I have created and conducted a workshop on “mapping the curriculum”, shared here.
This workshop is designed to build (1) geographic concepts, (2) perspectives, and (3) skills for those who are interested in teaching with web-based maps and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The goal of this workshop is to enable and equip social studies, STEM, language arts, and other educators to understand geotechnologies in engaging and informed way and to understand why and how geography and maps are relevant to 21st Century life.
The workshop includes investigating population, land use, urban, economic, health, natural hazards, and other themes. Running throughout the workshop will be a focus on scale, systems thinking (such as climate, watersheds, and energy systems), critical thinking, time and space, and place. The workshop will be taught through an inquiry-driven, hands-on, problem-based format. The workshop includes a focus on how and why maps “work”, understanding data sources and content, and why web-based geotechnologies represent a transformational shift in spatial thinking and the use of maps in society.