Using the World-Wide Web in The Geology Classroom

Abstract

The World-Wide Web has brought revolutionary changes to geoscience education. We now have realtime or same-day access to new data and images from such diverse sources as earthquake-monitoring stations, stream gauges or water-stage recorders, and the Hubble Space Telescope. Graphics, an integral part of geoscience classes, can be projected from on-line sources in networked classrooms or downloaded to disk and projected. Photo-quality color overhead transparencies can be printed in the office for use in classrooms which lack computer facilities. Course notes complete with graphics, syllabus, assignments, tutorials, practice test questions, links to outside resources, and other educational materials can be placed on Web pages for easy access by students outside of class. The potential for enhancing our classroom presentations with up-to-the-minute information in a multimedia format offers students an exciting new way to learn geology, exposes them to the latest computer technology, and teaches them how to access a variety of types of information using the Internet.