Transcript Slide 1

Designing a geoinformatics course
for 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
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multimedia
e-learning environments.
For geography the use of IT found its
expression in wider and wider use of GIS.
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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
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In Estonia, it started by help of The Tiger
Leap National Program 1996
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Background
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1997 – 2000: software for teaching
geography
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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
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In Estonia, it started by help of The Tiger Leap
National Program.
The Gifted and Talented Development
Centre at UT started different courses:
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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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map server of the Estonian
Land Board
most important geospatial
data provider up to now
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map server of the Estonian
Land Board
most important geospatial
data provider up to now
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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:

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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
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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
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TeaMe is a European Social Fund (ESF) financed
programme in Estonia
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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 20092013 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
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Science, technology and society
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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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Science, technology and society
Mechatronics and robotics
Application of the computer technology to the research
work
Applications programming
Geoinformatics
Elements of economic mathematics
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.
Students with a deep
Young people who are
interest in computer
good in geography and
science and programming,
who intend to study
but may have limited
geography at university,
motivation in learning
but are rather afraid of
the
geoinformatics
course
should offer
interesting
geography
as they think
it
delving
too deeply and
in
feasible challenges for both categories and help them to
is too narrative.
mathematical studies.
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understand each other better
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Conceptual pillars
Practical orientation.
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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 pillars
Stratification of material.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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inter-school student groups
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Conceptual pillars
Flexibility in study groups.
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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,
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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.
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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 pillars
Integration with other subjects and everyday
life.
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The assignments are connected to the home place,
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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,
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even gymnastics (orienteering as a recommendatory fitness
activity in Estonia).
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Conceptual pillars
Problem-based learning.
 Teaching should start from simple, intuitively selfexplanatory 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 pillars
Flexibility in software and data using.
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Learning materials should be are as softwareindependent 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.
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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 course
6 modules 35 hours in total
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Components and application areas of GIS
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7 h: 6 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Thematic mapping
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5 h: 4 pract. ex., 10 min video lectures; 1 seminar.
Queries from GIS
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7 h: 1 outdoors studying; 5 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Georeferencing
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5 h: 3 practical exercises; 1 interactive lecture; 1 seminar.
Spatial data and databases
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¾ of which are dedicated to hands-on activities
5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Solving a problem
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5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
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Content of the course
6 modules 35 hours in total


Components and application areas of GIS


7 h: 6 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Thematic mapping
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5 h: 4 pract. ex., 10 min video lectures; 1 seminar.
Queries from GIS
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7 h: 1 outdoors studying; 5 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Georeferencing
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5 h: 3 practical exercises; 1 interactive lecture; 1 seminar.
Spatial data and databases
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¾ of which are dedicated to hands-on activities
5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
Solving a problem
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5 h: 4 practical exercises; 1 seminar.
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Queries from GIS
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Select regions satisfying given conditions
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Route queries
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e.g. parishes where the X party won in local elections;
e.g. find a route through the selected points of interest)
and critical analysis of results;
Description of regions
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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
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Different ways of defining proximity
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Selections by themes
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e.g. to find differences in landcover structure by
catchment areas;
Queries using map algebra
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e.g. how many countryside people are living close to
the cities?;
e.g. how to find suitable areas for camping;
What–if queries using server-side modelling
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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
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To realize the above-described framework a team of 10 people
with part-time involvement has been formed.
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Pilot schools to test our production include 4 secondary schools,
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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.
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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