Abstract

Who's Swimming in Our Gulf? GIS for Marine Education
Track: Teaching with GIS in Schools
Author(s): Kara Johnson

GIS has slowly been incorporated into classroom settings but there are still challenges; major hurdles include time and learning expensive software. This is unfortunate because classrooms get caught up in learning about GIS instead of learning with GIS. With proper support, GIS can provide a means for students to learn about complex multi-disciplinary questions that may appear overwhelming. Through my on-line, marine GIS guided curriculum, high school students role play stakeholders in the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team and work together using GIS to create a new whale sanctuary in the Gulf of Maine. Students first read about GIS then use the tools of either ArcReader or ArcMap to answer guided questions. Once students are comfortable with GIS tools, they start analyzing predetermined GIS layers to establish their sanctuary. The guided approach allows manageable steps, understanding of a complex system, and highlights the interdisciplinary benefits of GIS.

Kara Johnson
COA
105 Eden St
Bar Harbor , Maine 04609
United States
Phone: 203-535-7652
E-mail: kjohnson@coa.edu