers, students, and faculty. 1 Upside- down brilliance: The Visual- Spatial Learner, Silverman, L.K., 2002, Denver, DeLeon Publishing

The Rock and Fossil Record. Chapter 15 Sections 1-5

The Rock and Fossil Record. Chapter 15 Sections 1-5 The Rock and Fossil Record Chapter 15 Sections 1-5 Objectives Page 123 CO: SWBAT describe how the science of geology has changed over the past 200 years. LO: SWBAT explain how studying the Earth s present