By N. Sivasothi. Department of Biological Sciences, NUS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUNomJw3Jrc&p=83FA1CD871F4A4E5 Students are quite unfamiliar with the local and regional physical landscape which significantly hampers their understanding of ecology. A rudimentary two-hour laboratory session was conjured up to address this gap in a new second year ecology module in 2009/10, reaching 200 students over two semesters. The session introduced the use of Singapore topographical paper maps, the magnetic compass and Google Maps. NLB’s iRemember.sg provided a critical 1935 Singapore map but otherwise online resources were unavailable. The “map prac” guidelines were written and tweaked on Google Docs during the session in response to student’s reactions and learning speed. For a take home test, students plotted a variety of named placemarks including all of Singapore’s rivers and islands which they had little if any familiarity with and submitted this as a link via Google Forms which allowed me to collect reactions to the practical. The large scale perspective introduced by the integrated approach was surprisingly informative to students. They realised the interconnectedness of the landscape, thus enhancing their grasp of ecology. With increasing enrolment in this module, an abridged version of the “map prac” is planned for adoption as an independent exercise which will include existing e-tutorials. Students will present their printed map of relevant annotated placemarks to their project group-mates in the first practical and identify their study sites in the process. This original “map prac” tutorial is available here and can be used, abridged or added to: http://tinyurl.com/lsm2251-mapprac.

1. The map prac:
Enhancing ecology
with a compass and
map, paper map and
Google Maps
N. Sivasothi a.k.a. Otterman
Department of Biological Sciences
National University of Singapore
http://blog.sivasothi.com
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2. The Map Prac
1. Identifying the problem
2. The 2-hour map practical
3. Assignment and submission
4. Applications
5. What next?
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3. Where are we?
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4. 4

5. 5

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12. 23 Jan 2006 - A Himalayan Griffon Vulture
Gyps himalayensis in Singapore
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13. 23 Jan 2006 - A Himalayan Griffon Vulture
Gyps himalayensis in Singapore
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14. 1. Identifying the problem
Where am I?
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15. Chek Jawa, a hidden eden, 2001
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16. Malaysia
Sg Johor
Pulau
Tekong
Singapore
Straits of
Singapore
Chek Jawa,
Pulau Ubin
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17. Chek Jawa,
Pulau Ubin
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18. Morning Cycle data reported by
iPhone app, Runkeeper
Thanks
Colin Wan!
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19. Gothere.sg:
NUS to
Sungei Buloh
Wetlands Reserve
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20. “...while navigation devices can make it
easier to navigate from an origin to a
destination, people are less likely to learn
environmental layouts and become overly
dependent on their devices”
Klippel, A., S. Hirtle, Stephen & C. Davies, 2010 - citing Pruch & Wilson, 2004;
Parush, Ahuvia & Erev, 2007; Bakdash, Linkenauger & Proffitt, 2008.
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26. 2. Spatial Awareness with Google Maps
The Map Prac - http://tinyurl.com/lsm2251-mapprac
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27. 1. Points of a compass
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29. 2. Find the bearing, correlate to paper map - why?
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30. Bukit Timah?
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31. Group Work
Their own home;
describe environs
to group mates
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33. Online resources scarce!
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34. 1938
River flows to the sea!
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38. 3. Assignment and submission with GDocs
Practise, practise, practise
Google Forms for submissions
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39. Class of 100 - 200
Submission efficiency with Google Docs
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41. Text
names blanked
out for privacy
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46. “It is very interesting to see how much
Singapore has canalized many of its rivers
as well as the amount of reclaimed land.
So much that Jurong Island can be made
up of so many islands.
Upon comparison to the old 1935 map
of Singapore, I also realised how
secretive Singapore government is about
releasing information of its map as many
of the islands were not named and I had
to go and google each one by one to find
out their names.”
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47. 4. Applications
Species distribution
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48. Intensity of bat calls in Kent Ridge
Ong Say Lin et al., 2009
Ecology Asia
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49. The hunt for the Red Jungle Fowl
Amanda
Tan
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50. Red Jungle Fowl
Amanda Tan, 2010, ongoing
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51. Smooth-coated otters at
Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve,
residential population since 1998
Marcus Ng akak Budak
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52. Smooth-coated otter
Meryl Theng, 2010/11, ongoing
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53. Common palm civet
Xu Weiting, 2009/10, ongoing
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54. “Mr Kinky Tail”
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56. 5. What next?
Integrating the Map Prac to daily life
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57. Home Assignment
in Groups
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58. LSM1103
What will
you see?
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59. Manual plot of
bicycle ride,
the Northern
PCN loop,
using Bikely
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60. HCMC
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61. Montreal
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62. The Map Prac
1. Unfamiliarity?
1.1.Detection (conversations)
1.2.A problem, how?
2. The 2-hour map prac
2.1.Compass
2.2.Paper map
2.3.Google Map
3. Assignments
3.1.Plot, plot, plot
3.2.Submission + feedback (GForms)
4. Applications
4.1.Assignments, Research
4.2.Life
5. Next?
5.1.Tutorial
5.2.Shift to 1st years (Kent Ridge)
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