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Designing a geoinformatics coursefor secondary schools:a conceptual framework

Jüri Roosaare, Raivo Aunap, Ülle Liiber, Kiira Mõisja and Tõnu Oja

Department of Geography, Faculty of S&T, University of Tartu, Estonia

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Development of information technology has been seen as one of the main recent influencers in education multimedia e-learning environments.

For geography the use of IT found its expression in wider and wider use of GIS. Computer-based spatial literacy is a natural

component of school geography education today.

Nowadays, it would be difficult to find a secondary school pupil who has not used Google Earth.

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Background In Estonia, it started by help of The

Tiger Leap National Program 1996

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Background

1997 – 2000: software for teaching geography CD-ROM on Estonian Geography electronic textbook according to the

requirements of the programme in form 9 consists of interactive multimedia material

organized on four different levels one, of them is for those interested in

(computer) cartography and GIS

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Background In Estonia, it started by help of The Tiger

Leap National Program. The Gifted and Talented Development

Centre at UT started different courses: 2005 on simple spatial data query, analysis and

mapping exercises (using ESRI’s AEJEE and map server of the Estonian Land Board),

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most important geospatial data provider up to now

map server of the Estonian Land Board

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most important geospatial data provider up to now

map server of the Estonian Land Board

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Background In Estonia, it started by help of The Tiger

Leap National Program. The Gifted and Talented Development

Centre at UT started different courses: 2005 on simple spatial data query, analysis and

mapping exercises (using ESRI’s AEJEE and map server of the Estonian Land Board),

2009 a course using ArcGIS, where both teachers and pupils participated together.

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New Curriculum On January 2010 the Government of

Estonia approved the updated National Curriculum for Upper Secondary Schools.

It lays more emphasis to optional subjects.

Should be implemented in 2013 Appropriate learning infrastructure is

needed

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Funding TeaMe is a European Social Fund (ESF)

financed programme in Estonia with main objective to enforce interest of young

people in career in science and technology (S&T).

the Budget of the TeaMe programme for years 2009-2013 is 3.4M €.

One of the goals of the TeaMe programme is to encourage young people’s interest in S&T and improve the image of S&T related professions.

One of the measures for this goal is to develop high quality study materials for selected gymnasium-level S&T courses:

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New courses Science, technology and society

20 modules á 4...5 hours Mechatronics and robotics - 35 h Application of the computer technology to

the research work - 35 h Applications programming - 35 h Geoinformatics - 35 h Elements of economic mathematics - 2x35 h

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This domain of curriculum emphasizes interest and skills in mathematics,

therefore both the style and content of this course have to follow conventions of informatics in addition to traditions of geography.

Science, technology and society Mechatronics and robotics Application of the computer technology to the

research work Applications programming Geoinformatics Elements of economic mathematics

Students with a deep interest in computer science and programming, but may have limited motivation in learning geography as they think it is too narrative.

Young people who are good in geography and who intend to study geography at university, but are rather afraid of delving too deeply in mathematical studies.

the geoinformatics course should offer interesting and feasible challenges for both categories and help them to understand each other better

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Conceptual pillarsPractical orientation. The course should be oriented towards

forming working skills of compiling and using geospatial data to solve geographical problems.

The majority of the study kit consists of practical exercises to be solved in groups or on one’s own.

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Conceptual pillarsStratification of material. Probably, the course will be selected by students with

different interests, different basic knowledge (especially in computer literacy) and different learning objectives.

Therefore, both theoretical material and tutorial exercises will be presented in several levels of difficulty.

e-learning environment offers technical solutions for material stratification.

The basic level – learning outcomes as required by the National Curriculum.

Advanced levels – up to professional GIS software. Linkage of material and suggestions in the teacher’s

guidance will help to manage levels of difficulty and direct students’ interest towards feasible problems and solutions.

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Conceptual pillars

Flexibility of timetable. All materials are presented in the MOODLE

environment enabling also partial or full e-learning.

