Revised Cwm Idwal virtual field trip
Until now, all the virtual field trips on VR Glaciers have been self-guided. That is, they are provided without interpretation. I have taken this approach because it provides the flexibility for the same virtual field trip to be used in different ways. During the pandemic, for example, I heard how the Arolla virtual field trip … Read more
New virtual field trips coming soon
After something of a hiatus due to the pandemic, I’m pleased to announce that there will be two new virtual field trips added to the site soon. One is a guided virtual field trip to Cwm Idwal (Snowdonia National Park, North Wales), which has been produced in collaboration with Dr Lynda Yorke (Bangor). This will … Read more
EFL Showcase 2020
In September I gave a presentation at the 10th Annual Showcase for the Enhancing Fieldwork Learning project, expertly hosted by the University of Chester. You can watch a recording of my talk above. Perhaps more usefully, the following link takes you to a YouTube playlist where you can watch any or all of the other … Read more
New Video
This video provides a short overview of VR Glaciers and Glaciated Landscapes. It has captions, so if you don’t like the music or my voice (or both), there is a fall-back for you.
Coming Soon: Additional Teaching Resources
I’m aware that one of the consequences of the Covid-19 outbreak has been a temporary shift to online teaching. I’m mindful of this, and I am currently in the process of putting together additional teaching resources that I hope will help. These are aimed at universities in the first instance, but they could be adapted … Read more
Article in ‘Geography’ on VR Glaciers
I wrote an article about VR Glaciers and Glaciated Landscapes that appears in the Autumn 2019 edition of ‘Geography’, published by the Geographical Association. It includes some suggestions as to how the resource can be used in the classroom. Examples include landform and landscape interpretation exercises; studying glacier response to climate change; spatial literacy, GIS … Read more
Col du Sanetsch – another virtual field trip
Why not have a look at the newly-launched Sanetsch Pass virtual field trip? As always, there is plenty to see, including impressive alpine scenery. Those more interested in human activities also have something to look at, with settlements, tourism, and other things to contemplate. One thing you will not see, unfortunately, is the Tsanfleuron Glacier. … Read more
Using VR Headsets
We will be exploring the use of VR Headsets in the coming year, starting with the recently released Oculus Quest. We have already been able to establish that it does not work when viewing our virtual field trips in immersive mode. This is a technical issue that we will address in the coming year. In … Read more
Moiry Valley update
The Moiry Valley virtual field trip now has additional imagery that allows you to explore the western side of the valley. This was collected in June 2019, shortly after a very snowy week in the Alps. The amount of snow limited what we could do in the field, and our planned traverse of the upper … Read more
AROLLA VALLEY – time-travel to 2006!
I was looking through some old files, when I stumbled upon some virtual fieldwork photos from 2006. The quality reflects the equipment I was using at that time (a Canon 350D), although I was able to improve upon the original imagery by re-processing in my currently workflow. There are 14 sites, extending from Satarma all … Read more
