Transcript How Digital Technology enhances Astronomy

How Digital Technology Enhances
Astronomy
Peter Lazarus
Hume U3A
Astronomy
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How can students understand both the basics
and complexities of Astronomy?
What tools can be used to help explain how the
universe works?
How can students get involved?
Astrology
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Study of the
star signs
Constellations
2200 years ago
But the alignment between
star signs and
date has moved
Moved almost
a month
Astronomy
Constellations
Same names
as astrology
for 12
constellations
88 Constellations
now defined
The Solar System
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We all know about our Sun and its planets
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Do we know the relative sizes and distances?
Source: http://www.lesud.com/lesud-astronomy_pageid81.html
Orrery
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Internet is a valuable research tool for
information
Easy to find many images to illustrate my talks
Internet Resources
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Can also find school based exercises
Benefits
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Ready access to material to enhance the class
experience
Doing something different than just listening
Some exercises e.g. capturing meteor dust are
done at home
The exercises connect the student directly with
the idea
Little prior experience necessary from the
student
Videos and YouTube
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Need a well illustrated explanation?
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Search videos on YouTube
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Many short video explanations by the experts
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They have put the effort into creating the visuals
YouTube Problems
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Needs access to the internet during class?
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YouTube videos can be downloaded
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no need for an internet (URL for downloading:
http://ssyoutube.com/watch...)
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Or use http://www.clipconverter.cc/
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May need a media player (vlc) to play the video
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Could embed video in PowerPoint
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Example: The Solar System to Scale
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY_NfuZlFxc
iPads and Tablets
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Some students use iPads and Tablets
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Students bring them to class
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They point out videos and the material they
downloaded or accessed
Looking at the Night Sky
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I want my students to observe the night sky
They can use sky maps from e.g. Sydney
Observatory
Astronomy Software
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There are interactive star map packages for
Windows
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Starry Night $75
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Stellarium $0
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Kstars $0
Get students to bring in their memory sticks
Copy Stellarium and have them install it at
home
Run a class to understand how to use the
software
Sky Simulation
Sky Simulation
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Now the class can
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Find a star, planet or constellation in the sky
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Fast forward the time to see future events
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Visualise how the sky appears to rotate
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Decide when a certain object is visible
And this can be done
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In class
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At home
USB Memory Sticks
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Alternative to printing hand out notes
Produce a pdf file of the power point
presentation
Copy the presentation pdf and any other noncopyright material to student's memory sticks
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They can browse the class material at home
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They can ask questions at the next lesson
Cameras
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Digital cameras can be used to photograph the
night sky
The moon is especially suitable – full moon,
lunar eclipse
Requires some instruction on the best settings
Benefits are that student's work is displayed in
class
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Encourages others to get out and try
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Makes the course much more interactive
Smart Phones
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Out at night and unsure what you are looking
at?
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Point your smart phone at the sky
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Apps: Google Night Sky, Sky Eye
Benefits
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The class can view YouTube videos to get a
good basic understanding of difficult concepts
They can re-run the videos at home
Graphics – pictures, diagrams can be taken
from the Internet to illustrate a talk
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Someone else does the creation hard work, the
teacher does the hard work by internet searching
Students download videos, or refer to TV shows
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Provide teacher with great ideas for future topics
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Can ask the student to talk to the video
Ultimate Enhancement
Benefits
Benefits to night-time viewing
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A smart phone helps identify night-time objects
And once you start looking, you look some
more, you become more curious
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For students, self-guided observations
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A sense of self-discovery
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No skills necessary