Time and place of consultations are not fixed to school. inter-school student groups

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Conceptual pillarsFlexibility in study groups. In smaller schools the number of interested

students in a particular year may not be large enough to form a study group.

In countryside schools the teacher’s own competence may be limited,

e.g. a less experienced geography teacher with students’ advanced interests in 3D modelling.

To create study groups consisting of students from different schools and being supervised by an experienced teacher.

Such a scheme is justified by the practice of the Gifted and Talented Development Centre at UT, but for schools it needs legal and financial regulation by the Ministry of Education and Research.

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Conceptual pillarsIntegration with other subjects and

everyday life. The assignments are connected to the home place,

e.g. mapping of student’s way to school or the activity space;

doing it using orthophotos or with a GPS; measuring results by cartometric tools or analysing them

by routeplanner, etc.

The exercises testify to the knowledge and expertise in geography, math, history, physics,

even gymnastics (orienteering as a recommendatory fitness activity in Estonia).

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Conceptual pillarsProblem-based learning. Teaching should start from simple, intuitively

self-explanatory practical questions. Thereafter limitations of found solutions and

tools in use are pointed out and a need for additional theory is explained.

The acquisition of new knowledge will enable participants to set up more complicated questions, apply new tools and solve next assignments.

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Conceptual pillarsFlexibility in software and data

using. Learning materials should be are as software-

independent as possible The course starts with web mapping services

and ArcGIS Explorer, then continues with Quantum GIS. Possibility of using campus licenses of

commercial software is under investigation. The course uses data from public web sites

and specially prepared tutorial data.

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Conceptual pillars

Perspectives for professional career.

It is possible for advanced students to join with email lists and social networks of the geoinformatics community.

It will also be possible for advanced students to complete the course on that level, which enables it to count (by the Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning Project) for university level credits.

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Course infrastructure

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Content of the course6 modules 35 hours in total

¾ of which are dedicated to hands-on activities Components and application areas of GIS

5 h: 3 practical exercises; 1 interactive lecture; 1 seminar. Spatial data and databases

7 h: 1 outdoors studying; 5 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Georeferencing

5 h: 4 pract. ex., 10 min video lectures; 1 seminar. Queries from GIS

7 h: 6 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Thematic mapping

5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Solving a problem

5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.

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Content of the course6 modules 35 hours in total

¾ of which are dedicated to hands-on activities Components and application areas of GIS

5 h: 3 practical exercises; 1 interactive lecture; 1 seminar. Spatial data and databases

7 h: 1 outdoors studying; 5 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Georeferencing

5 h: 4 pract. ex., 10 min video lectures; 1 seminar. Queries from GIS

7 h: 6 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Thematic mapping

5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar. Solving a problem

5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.

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Queries from GIS Select regions satisfying given

conditions e.g. parishes where the X party won in local

elections; Route queries

e.g. find a route through the selected points of interest) and critical analysis of results;

Description of regions e.g. Estonian counties by birth rate, by increase/decrease in population; by distribution of population or enterprises)

and visualization of results (will be criticised and further developed in the thematic mapping module).

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Queries from GIS Different ways of defining proximity

e.g. how many countryside people are living close to the cities?;

Selections by themes e.g. to find differences in landcover structure by

catchment areas; Queries using map algebra

e.g. how to find suitable areas for camping; What–if queries using server-side

modelling e.g. changes in school network of Estonia

depending on changes in population and in the rules of schools’ opening/closing.

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Problems of implementation To realize the above-described framework a team of 10 people

with part-time involvement has been formed. According to rules of the Ministry of Education and Research it includes

experts in geoinformatics, didactics, e-learning, multimedia, project management, as well as experienced school teachers.

Pilot schools to test our production include 4 secondary schools, one of them from the Saaremaa Island and one from Narva, where the students’ mother-tongue is Russian.

The deadline to finish the project is March 2013.

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