Background

GIS stands for geographic information systems - a system of hardware, software, data, people, organizations, and standards for collecting, storing, analyzing, and disseminating information about areas of the Earth. In simpler terms, the results of using GIS are usually maps that enable users to better understand and analyze data linked to an area.

GIS affects our lives everyday and plays a role in many occupations by its analytical functions. With the permeation of GIS in society, it has become of educational importance to integrate it in school curricula. Students often first encounter GIS in college with no prior working knowledge of it. In order to prepare students for college and their future careers, it is essential that secondary schools and below begin to teach what GIS is as well as integrate it into various courses.

GIS is particularly useful in the sciences and can help the students analyze and interpret data through maps, graphs, and pictures. Besides allowing students to look for trends and look for solutions, the students retain more information and enjoy the learning process more so. The difficulties of integrating new technology into schools are usually threefold. Firstly, the resources can be difficult to obtain and secondly, and I believe mostly importantly, teachers are uninformed about GIS and its applications. Once teachers understand the usefulness of GIS, then resources and networking are necessary for them to integrate it into their lessons.

The purpose of this bibliography is to provide teachers with useful resources and research on GIS and examples of how they can integrate GIS into their classrooms. Many of the resources are generalized toward K-12 education. Some of the resources are more specifically for secondary education, and then there are the resources that I have found to be most helpful that focus on secondary science.

Annotated Bibliography

Audet, R. and Ludwig, G. (2000). GIS in Schools. Redlands, California: ESRI Press.

This resource begins with a description of GIS and then summarizes many examples of how GIS has been implementation in elementary through secondary schools. The authors follow the implementation efforts of many teachers and school systems through the problem-based learning. The book attempts to inspire teachers by sharing stories and the positive effects on the students. The book can also be helpful for administrators as it helps tackle the problems of implementation.

Baker, T.R. and White, S.H. (2003). The Effects of GIS on StudentsÂ Attitudes, Self-efficacy, and Achievement in Middle School Science Classrooms. Journal of Geography 102: 243-254.

This paper describes research involving eighth grade earth science students of two different teachers to determine the effects of GIS not only on the achievement effects GIS has in the classroom but also on the attitudes of the students towards science and technology in learning. The authors hypothesized that achievement as well as attitude and self-efficacy scores of students using GIS rather than traditional mapping supports would be higher. Researchers found that GIS modestly improved integrated science process skills while more significant improvements were made in science self-efficacy and technology attitudes. The article also discusses that in order for GIS to be successful in the classroom, GIS curriculum must be developed to be utilized in different styles of classrooms as analysis showed differences in results between the two teachers. Other helpful implications as well as the data from the study are available in the article.

Bodzin, A.M. (2002). LEO EnviroSci Inquiry. Learning and Leading with Technology 29, no. 5: 32-37.

Accompanying website: www.leo.lehigh.edu/envirosci

The author describes the LEO EnviroSci Inquiry website that was developed by LEO (Lehigh Earth Observatory) and SERVIT (School Education Research in Visual instructional Technologies) to provide K-12 students and teachers with environmental science material that is technology-based. The information on the website is based on the Lehigh River Watershed in Pennsylvania. The article describes the five areas of the website: Lehigh River Watershed Explorations, Environmental Issues, Weather, Geology, and Data Collection Activities. The Watershed Explorations area presents the history, a photo journal, and water quality and land use maps to explore the history, images, and characteristics of the watershed. The Environmental Issues section contains simulations involving real-life societal issues for students to investigate and debate. The Weather section contains web-based explorations of a few weather events. Students can use QTVR panoramas and topographic maps for exercises in the Geology section and can access archived weather, water, seismic, and salamander activity monitoring data in the Data Collection Activities. The article offers teaching suggestions for implementing the website in primary and secondary schools.

Curtis, D.H., Hewes, C.M., and Lossau, M.J. (1999). Map-IT! A Web-Based GIS Tool for Watershed Science Education. Retrieved Aug 01, 2005, from www.esri.com/library/userconf/proc99/proceed/papers/pap449/p449.htm

This paper describes the development of an easy-to-use web-based GIS viewer to use in watershed science education and natural resource planning and management. The researchers held focus sessions to give feedback from teachers to help direct the development of the program. The program allows students and teachers to upload data and see it in a map view, which can be used for individual projects and long-term cross-curricular problem-solving activities. Students can see other projects on the same watershed and other watersheds.

ESRI (1998). GIS in K-12 education. Retrieved Aug 01, 2005, from http://www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/k12e0398.pdf

This ESRI white paper is an encyclopedia of information for anyone looking to incorporate GIS into a classroom. The paper includes basic information on what GIS is and the necessary technology to put it into operation, as well as how to implement it into any classroom. The basic information is written so that someone who is not familiar with GIS can easily understand what it is. The authors emphasize the utilization of GIS as a tool to teach students to be independent learners. This resource can be an especially helpful tool in the face of challenges to implementing GIS and an idea source for different grades as well as different subject areas. The appendices include useful information on improving hardware, basic GIS skills, how to find data sources, the adopt-a-school program, and how GIS fits into standards.

