Basic categorisation of E-geography opportunities
Individual students and teachers, departments and wider learning communities will have their own visions regarding the sub-division of ICT. This is not a problem, providing healthy debate and auditing of the range of opportunities now available for 21st century learners and teachers.
However, it is most effective if individual schools at least have an agreed interdepartmental division to ensure commonality of approach across the whole school. After extensive discussion the project team would like to offer the following sub divisions as an example:
- Maps and GIS
- Images
- Fieldwork – Primary Data Collection
- Research – Secondary Data Collection
- Communication
- Multi-media (Audio/video/animations/simulations)
This division of ICT opportunity is exemplified in the following table. It is hoped that this table will act as a stimulus for detailed discussion in departments / faculties, with opportunity for significant additions.
| Sub-division of ICT | Exemplification of opportunity |
| Maps and GIS |
Digital mapping websites such as Google Earth and Microsoft Live Maps GIS such as AEGIS 3 and Digital Worlds Online OS maps that can be downloaded onto a PC or handheld, such as Anquet or TrackLogs Historical maps such as British History Online |
| Images |
Satellite Imagery Aerial Photographs Historical Images Ground Shot Images Time Lapse images Split Images – past / present or before and after significant events Paintings – electronic galleries |
|
Fieldwork Primary data collection |
Data logging equipment – flow meters etc. Podcasts Digital cameras – both still and action shots Weather recording equipment Probes GPS Electronic notepads Mobile phones Dictaphones |
|
Research Secondary data collection |
Web sites Data bases Local archive offices Newspaper archives local – global CDs Interactive library systems |
| Communication |
Word processing Desk top publishing Use of Interactive Whiteboards Emailing Photomontages Podcasting Blogging Video-conferencing Website design Data bases / spreadsheets Hand held responders – Quizdom Apple i-movie and i-dvd |
|
Multimedia Audio / video / amimations / simulations |
Stop frame animation – Flash / Windows Movie Maker CDs Films – DVD Simulations – process modelling News website such as BBC News Geography at the Movies website |
Further Reading
ICT in secondary geography: a short guide for teachers, edited by David Mitchell, is a publication by the GA with the support of the RGS-IBG and BECTA. Each chapter focuses on a different technology and draws upon the work of geography teachers and what they find really works. It is available free for all secondary schools. It may also be downloaded here.
Download: ICT in secondary geography: a short guide for teachers
For some more thoughts on e-learning, particularly in regard to teacher education see this Think Piece by David Mitchell.
Also try:
Martin, F. (2006) e-geography - using ICT in quality geography Sheffield: GA.
Mitchell, D. (2007) 'ICT in School Geography – more than motivation', Geog Ed online journal, Vol 1, GA.
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