Melinda Laituri and Sophia Linn
What began as an effort to provide a service learning component to GIS graduate students at Colorado State University has evolved into a community-wide project incorporating ArcView GIS into K-12 classrooms to improve student achievement in the Colorado geography and science standards. The project involves graduate students, professors, GIS users, school district content/technology specialists, and K-12 teachers working in teams to develop standards-based lessons and assessments using ArcView. In addition, students experience "real world" GIS applications through the assistance of local users during GIS Summer Camps and short-term internships. The project may serve as a partnership model for other interested communities.
This paper describes the Colorado State University(CSU)/poudre School District (PSD) Spatial Information Technologies (SIT) and Geographic Education Partnership. The CSU-PSD Partnership has evolved into an ambitious project that is made up of the following elements:
The project has four specific outcomes:
Why Spatial Information Technologies?
The CSU-PSD Partnership incorporates a variety of spatial technologies to enhance the education of both CSU and PSD students. Spatial information technologies (SIT) include various tools that inventory, assess and analyze geographic information in a computerized environment. Geographic information systems (GIS) are currently used in business, government and research as a means to organize large amounts of data and conduct analysis. A GIS allows the computer to "think" it is a map - a map with the ability to analyze geographic information and to tell its users about any part of the world at almost any level of detail. Remotely sensed data (RS - satellite imagery, aerial photography) are an example of the types of information that may be used for classification of vegetative communities or current land cover. This type of data can be used in a GIS to update and improve existing information about changes on the landscape. Global positioning systems (GPS) allows the user to know where he/she is on the earth (their position: latitude and longitude coordinates, and their location: where they are in relation to other objects) by consulting a radio receiver and using the constellation of 24 satellites orbiting the earth. GPS can be used to verify RS data and to "map" information in the field. These spatial information technologies have become fundamental tools of the geographer and provide new and innovative ways to think about the world. The cost of using these technologies has significantly decreased in the past several years. The Internet is a vast resource for accessing public domain GIS information and RS data allowing greater access for users at all levels.
There is a movement to incorporate GIS into K-12 education, to serve "not as a prop for didactic instruction, but as a tool for supporting project-based learning" (EDGIS, Pedagogy Curriculum Issues, http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/conf/EDGIS96/curriculum.html). The integrative nature of geography and such technologies provides an effective link to other disciplines and standards such as Math and Science. Engaging students in "real world" geographic problems using spatial technologies will heighten student interest in the field, create a greater awareness of interconnections between disciplines and consequently lead towards greater student achievement.
Teachers in PSD, like many teachers across the country, are keenly aware of the importance of computers and the potential for their use in education. Even though computer hardware may be available at many schools, the missing link between technology and improved content instruction is staff development. PSD faces increasing demands for geography skills. With the introduction of geography standards, teachers need to raise their level of understanding of the depth and breadth of geography. SIT tools can help them realize the applicability of geographic knowledge to answer relevant and interesting questions. Coupled with the adoption of the geography standards, K-12 teachers need programs, instruction and ideas about how to effectively teach geography using "state of the art" technology that is currently used outside the classroom for a myriad of applications in the "real world."
The CSU-PSD Spatial Information Technologies and Geographic Education Partnership
The CSU-PSD Partnership has gone through several iterations over the past two years. In 1997 the CSU/pSD Partnership was established. In June of that year, a workshop was held at CSU to introduce and demonstrate spatial information technologies to teachers. Interested teachers were identified for partnering with CSU students. During the Fall semester of 1997, five seventh grade and two third grade exercises were developed focusing on a wide variety of topics.
A technology assessment of the district was conducted to determine the feasibility of incorporating GIS into the curriculum and classroom. An important factor in developing ways to use SIT has been to introduce K-12 students to SIT regardless of the level of technology at the school. Equity and access is an increasingly important aspect of advanced technology (Laituri, in press). Fortunately, almost all schools in PSD have Internet access and the District is committed to improvement of technology resources. A recent mill levy was passed in the City of Fort Collins that provides funds exclusively for technology improvements in the K-12 system. However there remains problems with regard to overbooking computer laboratories at some schools. Consequently, the Internet is an important tool in allowing access to the CSU student projects and other Internet resources via demonstrations using a single mobile computer in a classroom.
