Back in 2000 I worked in the Supervisor of Elections office. It being the beginning of a new century we were about to undergo the census. What this meant for us is that voter districts would be rezoned based on the new numbers provided. I was interested because of my interest in technology, but we were pretty busy because it was a huge election year. We were excited because we going to be using this new software call GIS. At the time I had a vague idea of what that meant. My friend was thrilled though because as a geography major it might new and exciting things for her field. Come to 2009 and the software is being discussed for use in the secondary classroom.
In “Teaching with rather than about Geographic Information Systems,” Hammond and Bodzin are examining ways for this software to successfully be used in the classroom. In order to grasp some of the more technical aspects of the program I was required to do a bit of additional research, in addition to reading the full article. Not only did it help me grasp the full scale of what the software is capable of but it gave me a good idea of how it could be used in the classroom. It also helped me differentiate between GIS and programs such as Google Earth. It becomes readily apparent upon reading the article that one of the biggest obstacles to successfully implementing the software is the user. The software is highly technical and does require some in-depth instruction in its use. Although simple steps such as changing file names to easily identifiable ones can be the first step in making the software easier to use (Hammond, T., Bodzin, A., 2009). Ultimately it will be necessary to teach about the program so that it can be successfully integrated into the classroom.
Not only does it give you more control over maps and geographical tools. You can deconstruct maps layer by layer, which could be useful in a geography or a geology class. It allows you to see how the geography of a city developed, but you don’t have to limit it to this function. You can use Google Earth in conjunction with this software. The lack of familiar landmarks sometimes makes it difficult to students, using it with Google Earth you can do an overlay so that students can see those familiar landmarks as well as the relevant information provided by GIS.
For instance, in a unit about the Silk Road you can use GIS to map the Silk Road. Students would be able to learn that the name is deceptive and that the Road was more a route containing many paths. You would be able to examine the branches of the road and the difficult terrain that traders had to endure.
I liked the idea of mapping the Black Death pandemic, but once again proving that everything has already been done before, I found a lesson plan which utilizes GIS. It seems like an excellent idea, I would expand on this plan. Rather than limiting it to Britain, I would examine how it affected all of Europe. You could integrate it into a lesson about how the Black Death affected the economy, culture, and population. Discuss the anti-Semitic feeling that was prevalent at the time. Depending on what is being studied in science at the time, you could include the history of the disease. It would be a content spanning lesson.
Other ideas include having students map the Trail of Tears, the forced march by Native American tribes in the Southeast.
Students could map the Seminole War, pinpointing significant encounters and population groups. The questions to ask would be: How did the Seminoles evade American forces for so long? At what point could have American forces gained the advantage in battle?
My lack of knowledge in regards to the software at this point would make it difficult to plan an in-depth lesson plan because I’m only marginally aware of what it is capable of, but look forward to exploring it more. I downloaded several articles to read, hopefully they will provide me with more ideas.
The question to ask would be what difficulties do you think you would have in using and integrating this software into the classroom?
Hammond TC, Bodzin AM. (2009) Teaching with rather than about geographic information systems. Social Education, 73(3), online article
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The only difficulty i can think of is that the GIS gets students too focused on "absolute" location, as opposed to relative location. Hopefully the teacher could show pictures, etc of the places they might only mention with latitude and longitude, and show how these areas are geographically related to other areas.
ReplyDeleteOne problem I could see with using and integrating it into the classroom is making sure that you are either able to book a computer lab, or have a class set of computers (or every student has access to a computer if it is a take home assignment). Also, as a teacher, you have to make sure to really know how to use the program effectively, and are able to teach the students how to use it. So it would also be necessary to make sure that every student used the same program.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the program may be a little too technical for students to use. You would have to make sure to use the basic tools of the program, instead of using parts that may be too complicated. Using the program can be a little tricky, so its important to know what you are doing. But, I do think it is a pretty cool program, and could be useful to use in a classroom!
As mentioned before there are a few difficulties that may arise when attempting to implement this technology into your future classroom. Does every student have access to a computer in the classroom and even at home? On my most recent blog, time management is being discussed. Scheduling class for a computer lab and then instructing on them of the use of a GIS can be time consuming if the software is as technical as I'm beginning to assume it is.
ReplyDeleteAssuming that the teacher is well aware of the software and has developed the skill to use it, I believe that there can be many added benefits with these type of things. Especially with the advances in technology. Maybe you can't take your students to a certain location, but Google Earth can do that job for you. I not only think this can be a great tool for Geography lessons, but also as a supplemental tool for History lessons.
I feel that the others covered many of the initial problems faced by users of this program. I was actually really excited when I read about this and even read the full article. Obviously this would be a great tool for a geography or science class, but I like the idea of incorporating it into a social studies lesson in addition to something else. I sometimes struggle to visualize unfamiliar things, but this is a perfect tool for someone like me. I would really like to do a social studies lesson having students look at routes soldiers may have taken during and war, and come up alternative paths they could have taken. I think it would be extremely interesting to draw inferences on how a war may have turned out differently if troops had decided to take alternate paths.
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