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Module 1 Homework - Field Observations & Building your Website

See Corresponding Learning Module

Module 1 Overview

The Assignment

warning

This is going to be a deliberately vague assignment in many ways.

Between now and Sunday, go out to a riverscape (any riverscape locally will do, if you can't get out to one, visit one virtually). Read that riverscape to the best of your abilities. Start with what you took away from the Geomorphic Analysis Chapter (i.e. reading the landscape). Submit what you observe on your website (see below).

Little Aside to Complete this Assignment

For this class, you will be keeping a physical field notebook (I recommend a Rite-in-the-Rain) and a virtual elaborated version of that. The virtual one will be a website. You can use any free web platform (e.g. Weebly, Wix, GoogleSites, Gists, GitHub Pages ). Don't stress the platform, just choose one you like (or can live with) and make a site. This site will become your portfolio for the class. Organize your site so you have a collection of pages representing

  1. Your Field Notebook (for field trips)
  2. Your Project/Assignments
  3. Your Resources

For every assignment you to turn in, you will typically be asked for a URL to the page or anchor to a position on the page where the assignment is. This will give you something to share with others (other than just your instructor(s) as you participate in class discussion boards). It will also give you a portfolio of your work. Moreover, you will be able to more easily share and submit different types of observations (e.g. embedded videos, embedded interactive maps, static images, sound recordings, etc.).

Here's an example with Weebly in making a website in under 10 minutes:

⏱️ Under 10 minutes 🎥

Here are some examples of what students for this class did back in 2021.

The actual Assignment

Okay, back to that real or virtual riverscape you visit. Lets put some sideboards on this; you can observe this riverscape you visit (just a reach) in < 15 minutes. Maybe limit your write up and notes and such to less than an hour (not counting building your website... can be done in 5 minutes). If you have questions, post them to Module 1 Discussion.

Attempt to read this riverscape - the whole point is to see how differently you all complete this exercise. For your next field trip, we will more carefully prescribe how to document your observations and reading of the landscape. For now, we don't want to stifle your creativity. Just do what you do. We are curious what you think is important, and what you denote.

Other Resources

Field Safety

River Wading Safely

⏱️ Under 12 minutes 🎥

Field Observations and Safety this Semester

⏱️ 10 minutes 🎥 from Joe Wheaton. This is "pandemic-focused" for self-led field trips. However, many of the safety tips and field tips are helpful in general.