National Council for Geographic Education

Siloed AI and the Creative Commons: Supporting Teachers in Lesson Adaptation for Geography Education
2024-10-19 15:15 - 15:45 (America/Phoenix) | Mission Palms Conference Room: Covetto, 60 E 5th St., Arizona, 85281
Overview
Virtual field trips highlight topics of importance in field-based and place-based education and help students learn physical geography concepts. To ensure effective and intentional Virtual Learning Experiences (VLEs) rich in concepts relative to space and place, VLE development should follow a process to ensure both theory and learning objectives are well matched for the targeted learning outcomes. Using the TECCUPD process, VLE architects initially identify theory and lesson objectives at the start of this process; however, identifying and using both can be a challenge for a teacher who may not have the time, extensive geography background, or subject matter expertise. To address this, a siloed AI Assistant named Strabo is employed, drawing from lessons featured in archives from the Arizona Geographic Alliance, the Gamification Academy, and GeoEPIC under Creative Commons 4.0 Share and Share Alike. Strabo enhances lesson development by buffering against misinformation and hallucinations while aiding in object identification, adaptation, and translation, including between Spanish and English. This advancement expedites geographic science communication and enriches learners’ understanding of physical environments and associated phenomena. Through improved didactical tools and workflows, teachers can broaden the learner’s perception of physical environments with their associated features, patterns, and processes at the landscape scale.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | AI | Virtual Learning Experiences | Didactical Tools | Technology
Conference Room
Covetto
Meet the Presenter
Dianna Gielstra is an Associate Faculty of the Masters of Science in Environmental Studies program at Prescott College in Arizona. Their research interests are in biogeography and geodiversity, geoheritage, and developing immersive virtual learning experiences and technologies for spatial storytelling for geography and environmental education. Dianna is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Open Pedagogy Fellow.

Niccole Cerveny is a Professor of Geography and Sustainability at Mesa Community College in Arizona. Her research interests are in geomorphology, landscape evolution, Native American rock art conservation, and sustainable heritage management. She is a member of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Geosciences.

Heather Moll, Ph.D. is the Co-Coordinator of the Arizona Geographic Alliance, whose mission is to advocate for geography education and geographic literacy. She is also an Instructional Professional at Arizona State University and guides the master's students through their final capstone projects. As a former high school physical and natural sciences teacher, she joined the first cohort class for ASU’s Master of Advanced Study Geography Education and graduated with her masters in 2009. Heather completed her Ph.D. with Dr. Ronald Dorn in Geography Education research in 2024 and loves helping students explore the world of Geography.

Karen Guerrero is an educator with 20 years of K-12 classroom experience, 16 years of teaching future educators at local colleges and universities, and 20 years of conducting teacher professional development. She has worked with a variety of students from inner-city children to urban adults. Her research focus is teaching integrated geography content across all curricular
areas to diverse learners. She is a National Geographic explorer with research on STEMSS (STEM + Social Studies with an emphasis of geography across the STEMSS fields) teaching and learning and continually looks for opportunities to collaborate globally.
