The Social Studies
ISSN: 0037-7996 (Print) 2152-405X (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/vtss20
Using GIS and GPS Technology as an Instructional
Tool
Herbert W. Broda & Ryan E. Baxter
To cite this article: Herbert W. Broda & Ryan E. Baxter (2003) Using GIS and GPS Technology as
an Instructional Tool, The Social Studies, 94:4, 158-160, DOI: 10.1080/00377990309600199
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00377990309600199
Published online: 02 Apr 2010.
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Using GIS and GPS Technology
as an Instructional Tool
I-IERBERT W. BRODA
RYAN E. BAXTER
P
assive students staring blankly at
computer screens has been a worrisome image for many educators. Often
we fear that technology can remove students from contact with the real world.
Two technologies that have been in
general use for many years, but are
mure recently appearing in the educational sector, provide the opportunity to
rcap the benefits of technology while
cngaging young adolescents i n an interactive environment.
Geographic Information Systems
( G I s ) and Global Positioning Systems
(GPS) have bcen used by industry, govcrnmental agencies, and the military
lor many years. The decreasing cost of
technulogy and the concurrent increasing availability of powerful computers
158
.IIJI~Y/AUGUST2003
in schools has made CIS technology a
viable tool for many teachers. In addition, the lower cost and recent government policy to permit unscrambled
satellite signals have made GPS
receivcrs very useful tools for the general population.
What Is the Difference?
The terms CIS and GPS are frequently confused by the general public. They
are not the same, although both can be
used effectively together.
CIS is a system that is designed to
store, retrieve, manipulate, and display
geographic data. “It is a package consisting of four parts: robust hardware, powerful software, special data, and a thinking explorer” (ESRI 1998, 2). Although
capable of much more, GIS technology
permits the user to analyze and manipulate different data “layers.” Layers could
be roads, streams, population, vegetation, land use, voting patterns, pollution
sites, and so forth. By manipulating the
layers, a student could examine, for
example, the relationship between
stream quality and pollution sites,
By performing such analyses using a
GIs, students gain a number of
improvements over traditional methods, such as paper maps. First, they are
THE SOCIAL STUDIES
able to overlay and symbolize any combination of layers, as if each were transparent. By doing so, students can visualize complex spatial relationships.
Visualization has been shown to be a
powerful way to understand problems,
identify solutions, and discover the
unexpected (MacEachren 1995). Second, students can ask the GIS questions. For example, a student may ask,
“Show me all of the census tracts within the Scioto River watershed that have
a population under 1,000”or “Show me
all of the landfills that were created
before 1975 that are located within 100
yards of a stream.” The ability to create
visualizations and spatial queries
makes CIS a powerful tool for students.
both in solving problems and engaging
their minds.
GPS is a radio navigation system that
allows land, sea, and airborne users to
determine accurate location, velocity.
and time twenty-four hours a day, anywhere in the world. A GPS receiver is i n
many ways a highly technologically
advanced version of the magnetic compass, but with capabilities that far sitrpass traditional orienteering. The
receiver continually gathers real-time
data from satellites, from which it calculates a person’s speed, location, altitude, and direction of travel.
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The cost of GPS receivers has
dropped significantly, with many moderately priced units being capable of
advanr:ecl functions. Such units, which
can be i i 4 small as a deck of cards, are
capable of displaying their location on
live n i a p . plotting a route to a destination, and downloading data into a CIS
or other computer program. Although
GPS units have increasing amounts of
CIS 1:unc.tionality built-in, they are primarily data-gathering tools. GIS, on the
other hand. is a data analysis and visualization tool.
GIS/(;PS and the Early
Adolescent Student
If ;I middle school is truly responsive
to the n t a i s of its students, it must provide v;iried teaching and learning
approaches and deliver a curriculum
that i \ challenging, integrative, and
exploratory (NMSA 1992). The use of
GPS and CIS technologies can provide
the vuriety, rigor, and interdisciplinary
instruction that are needed in middle
and high schools.
A Chtrii,~
of~PUY~and Place
Middle grade students crave a change
of pace ;ind place that alters the conventional pattern. A GPS device b‘
rives students thc opportunity to use the environment around the school as an integrating
context tor instruction. By going beyond
the classroom walls, we greatly increase
the probability that achievement will
increase (Lieberman and Hoody 1998).
