a practical application of google earth in conservation and geographic education
Open Access
Author:
Sharp, Sarah Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
Geography
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Robert George Crane, Thesis Supervisor Roger Michael Downs, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Google Earth Geography Education Conservation Education Hotspot Biodiversity Biomes of South Africa.
Abstract:
The purpose of this project is to develop a tool that will provide educators and teachers with a hands-on resource that can be used to teach students the importance of conservation within South Africa. This tour is focused toward educators and students 8th grade and above. Since South Africa is a country rich with biodiversity hotspots‒crucial areas for conservation—South Africa is an important topic on which to focus. Although many protected areas have been established to further conservation work in South Africa, education is essential for people to understand the importance of the conservation of bio-diversity. The main question this project seeks to answer is: How can Google Earth be used to educate students in the importance of conservation? The following sub-questions help refine the study: (1) How can Google Earth be used as an educational tool? (2) What role does education play to further conservation efforts? (3) What are the different biomes in South Africa that need to be conserved? (4) Why are only three biomes considered biodiversity hotspots? (5) and why are these biodiversity hotspots significant to conserve? (6) Finally, I will show how this educational tool can be applied to other areas of conservation around the world.
