Weather log

From GeoClasses

The weather log is a simple journaling tool that students can use to record the daily weather information, including clouds. Clouds are particularly useful since there is no place online that reports this information so actual observations have to be made. There is a beta version of a MS Excel program (using Visual Basic) that imports all of the logs and helps with grading.

• The weather log is an online program, written in PHP so it needs to be posted on a server.
  • There is an older version that was created with MS Excel (with VB) but it required Excel and was platform specific (windows). I would also, every semester, inevitably get two people submitting exactly the same file and claiming no idea how that could ever have happened.

• the Cloud Reference is made of my own pictures and cover the basic cloud types.

• the Other cloud pictures link adds a few unusual cloud types such as Mammatus and Lenticular clouds.

Setting up a weather log website

The software and instructions on how to set up the weather log website.

• the weather log has very little security so be sure that students do not use a very valuable password.

• Download the files: Media:Weatherlog.zip
• the README.txt file explains how to set it up.

• Example log LINK TO WEATHER LOG - currently in use by my class.

Additional assignment

The weather log analysis assignment is designed by Dr. Houghton to get students to learn about atmospheric fronts and air masses by analysing their weather logs.

Assessment

Weather log assessment: Developing and documenting a study to assess the efficacy of the weather log in improving students' observational skills.