"Using GPS To Track The Class"

The article is called "Finding Their Way with GIS" and it is by Alec M. Bodzin, Thomas C. Hammond, Jane Carr, and Serena Calario and it is from August 2009.

This article discusses the wide range of uses of Geospatial information technologies (GIT)and products, such as Google Earth, global positioning systems (GPS), and geographic information systems (GIS). The article discusses that since these systems are being seen everywhere, like being integrated into cell phones, it is now vital for students to learn how to use these tools "for visualizing, mapping, and analyzing multiple layers of georeferenced data." Most importantly, the article addresses the "challenges to using geospatial technologies in school". One challenge is the fact that there is lack of classroom curriculum materials. In order to address this problem, they established a partnership involving two teacher-educator/researchers and two seventh grade technology classroom teachers in an urban mid-Atlantic middle school to collaboratively design and develop and inquiry-driven instructional unit that focused on promoting spatial-thinking skills. The article also discusses the school and what the student dynamic is like. The article states that "our school enrolls students from diverse ethnic backgrounds...all the students in the 7th grade rotate through a technology class consisting of 30 instructional days." The article also talks about how the classes are grouped heterogeneously and they include students of all ability levels. Most of all, many of the students are geographically unaware. The class not only develops their technology skills, but the students also learn geography content and skills in the context of real-world applications and experiences. Lastly, the article provides you with a detailed example of a lesson that the technology class did called the "GIS Storm Sewers Unit." This instructional unit successfully combined technology learning and geographic skills in an authentic inquiry about students' immediate environment. After the unit was complete, the data revealed that students had "enhanced mental maps, a better understanding of geographic coordinates, improved mapping skills, and growth in their spatial analysis abilities."

Through this article, my eyes were completely opened to a new way of learning. I have heard of and seen the GPS products used on phones and in cars and they have always seemed very useful and convenient but I never knew that they could be used to teach middle school students about things like mapping skills and geographic coordinates in the classroom. I would love to one day have the chance to adapt this unit for my classroom and at my school. I know that one of the challenges would be the resources and funds available and I will take this into consideration once I begin to teach. I will also find different ways to open students’ minds to learning about the world around them and to enhance their geographical skills. I believe that it is necessary to begin using technology tools in this way and it is important to take advantage of all the different advancements in technology that are being created and use them to improve and enhance learning for the better.