How Digital Technology Enhances Astronomy Peter Lazarus Hume U3A

The presentations are to be about the use of digital technology in enhancing classes. The presentation should show how  technology changed the way the class was run,  what skills needed to be learned by the students,  what did the technology achieve.

Astronomy How can students understand both the basics and complexities of Astronomy? What tools can be used to help explain how the universe works? How can students get involved?

Astrology Study of the star signs Constellations 2200 years ago But the align- ment between star signs and date has moved Moved almost a month

Astronomy Constellations Same names as astrology for 12 constellations 88 Constellations now defined

The Solar System We all know about our Sun and its planets Do we know the relative sizes and distances? Source:

Orrery Internet is a valuable research tool for information Easy to find many images to illustrate my talks

Internet Resources Can also find school based exercises

Benefits Ready access to material to enhance the class experience Doing something different than just listening Some exercises e.g. capturing meteor dust are done at home The exercises connect the student directly with the idea Little prior experience necessary from the student

Videos and YouTube Need a well illustrated explanation? Search videos on YouTube Many short video explanations by the experts They have put the effort into creating the visuals

YouTube Problems Needs access to the internet during class? YouTube videos can be downloaded  no need for an internet (URL for downloading:  Or use May need a media player (vlc) to play the video Could embed video in PowerPoint Example: The Solar System to Scale

iPads and Tablets Some students use iPads and Tablets Students bring them to class They point out videos and the material they downloaded or accessed

Looking at the Night Sky I want my students to observe the night sky They can use sky maps from e.g. Sydney Observatory

Astronomy Software There are interactive star map packages for Windows  Starry Night $75  Stellarium $0  Kstars $0 Get students to bring in their memory sticks Copy Stellarium and have them install it at home Run a class to understand how to use the software

Sky Simulation

Now the class can  Find a star, planet or constellation in the sky  Fast forward the time to see future events  Visualise how the sky appears to rotate  Decide when a certain object is visible And this can be done  In class  At home

USB Memory Sticks Alternative to printing hand out notes Produce a pdf file of the power point presentation Copy the presentation pdf and any other non- copyright material to student's memory sticks They can browse the class material at home They can ask questions at the next lesson

Cameras Digital cameras can be used to photograph the night sky The moon is especially suitable – full moon, lunar eclipse Requires some instruction on the best settings Benefits are that student's work is displayed in class Encourages others to get out and try Makes the course much more interactive

Smart Phones Out at night and unsure what you are looking at? Point your smart phone at the sky Apps: Google Night Sky, Sky Eye

Benefits The class can view YouTube videos to get a good basic understanding of difficult concepts They can re-run the videos at home Graphics – pictures, diagrams can be taken from the Internet to illustrate a talk  Someone else does the creation hard work, the teacher does the hard work by internet searching Students download videos, or refer to TV shows  Provide teacher with great ideas for future topics  Can ask the student to talk to the video

Ultimate Enhancement

Benefits Benefits to night-time viewing A smart phone helps identify night-time objects And once you start looking, you look some more, you become more curious For students, self-guided observations A sense of self-discovery No skills necessary