Implementing GIS in the Geography Curriculum - Essay Example

Implementing GIS in the Geography Curriculum Introduction The entire process of implementing a GIS is involving and complex. The process requires putting into consideration various factors including monies, user base, area of interest, as well as desired accuracy among many more factors. Any person interested in implementing the GIS ought to consider few elements in the process of making choices over the appropriate tools for use. The user may for instance, choose software working on an open database one he or she is interested in integrating geographic datasets easily within other existing applications. This report considers implementing GIS in the geography curriculum by developing the capacity of the teacher. Most importantly, technology, career, as well as magnet curricula are making it possible for the GIS education to penetrate into the K-12 classroom. On the contrary, other states allow teachers in responsible for teaching geography to apply GIS in their standards improvement programs without enlisting resources, support, and lessons in their geography curriculum. This discourse attempts to find software fitted with applications specially built to address particular needs of the final users in this case teachers and pupils. This takes place after making considerations involving the cons and pros. The paper also explains why it is important to make sure that the GIS contain the capacity to work with new applications and develop at the same rate with the growth of schools. The teacher should be in a position to organize information precisely, quickly, and in a reliable manner. GIS and Spatial Evaluation Various research journals reveal the difficulty among different schools to implement Geographical Information Systems (GIS) especially the secondary division. However, the same studies show an improving shift in the trend towards embracing a standard learning approach where stakeholders in the education sector among them parents and department of education hold teachers accountable for the standards of learning and performance of the pupils (Cassell, & Hiremath, 2013, p. 71). This is addition to the requirements by the NO Child Left Behind program officers (NCLB). Apart from form adding the load to the educators through a set of additional issues, the shift creates room for the education sector to adopt the GIS technology in to the classroom and secondary curriculum using the appropriate standards. States that allow the application of the GIS program without resources and support among other things include Texas and apply a different program dubbed the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) (Demers, 1997, p. 112). This programs aims at improving the standards of learning using a different model referred to as Mapping Our World that constitutes GIS lessons for the teachers. In this program, the facilitators run seminars to educate the instructors in the application of GIS as well as spatial inquiry within the geography curriculum. However, the model presented in this report is different from the one applied in Texas. It is a product of research carried out across district schools with aim of developing the best model for teaching geography. The research findings demonstrated that various schools in the districts implemented the GIS program in two distinct scenarios. First, schools applied the GIS in technology, career, and magnet learning institution programs. Pupils either learn the application of GIS when handling problems in scientific studies or alternatively, acquire GIS skills for use in the job market upon completion of school. Existing issues in different situations add to the important functions that help in implementing the GIS among various schools across districts. Such situations include instructions and guideline from donors and all other agencies that fund programs in schools. Some of these instructions limit the scope within which school administrators can implement the GIS program for instance, instructing to apply the program in technology and career courses. Such situations lead to different predicaments among them limited distribution of knowledge, limited sharing of the GIS software, and support. Furthermore, such moves by benefactors also catalyze strenuous relationships between technology and career as well as usual policy educators in the process of executing GIS in the academic plan of activities. The second group constitutes the group of lone ranger educators. The lone rangers commit themselves to having a prediction on the ways of using the GIS within classrooms. They adapt the technology early enough and apply the technology in class with a lot of expertise. However, departments in charge of curriculum development and the district technology do not offer necessary support to this group of teachers (GIS, 2005, p. 89). Problems faced by teachers in this group at the school level include convincing the school administrators among them the principles and head teachers to install GIS support programs among them ArcGIS as well as ArcView that support the GIS systems on computers in schools. Furthermore, some administrators may install the support applications on school computers but implementing the GIS system fails because lack of adequate or necessary curriculum experts and the staff with sufficient technological knowledge at the district level. The results in the difficulty to execute the GIS within the education curriculum among schools across the entire district because of lack of GIS information otherwise referred to as GIS awareness. The problem becomes more complex considering the fact that ignorance in GIS starts at the district level. A level charged with the responsibility of implementing growth and development in the entire district (Ripley, 1981, p. 83). Officers at the district level fail to become dynamic and continue to emphasize that schools must stick to traditional methods of teaching and other aspects of technology traditionally designed for teaching. This makes the entire enforcement authority and personnel at the district level blind of the temporary nature and value of digital teaching. This explains the reason this course focuses on drawing a model that offers support running from the district level through to the school level where it touches on teachers while at the same time developing the ability as well as the capacity of the teacher to learn spatial inquiry and teach using GIS. The GIS Model The author of this discourse developed this model to address issues related to support running from the district level to the institutes responsible for developing the capacity of educators dubbed the GIS standard improvement centers. Ultimately, the teachers would be able to teach with GIS while in various classrooms. The model develops a structure containing supportive elements as a unit with participants from various departments considering support aspects from both curriculum and technology departments within schools. The author of the discourse composed the participating team before arranging for commencement of the training. The first step is to develop awareness over GIS by marketing the same concept to the Instructional and Technology coordinators (Kerski, 2003, p. 133). This is essential because the educators ought to understand the value of GIS in supporting instruction processes. The choice of geography was strategic considering the wording in TEKS 21, 22, as well as 23. Geography falls in the category of social studies and skills in the world-accredited geography standards of the world. Data sources Social studies skills (21). Pupils put to use skills related to critical thinking while studying this subject in the process of arranging and using data from various sources among them electronic technology. In this case, the program expects the learner use geographical, historical, as well as statistical data from different sources that include among others databases, media services, and field interviews, in addition to questionnaires in the process of answering geographic questions while at the same time inferring geographic relationships (Gorr, Kurland, & Allen, 2011, p. 69). The program also expects the pupils to evaluate and analyze the utility and validity of various sources that contain geographic data including both secondary and primary information sources apart from maps and aerial photographs. Thirdly, the learner should be in a position construct, read, and interpret geographic maps to answer questions from the geography discipline, evaluate geographic changes, and undertake geographic relationships. On a different front, students ought to use primary concepts of statistics as well as analytical techniques including statistical software and spreadsheets using computers to assess geographic information (State Board of Educator Certification, 2003, p. 171). Finally, concepts of social studies skills require a learner to use various maps, which include geographic information system using computers in the process of acquiring and assessing information required to solve situational and geographic issues. Social studies skills (22). Procedures in this subject require pupils to communicate in oral, written, as well as visual forms. In this case, the learner should be able to draw and design the right maps besides other explicit drawings including diagrams, sketch maps, graphs, and tables while displaying geographic information (Bednarz, 2004, P. 196). The information constitutes geographic relationships, geographic distributions, and geographic features. Considering the fact that the unit constitutes communication aspects, then the pupils should use the relevant vocabulary, generalizations, skills, geographic models, and theories to display information from the field of geography. Social studies skills (23). The unit entails advanced concepts compared to the twenty-second and twenty-first social studies skills (Malone, Palmer, & Voigt, 2002, p. 31). Here, the learner applies decision-making skills as well as problem-solving skills either working in person or in a team especially when tackling issues under different conditions. The unit has four expectations that educators and the program holds from students. First, the ability to organize, prioritizes, and finishes a team research study comprising of geographic questions. The questions may require gathering of information, arranging, and assessing the same in addition to communication the outcomes to the relevant bodies and persons. The second expectation is application of geographic data and case studies by a learner to isolate contemporary geographic issues and using skills learnt from geography classes to solve the actual questions (Geological Survey, 1991, p. 51). Furthermore, the unit expects the student to apply the reverse flow of problem-solving processes to find out the type of problems that occur often in the discipline. The student should also apply the same skills and knowledge to collect information, outline, and evaluate alternatives in the processing of determining the merits and demerits while making choices on the right procedures of implementing a particular solution. This is in addition to assessing the effectiveness of the applicable solution. The final expectation entails applying the decision-making process to isolate a circumstance that needs a decision, arrive at options, collect data, forecast the impacts, and act appropriately in the process of executing a chosen decision. Increased awareness will change the view of GIS held by the Instructional Technology Coordinators. This will be possible because of carrying out demonstrations on instructional sound lessons. Problems The model proposed in this report by the author tackles various problems experienced within the school and district level in the process of implementing the GIS program in the curriculum using geography as the control experiment in the study and training. Among the problems is lack of time for both educators and policy implementers to teach GIS, lack of adequate foundational computer knowledge on the part of educators as well as enforcing officers from the district, and inadequate usable information regarding the chosen area of study (19 TAC Chapters 113, 2005, p. 94). Other include limited GIS knowledge and skills among educators, failure of the schemes of work to factor in the use of GIS when imparting knowledge, absence particular curriculum relevant to the concepts of GIS, insufficient supportive technology including ArcView and ArcGIS. Recommendations The team charged with the responsibility of implementing the GIS in the geography curriculum needs to realize a few things. The GIS is an essential program for educators to make sure that pupils think critically and in the process improve standards of learning in secondary and primary schools. However, the process of transition is hard, tedious, and complex. This is to both the teachers and students. It will be important for the implementers to have an efficient framework because some parts of the program for instance training aspects for teachers are time consuming. The biggest challenge in this case is that most of the training takes place when learning institutions go into the recess. However, the rate of implementation slumps because GIS is not a priority even from the district level. This means that the implementing team will find it difficult to execute some of the lessons within scheduled periods. Moreover, teachers have limited computer knowledge and skills therefore, prefer to have most of their lessons in simple computer application programs. Conclusion An important development factor will be considering the processes of integrating teachers and officers from the district implementation department more effectively into the GIS program. Implementation of the GIS throughout the district requires that stakeholders address various other factors discussed in this report. List of References 19 TAC Chapters 113 - Subchapter C. 01 Sept. 1998 (2005). Texas Education Agency. . Bednarz, Sarah W (2004). Geographic information systems: A tool to support geography and environmental education? GeoJournal 60 (2): 191-199. Cassell, K. A., & Hiremath, U. (2013). Reference and information services: an introduction. Geological Survey (U.S.). (1991). Geographic information systems. Washington, D.C. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey. Demers, M. N. (1997). Fundamentals of geographic information systems. New York, J. Wiley & Sons. GIS: Getting Started - Essential Information for Education. 27 Apr. 2005. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI). 25 May 2005 . Gorr, W. L., Kurland, K. S., & Allen, D. W. (2011). GIS tutorial: for ArcGIS 10. Redlands, California, ESRI Press. Kerski, Joseph J. The Implementation and Effectiveness of Geographic Information Systems Technology and Methods in Secondary Education. Journal of Geography 102 (2003): 128-137. Malone, Lyn, Anita Palmer, & Christine, Voigt. Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators. Redlands, California: ESRI P, 2002. 27-34. Ripley, B. D. (1981). Spatial statistics. New York, Wiley. State Board of Educator Certification. 2003. State Board of Educator Certification. 20 May 2005 . Read More