Module 1 Homework: Field Observations & Building your Website
The Assignment
WARNING - This is going to be a deliberately vague assignment in many ways.
Between now and Sunday, I want you to go out to a riverscape (any riverscape locally will do, if you can’t get out to one, visit one virtually). I want you to read that riverscape. Start with what you took away from the Geomorphic Analysis Chapter (i.e. reading the landscape). And submit what you observe.
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
- your Field Notebook (for field trips)
- your Project/Assignments
- your Resources
For every assignment I ask you to turn in, I will typically ask you 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 me.. e.g. 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 to me 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:
Here are some very old examples of course websites by students in my GIS class.
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.
I want you to read this riverscape, and 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, I don’t want to stifle your creativity. Just do what you do. I am curious what you think its important, and what you denote.