Students´ Perceptions of Using Story Maps in Geography Teaching and Learning

Students´ Perceptions of Using Story Maps in Geography Teaching and Learning

Copyright: © 2024 |Pages: 17
DOI: 10.4018/979-8-3693-3073-9.ch012
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Abstract

Geography is the science of space. Students must understand geographic patterns, relationships, and context over the Earth to acquire a spatial perspective and geographical knowledge and skills. Geotechnologies play an important role in reaching those geographic contents and promote spatial thinking. Mapping tools have an unprecedent growth due to the internet development. Teachers can use the potential of geographic information systems (GIS), 2D interactive maps, and 3D virtual globes to teach geography and promote interdisciplinarity. This chapter envisages students' perceptions on using web mapping tools in the process of teaching and learning. Results were obtained by a survey implemented to 30 students of initial teachers training class. Students had to implement a story map during the semester for practical assessment. Students revealed that they had never used story maps before, despite their potential for teaching and learning process and recent developments.
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Introduction

Spatial thinking is related with the mobilization of reasoning about spatial representations. It represents one of the core skills for the geographically learning to achieve competent citizens to answer current and future challenges of a world in constant transformation. The stimulation of spatial thinking and the development of geographic skills, are essential in determining sustainable solutions to environmental, social, and economic challenges, involves a rich and meaningful Geographical Education (GE). Indeed, digitalization challenges are increasing very fast in education contexts. Internet is still shaping society by changing everyday life. Technology developments are contributing to many education reforms, mainly in relation to the use of web-based maps in Geography teaching and learning. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) on the web has been growing very fast in last years, becoming a more powerful technology to Geography teaching and learning and to promote interdisciplinary. Leading with Spatial representation Web Based interactive maps is in line with “Digital Natives” requirements by learning with Virtual Globes, Interactive maps, Applications, Crowdsource, Volunteer GIS Mapping or Remote Sensing. The use of online interactive map has become ubiquitous. Internet and mobile devices developments requires the regularly use of mapping services. Nowadays to analyse, develop, and communicate geographic information is possible by non-cartographic specialists. Everyone is producing geocoded information and share geographic information in several ways, social media, blogs, internet pages or story maps. If society is involved with this way of communicating geographic information, one can ask why schools are very faraway of integrating Geographic Information Technologies as a fundamental tool to teach and learn. Effectively, interdisciplinarity can be efficiently promoted, spatial thinking is enhanced, and geographic skills are developed. Teachers can use Story Maps to enhance students geocabilities by exploring and analysing spatial data via digital storytelling to their students. Since it is a very accessible tools and can combine the potential of 2d and 3d mapping and multimedia data, particularly by include image, video, and audio. It is designed to be used in multiple dispositive.

This chapter has the objective of understand students’ perception about

  • precedent knowledge on using Story map applications;

  • the usability of story map;

  • difficulty in developing the application;

  • the potential of Story maps in the process of teaching and learning;

  • future use in their classes;

It is also a contribution to fill the lack of empirical research on using Story Maps in classes.

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Background

The usage of web-based maps is one of several educational innovations being driven by technological improvements. But teacher preparation and practice have not kept pace with these remarkable changes. It fails to close the gap between students who are “digital natives” and those who use traditional resources. In the meantime, 21st century workforce for education is based on developing critical thinking, inquiry, and reasoning. Europe Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) (https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/action-plan) “aims to support the adaptation of the education and training systems of Member States to the digital age” and to face digital challenges on training community (teachers and students). Geotechnologies and particularly story maps can contribute to achieve digital education goals.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Map Mashup: In a Geographic Information System reality is represented by layers (roads, rivers, trees, soils, or buildings). Map mashup is a powerful modern cartography way of put everyone easily create and share digital geographic data. Community is working together, and citizens can produce their own representations in a simplest way.

Story Map: An application that blend mapping opportunities with multimedia data, such as video, photos, images, or pictures and with text. This creates opportunity to disseminate geographic information more dynamically, attractive and designed for multiple devices (smartphones, tablets, or laptop).

Web Mapping: It distinguish from analogic or print map. Web map usually is dynamic, allow interaction with information, and is fully developed in the web. It can be a simple map or integrated in an application to simplify navigation, query, print or share information. Recent applications allow to dynamically interpret and synthetize geographical information.

GIS: It is the acronym to Geographic Information Systems. It is a computer system that use a conjunction of tools to collect field information, save it, analyze data to implement a spatial analysis and support decisions, and communicate that information normally in the format of analogic or dynamic maps. Globally it is a System of Information that uses location (geographic) as the core of the representation, analysis, and dissemination of geographical data. Desktop solutions of GIS are now migrating to the web, using the cloud and web opportunities such as dashboards creation to communicate information withs nonspecialized publics.

Geocoding: A process of convert geographic locations (addresses or place name) in geographic coordinates (Latitude and Longitude on the earth surface). They can be used to place markers in a map.

Web Geotechnologies: They are technologies that allow users to deal with earth information over the web. Recent developments of internet contribute to the diversification and easy to use tools. Some examples of geotechnologies are the classic Geographic Information Systems, as recent developments of 2d web mapping, 3D virtual globes and Story maps. Also immersive technologies, such as augmented reality or virtual reality, plays an important role in understanding the space.

Spatial Thinking: It’s a way of thinking that is focused on spatial dimension and patterns. It helps citizens to solve spatial issues in their daily lives, such as what is the best path, the best location to build the house, or the relation between spatial elements.

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