Vassilios Spathopoulos

An online platform for using ancient travellers to motivate pupils in astronomy

December 7th, 15:40 – 16:20

An online platform for using ancient travellers to motivate pupils in astronomy
By Vassilios Spathopoulos, Glasgow International College

For thousands of years humans have used the stars, sun and moon to find their way home. Examples of simple but ingenious techniques for navigation were developed and deployed by travellers ranging from the ancient Phoenicians and Greeks, to the Vikings and the Polynesians. Nowadays, technological solutions such as GPS navigation are widely available, but the traditional methods of finding one’s direction can still fascinate and therefore provide an excellent way of motivating pupils to take up astronomy as a pastime.  With this in mind, an innovative set of online tasks has been developed using a combination of Google Earth and the Stellarium planetarium software.  Both software applications are free to use and are available in web versions, making them easily accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The materials are suitable for those with a basic understanding of science, such as pupils that are above the age of 14. The workshop will follow some of the online tasks that take the user on a journey around the world and also back in time. The ancient Phoenicians, Greeks, the Vikings and the Polynesians are all encountered, revealing their methods for using the stars, sun and moon to find direction. Their techniques are implemented using the Stellarium software and practical activities are also suggested.