EarthQuest - Virtual Global Adventure (LS-HR-361)

Astronomy: two views of a celestial globe, showing Hesiod's birthplace and time. Engraving.

Do you know why Coca Cola has the word Coca in its name? Are the 24 “holes” in a Petit Beurre biscuits accidentally there or do they have a deeper meaning? Do you know who invented ketchup? What types of cocoa beans are used for chocolate? Have you ever visited a sanatorium where cornflakes were invented?

Some of the most used food products have an interesting story to tell and math problems to solve.

Virtual tour

Using Google Earth – a 3D representation of Earth-based primarily on satellite imagery – and Europeana resources students travel around the world visiting new places. On each location, there is an interesting true story about a well-known food, food product or drink followed by a math problem to be solved. In order to successfully finish the quest, they need to use math modelling of real-life situations and apply system of equation solving.

The quest doesn’t end with the last location

By completing all the stations and solving all the math problems students are taken to an interactive quiz to check their solutions. As they choose the right answer they unlock the words in a word search puzzle. When the person solving the puzzle finds all the words, the hidden message will be revealed. And this is all done by a digital crayon!

`Finding the answers in a word search puzzle`

New adventures

Since there are more interesting stories to tell about food, students search Europeana resources for their favorite food and drink and create math problems based on them. They create a story and a collaborative virtual tour in Google Earth.

`Discovering the resources on Europeana`

Would you like to know more about this learning scenario? You can download it below:

Europeana-DSI-4-LS-2020-Croatia-Rakovac-Bekeš Download

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CC BY 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana Collections and provided by the Wellcome Collection.

elenavladescu says:

June 16, 2020 at 6:22 pm

Dear Ella,
LS is just a perfect good practice of remote learning! The fact that students weren`t familiar with the Google Earth app is not a surprise. many pupils think that they know everything about technology tools, but this is not true!
You successfully combined interesting facts from everyday life with math using Europeana resources.
I liked very much the part where the students had to recreate math problems in Padlet! Well done!

Panagiota Argyri says:

February 2, 2021 at 7:34 pm

Introduction
This learning scenario ‘EarthQuest – Virtual Global Adventure’ is an amazing learning scenario for problem solving equation in mathematics based on objects of digital cultural heritage of Europeana.

The implementation context (when, where, how)
I implemented this learning scenario with a group of 27 students in second class of Lyceum in Evangeliki Model in Greece by distance learning for 2 hours (more than suggested) in the subject of Algebra, as review of the 1st chapter of linear systems. I followed the guidelines of learning scenario, that was very clear with all needed ICT tools and links for access to them and to the materials. Students worked for 2 more hours as homework for search to Europeana collections for materials and their history. Mostly they inspired to write problems with equations that share via google drive to their classmates for solving.

Learning process
Starting for suggested questions (Do you know why Coca Cola has the word Coca in its name? Are the 24 “holes” in a Petit Beurre biscuits accidentally there or do they have deeper meaning? Do you know who invented ketchup? What types of cocoa beans are used for chocolate? Have you ever visited a sanatorium where cornflakes are invented?) students motivated to search for the answers.
In the next step we started the virtual tour travel to the world of history and learning mathematics. Using Google Earth, we visited each of stations, discussed for the history of materials of them and then working in google document we wrote the linear equations and solved the problems. Students were very active and enthusiast with the activities! The combination of important facts in real world with mathematical problem is an additional value of this learning scenario. The tool of Google Earth is very clever selection for enrichment of students’ interest and attention.
After the collaboration working in classroom students worked in groups for search cultural heritage of Europeana portal , wrote their mathematical problems and solved them with linear equation systems. You could access their innovative worksheets https://bit.ly/3iSc7gE . We do not create a digital story and a tour in Google Earth, because in my view point needed guidelines for the way that it could be done. It is also highlighted in teachers’ remarks that needed more time for explanation how Google Earth is used.
Finally, all the photos included with links are very supportive for express the importance of Europeana in learning for cultural real facts in real world.

Learning outcomes
Moreover, students develop deep content knowledge, critical thinking, creativity, scientific literacy, as they search for information in the Europeana portal.
In general students enjoyed this learning scenario and it was a great way to learning mathematics based on culture heritage of Europe through Europeana portal.
For evaluation of learning process and scenario we did not use the questionaries, but I have collected testimonials: “it was one of favorite moments during on line distance learning’, ‘it was unexpected to combine mathematics with real world in a such interested way’.

EarthQuest – Virtual Global Adventure (LS-HR-361)

Virtual tour

The quest doesn’t end with the last location

New adventures

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