Green, D. (2001). GIS: A Sourcebook for Schools. London: Taylor and Francis.

This author, who has been instrumental in advancing GIS in EnglandÂs schools, shares a wealth of information about GIS essentials. It is specifically geared for secondary teachers looking to incorporate GIS into the curriculum. The book incorporates a nice history of GIS in schools, how to implement it, and theory behind its incorporation.

Kerski, J.J. (2003). The Implementation and Effectiveness of Geographic Information Systems Technology and Methods in Secondary Education. Journal of Geography 102: 128-137.

Kerski has collected the only data available on how and why secondary schools are implementing, or not implementing, GIS. His initial concerns also included the extent and effectiveness of GIS in the curriculum, specifically in geography courses. KerskiÂs national survey revealed that GIS has not made significant advancements in terms of the number of secondary schools using it, and that science teachers outnumber geography teachers by two to one in the use of GIS. The largest challenge teachers had with implementing GIS was a lack of time to develop GIS-based lesson plans, which has improved since the publishing of the book, Mapping Our World, seen below. Other social, educational, and political factors were found to be influential in the implementation process. Other findings in the article include the fact that GIS alters the manner of teaching to a more problem-solving approach as well as the manner of learning as students work with issues that directly relate to government and industrial occupations. GIS has primarily been implemented by individual teachers rather than by department, school, district, state, or national efforts. One important hypothesis that was not supported was that the lessons incorporating GIS did not consistently increase the geographic skills to a greater extent than the same lessons that did not include GIS. The author discusses the observed lack of spatial perspective in teachers and students creating discomfort with the inquiry-orientated lessons with GIS. No gender differences were noted. The author concludes that he would like to see GIS used as a means to meet existing curricular goals rather than just how to teach GIS.

Malone, L., Palmer, A.M., and Voigt, C.L. (2002). Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators. Redlands, California: ESRI Press.

Mentioned earlier, before the publishing of this book, there was no resource for educators seeking a complete source of GIS lesson plans for middle and high school. There are seven lessons in the book, each around a different theme of geography, and each with three different levels, from novice to more advanced, which can be tailored towards grade and experience levels. The book is an incredible resource for teachers needing insight on lesson plans and resources. It comes with a one-year license for ArcView, a CD of teacher resources, and a companion website.

Michelson Jr., M.W. (1996). Geographic Information Systems. Multimedia Schools 3, no. 1: 26-30.

The author goes into detail about two examples of GIS used in a sixth grade and a high school classroom. The brief article describes the advantages to students studying data in their region and making community connections.

O'Dea, E.K. (2002). Integrating Geographic Information Systems and Community Mapping into Secondary Science Education: A Web GIS Approach. Masters Thesis, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. Accompanying website: www.geocities.com/gisliz2002/

The purpose of this project was to find an approach to using GIS in the classroom that is less complex for teachers to learn and teach. More of the focus in the classroom could then be on GIS as a tool rather than focusing on the teaching of the technology. The approach developed was that of ArcIMS (Arc Internet Map Server) which allows GIS to be performed over the Internet so teachers and students can also access GIS away from a computer classroom. The paper describes the development of a virtual atlas of information on Tahoma, Washington that can be incorporated into science lessons on water quality, land use, vegetation, geology, plate tectonics, animal habitats, watershed studies, mapping, and global warming. See the homepage for the atlas below. Along with a description of these examples and an explanation of the website, the article includes a very helpful list of recommendations to integrate a web GIS into the secondary classroom.

Tahoma Virtual Atlas Website (OÂDea, 2002)

Tahoma Virtual Atlas

Patterson, M.W., Reeve, K., and Page, D. (2003). Integrating Geographic Information Systems into Secondary Curricula. Journal of Geography 102: 275-281.

The goal of this study was to determine whether the integration of GIS into secondary geography classrooms assists student learning. The paper begins with a helpful history of research on the effects of incorporating GIS into the classroom. Then the authors describe the setup where an AP Geography class in a high school was taught with GIS and then given the same assessment as college freshman in a beginning geography class at the same level without GIS training. Though test scores were not overall as high as researchers anticipated, the high school students outperformed the college students by 17% supporting previous research that GIS technologies are beneficial to teaching in the secondary classroom. The authors also address the advantages of the partnership that was formed between the high school teacher and GIS-trained college professor.

Reed, P.A. and Ritz, J. (2004). Geospatial Technology. The Technology Teacher 63, no. 6: 17-20.

Reed provides a helpful introduction with definitions and examples of these uses of geospatial technology Â thematic mapping, global positioning system, remote sensing, telemetry, and geographic information systems. The author then provides a web activity for students to experience each of these uses including a Âdesign brief,Â a Âchallenge,Â hints, and how to evaluate student work.

Background

Annotated Bibliography

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