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UID:pretalx-foss4g-2022-9DLEBU@talks.staging.osgeo.org
DTSTART;TZID=CET:20220826T151500
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DESCRIPTION:The introduction of technology in the education sphere has brou
 ght about improvement regarding the quality of education young and old ind
 ividuals receive. A country’s development plays a huge factor in the qua
 lity of services its people receive\, therefore not every country will rec
 eive the same quality of services.\nClassroom GIS has changed how Geograph
 y as an academic subject is taught. It has sparked interest in the practic
 al component of the subject and gives more understanding to the strong rel
 ationship between theory and map work. This leads to the concept of spatia
 l thinking and how it has allowed geography educators around the world\, s
 ome without basic GIS education\, to see the importance of including more 
 GIS concepts in the high school geography curriculum.\nSeveral GIS softwar
 e packages are available that educators can use to teach their students. B
 ut taking into account the availability of resources when focusing on the 
 African continent\, it is probable that free software and hardware plays a
  key role in the development of GIS concepts being included in the geograp
 hy curriculum. It is affordable\, and learning resources are readily avail
 able\, in terms of tutorials\, documentation and more.\n“This inclinatio
 n towards GIS textbook lecturing has largely jeopardized the quality of GI
 S education”. - (Fleischmann and van der Westhuizen\, 2020 found in The 
 Journal of Geography Education in Africa)\nAdvocacy to include GIS practic
 es and strategies in geography education across Africa have been documente
 d\, but has not received the necessary exposure it needs from its governme
 nts. The majority of GIS teaching has been textbook-based\, making the int
 roduction of GIS technology and education a frightening phase that educato
 rs may not want to engage in.\nTo overcome the fears behind understanding 
 and grasping basic GIS concepts in the classroom\, interactive GIS tutoria
 ls may help to remove these fears and make the adoption of GIS simple\, es
 pecially within countries where service delivery (education services) is p
 oor. \nQGIS for example is an open-source GIS software that has been aroun
 d for 20 years\, it has shown tremendous improvements and upgrades through
 out its 20 years. Its user-friendly capabilities have improved\, making it
  ideal to introduce more geography educators and learners to the software.
  It has tutorials and material that is suited for individuals from differe
 nt walks of the profession. \nThe tutorials are interactive and allow firs
 t-time users to readily engage with the material. For both learner and edu
 cator to understand the material and not get overwhelmed. The key factors 
 to understand are\; GIS can be implemented into the African geography scho
 ol curriculum\, open-source software is key to overcoming limitations such
  as lack of resources and geography educators are willing to take on GIS w
 ith sufficient training. More urgent research is needed on reliable and su
 stainable methods and practices of teaching GIS in a secondary school clas
 sroom.
DTSTAMP:20260403T220250Z
LOCATION:Room 9
SUMMARY:Classroom GIS in South Africa - Seabilwe Tilodi
URL:https://talks.staging.osgeo.org/foss4g-2022/talk/9DLEBU/
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