Compare the features and instructional applications of GIS and GPS tools. How can educators use GIS and GPS tools to enhance student learning?
GIS applications, like MapQuest or Google Maps, could be used for learning map skills starting in kindergarten. By second grade, my son was expected to make a map of our neighborhood for his homework, and it would be very interesting to have the children compare the map they made to one of the GIS maps. It would also be a great way to illustrate a modern-day version of a trip, like Lewis and Clark's journey and compare and contrast the "ideal, present-day" trip to the path they traveled. Or it might be fun to show the kids the various routes that could be taken to a field trip, then see which way the buses actually travel.
Hand-held GPS units would make a great campus-based geo-caching experiment. Trinkets could be hidden in different places outside on the campus, and students could work in groups to find them - probably each group with several to find, not trying to beat each other to the same spots. With parent permission, it could be extended to the neighborhood, depending upon the walkability and safety. GPS units could also be used for a "find your way back to school" project for older students (with parent permission), where students were taken a reasonable distance away from school (with supervision) and given a GPS to find their way back. This would be a fun project after TAKS testing is done.
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Wow! What great ideas! I liked the suggestion about creating a map with GIS to compare to student-made maps even at the elementary level.
ReplyDeleteI do think there would be issues in students leaving the campus for projects. However, the idea of mapping different routes to predict which way a bus might take on a field trip is a great idea. It allows students to see that there is more than one way to arrive at the same place. This concept could be correlated to math computations. You mentioned "fun" several times in your blog. Learning should be FUN!!!
The post was great until you mentioned TAKS!
Dorothy - as usual - really cool and creative ideas. I understand well the qualifications of safety and parental permission.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of mapping and getting kids to understand spatial arrangements is key to getting them to understand their space in the global sense.
I look forward to seeing you very soon - you have registered for next semester....right!
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ReplyDeleteDorothy,
ReplyDeleteAmazing ideas!!! I love your idea about the Lewis and Clark activity that you mentioned in your blog. Not only would the students be learning history, but I think that the information of that journey would be internalized more because it seems so hands on. I also thought your GPS activity was interesting and fun for students to experience. Taking it into the neighborhood is an excellent idea as long as the parents approve.