AbstractGIS to Support Case-Based Environmental Science Education Track: Designing GIS Curriculum for K–12 Education Author(s): Daniel Edelson, Meridith Bruozas Environmental issues have a geographic character. GIS technologies provide the opportunity to bring data describing these issues into the classroom. The Geographic Data in Education Initiative has been engaged in research and development on the use of GIS tools to support case-based environmental science education. In this presentation, we will describe how we have used GIS tools and data to enable students to learn fundamental environmental processes in the context of real-world cases. For example, in one curriculum unit we have developed, students learn about the environmental impacts and economic trade-offs of different sources of energy through extended projects that culminate in decisions about what type of power plant to build in a particular region and where to locate it in that region. To make these decisions, students work with authentic environmental data in ArcView. We will provide examples from two different National Science Foundation-funded curriculum development projects. Daniel Edelson Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy 2120 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 60208 US Phone: 847-467-1337 E-mail: d-edelson@northwestern.edu Meridith Bruozas Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy 2120 Campus Drive Evanston, IL 60208 US Phone: 847-467-1337 E-mail: m-bruozas@northwestern.edu |