In a ccry simple example, students use a
GPS clwice to locate points of interest
around the school or community (e.g.,
students mark the location of certain
species of trees, parks and recreation
center\, or bicycle routes, etc.). The
marked waypoints can then be downloaded into an existing map, or students
can ci’ca~eentirely new maps. By using
existing GIs data sets, students can also
examitie the relationships between their
points ot interest and other factors in the
community. For example, “Is there a
relationdiip between the location of
recreal ion centers and population density in the community?”
Compcitihle with Intellectud
Development
Young adolescents frequently shift
back and forth between concrete and
formal operational thought. GPS/GIS
activities can accommodate students at
differing levels of intellectual development. For the learner who is still working primarily at the concrete level, GPS
mapping activities provide hands-on
experiences out in the community. The
student actually constructs his or her
own map. Incorporating GIS data layers
allows students at more fomal operation
levels of intellectual development
opportunities to speculate about “why”
and “what if.”
GPS/GIS activities foster the innate
curiosity and sense of idealism that are
hallmarks of young adolescent development. Students begin to see maps in a far
richer context. N o longer is a map something only of use in an automobile;
instead, maps are seen as ways to acquire
and organize information about people,
places, and environments. Students
decide what GPS data to gather, and then
hypothesize about the configuration. CIS
data sets can be especially powerful in
helping students to speculate about the
interactions of human beings and the natural world. Quite naturally, such speculation quickly allows the young adolescent
to tlex his or her idealism.
Coniputihle with Higher-Order
Thinking Skills crtid Multiple
Intellityences Theory
The use of GPS/GIS activities provides a natural setting for the development of higher-order thinking skills.
Although basic information certainly
must be learned at the knowledge level,
students very quickly go beyond and are
challenged to:
gather data to show
;
from the data identify a trend:
propose a colution to a problem;
and
based on your opinion, explain
The interest-grabbing potential of
using real data from a student’s own
surroundings needs to be maximized. It
is a waste of resources to rely o n artificial textbook/worksheet data for investigation, when we can use the real thing.
Indeed students can generate their own
data sets.
The use of GIS/GPS tits with Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory. Linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial,
and interpersonal intelligences all can
be incorporated into GIS/GPS activities.
Gardner’s eighth intelligence (the naturalist) is also accommodated. A person
who is strong in the naturalist category
can find patterns in nature and categorize consequential distinctions in the
natural world. GPS and CIS technology
helps a student with a naturalist proclivity to record and analyze data in very
powerful formats.
A Dynamic Enhancement
to the Curriculum
Especially at the middle school level,
most educators prefer a curriculum that
is integrated, so that students can see
relationships among disciplines and can
explore issues and problems that are
important to them (Beane 1993).The use
of GIS/GPS technology provides natural
opportunities to coordinate instruction.
The technology provides the data. The
data to be collected and their purpose
determine the interdisciplinary direction
that may be taken. Students could, for
example, monitor water quality and plot
areas that are substandard. The gathering
and analysis of the data blend science
and mathematics. The process of creating and using maps exemplifies an ability to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective and
relates to the social studies i n general,
and geography in particular (Geographic
Education Standards Project 1994). The
language arts possibilities that could
spring from an analysis and reporting of
the results are many.
The use of GPS/GIS technology also
provides the opportunity to focus on an
area of the curriculum that for too long
has received only cursory attention at the
middle and high school levels. Unfortunately, many students graduate thinking
that geography is the memorization of
THE SOCIAL STUDIES
JULY/AUGUST 2003
159
states and capitals and is useful only for
reading a road map. By using the geographic technology available today, students are able to go beyond textbook
maps and build their own representations of the world in spatial terms. By
using CIS data, students can dramatically see the effects of both human and
physical systems on the earth, and more
specifically, their own communities.
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Getting Started
Although the learning potential for
GlS/GPS technology is great, people
may also expect too much too soon
(ESKI 1998). Use of geographic technology requires access to adequate
hardware and software, as well as training for the teacher. The Environmental
Systems Research Institute identifies as
;I major barrier a “pedagogical style not
conducive to using CIS, especially as an
exploratory tool” (ESRI 1998, 12). To
makc effective use of GPS and CIS
technology the teacher must be willing
to allow students to explore and challcngc students to think critically about
the data they gather and analyze. Obviously, using ‘‘live’’ data can lead to
many unanticipated findings, and interesting correlations.
The formal definition of GIS given
earlier identifies four primary components: hardwarc, software, data, and a
thinking explorer, all four of which
must be in place.
I . Hurdwwre. Today, computers are
priced reasonably and are designed for
diverse users, rendering then1 significantly more accessible to individuals
nnd schools. To address the hardware
needs of a CIS, therefore, a school may
need to look only to its existing computer resources. Otherwise, systems can be
purchased from vendors, often at
reduced cost with educational discounts.
2 . S o j t w r e . Currently, there are a
variety of GlS programs that are tailored to particular applications, notably
IC-12 education. These programs are
dcsigned with user-friendly graphical
user interfaces that are intuitive and
casy to learn. CIS software now runs on
160
JUI,Y/AUGUST 2003
standard desktop personal computers,
likely the sort currently used in schools.
Prices vary widely; however, educational institutions often qualify for significant discounts and assistance from GIS
vendors.
3. Dutcr. In the context of GIs, data
refers to the features that are mapped as
layers in the computer system, for
example, roads, habitat boundaries, or
satellite imagery. Data i n a GIS are
comparable to words in a word processor. Although a word processor may
have powerful tools for editing, formatting, and spell checking, if you do not
provide the appropriate words, the tools
are useless. Likewise with a GIs, if you
do not provide the appropriate data, the
tools available in the GIS are useless.
Therefore, acquiring quality, relevant
data is crucial to a successful GIs.
Data can be created by importing
GPS points or by scanning paper maps,
for example. However, it is not always
necessary to create data from scratch.
As CIS has become more widely used
around the world, a vast amount of data
has already been compiled that is available to the public, sometimes for a fee
but increasingly for free over the lnternet. Most state, federal, and many local
government agencies create data and
distribute it freely. Other institutions,
such as universities, businesses, and
CIS data clearinghouses are likely
sources of free data as well.
4. Thinking Explorer. The specific
use of a GIS in a classroom is limited
only by the imagination of teachers and
students. The tools and data are available; it is up to the users of the GIS to
make things happen. To be able to tap a
GIs’s potential, users should obtain
some level of training to understand GIS
concepts and capab
the many books about GIs, most software vendors offer training classes, with
tuition discounts for educators. Vendors,
government agencies, and other Web
sites also offer online tutorials, many at
no cost. Many funding opportunities
also exist through government and
industry that encourage schools to integrate technology in their curriculum.
THE SOCIAL STUDIES
A Powerful Instructional Option
Although the integration of GPS and
GIS activities into the middle and secondary school curriculum is just beginning to gain momentum, the educational potential is enormous. The
highly interactive, creative, and handson nature of GIS/GPS can create powerful learning experiences for early
adolescents.
This unique combination of technology also makes it possible to integrate
both indoor and outdoor experiences.
Rather than removing our students from
the real world, technology can help
them to explore, experience, and analyze their surroundings in a direct and
engaging format.
Key words: technology, CIS, GPS.
interactive learning, curriculum, teuching tools
NOTE
Resources for additional information:
Environmental Systems Research Institutc (ESRI) at <www.esri.com> and
<www.esri.com/industries/k- 12/>; Internet
Guide to GIS at iwww.gis.com>; CIS Day
at <www.gisday.com>; and Pennsylvania
Spatial Data Access (data clearinghouse) at
<www.pasda,psu.edu>.
REFERENCES
Beane, J. A. 1993. A middle .school curriculum: From rhetoric to reality (2d ed.).
Columbus, Oh.: National Middle School
Association.
Environmental Systems Research Institute
(ESRI), Inc. 1998. GIS in K-12 education: An ESRI white puper-Murch, 1998.
Redlands, Calif.: ESRI.
Geographic Education Standards Project.
1994. Geography for lijie: National geography standards 1994. Washington, D.C.:
National Geographic Society.
Lieberman, G. A., and L. L. Hoody. 1998.
Closing the achievement gap: Using the
environment as an integrating context for
learning. San Diego, Calif.: State Education and Environment Roundtable.
MacEachren, A. M. 1995. How inups work.
New York: Guilford Press.
National Middle School Association. 1992.
This we believe: Developmentully responsive middle level schools. (2d. d.).
Columbus, Oh.: National Middle School
Association.