ESRI’s ArcView GIS program was selected as the software of choice due to its user-friendly interface, low cost of the ESRI educational discount and the widespread use of ArcView software in business and industry. In December of 1997, a two-day ArcView workshop was conducted by an ESRI trainer for 35 teachers. The overwhelming response from the teachers was the desire for more training, but training that specifically targeted K-12 needs. In 1998, ESRI ArcView Schools and Libraries Bundles were purchased for four elementary schools, three junior high schools and three high schools. In 1999, ten more bundles will be purchased. The strategy as been to purchase ArcView GIS software for installation at participating schools, focusing on "feeder links" between elementary, junior high and high school for student and content continuity.
The CSU-PSD Partnership is made of the following components discussed in the subsequent sections of the paper:
A) NR 505: Partnering CSU students and PSD teachers
One aspect of the partnership focuses on enhancing communication and understanding between higher education and K-12 classrooms by using spatial information technologies (SIT), specifically GIS, GPS, RS and the Internet. The objectives of the on-going partnership are:
Using the graduate class, NR 505 - Concepts in GIS, as the vehicle for collaboration graduate students at CSU are partnered with K-12 teachers to design exercises using spatial technologies in the classroom. Graduate students work with teachers to create hands-on exercises using such tools as GIS, RS and GPS, keeping in mind the geography standards. It is important to note that the concept of "real world" applications is developed at two distinct levels throughout this project. Whereas K-12 students are introduced to a state of the art technology that is utilized by professionals in many different settings; CSU students must grapple with the implementation of a real GIS project. During the semester, their task is to create a "mini-GIS" project that includes project design, data collection, analysis, and teacher instructions. Their project is designed in concert with their K-12 partner. Teachers are responsible for activity and content suggestions while the graduate students focus on GIS concepts and the application of the technology. The CSU students learn to operate across platforms, download data and manipulate information. In addition, all projects must be available via the Internet and located on the CSU/pSD website: http://www.cnr.colostate.edu/avproject/csu-psd. (Fully downloadable CSU projects from the Internet are still under construction; however, project descriptions and teacher instructions are available.)
A critical aspect of the NR 505 class is the service learning component. Research indicates that students’ academic learning is significantly enhanced by participation in course-relevant community service (Markus, Howard and King, 1993). Service learning is based on the assumption that experience is the foundation for learning and course-related community service directly benefits students academically. As a land grant institution, CSU is in a natural position to embrace service learning because service to the community is part of the traditional three-fold mission of teaching, research and outreach (Cleary and Benson, 1998). The CSU/pSD Partnership provides a forum for community outreach for CSU students, as well as providing PSD with a pool of technically-trained people that could not otherwise be hired.
In Summer 1998, a one-week teacher training workshop was held that introduced teachers to ArcView GIS. The following year, two week-long workshops were held; the first week was an introductory class with 37 teachers. The second class was composed of 23 teachers from previous workshops and media specialists. All participants have the requisite hardware and software at their schools to enhance the teachers’ ability to learn and implement the new technology at their school.
These workshops are intensive and dynamic. The training is designed to emphasize GIS analysis while devising methods for teaching the geography standards. Teachers are introduced to numerous resources on the Internet as well as materials developed by ESRI, most notably ArcVoyager. A binder of teaching materials was created that includes related GIS articles, interesting websites, training exercises, ready-made lessons to implement in the classroom, and teacher instructions for CSU student projects. Training exercises were developed with K-12 applications in mind. For example, one exercise focused on how to compare different projections. Linking geographical concepts with software training is a critical element in the course materials devised for K-12 teachers. In addition, teachers who had been partnered with CSU students in previous years, presented their CSU student projects by accessing the CSU-PSD website and describing how they used the project in the classroom.
After introductory exercises, teachers were organized in teams by grade level. Brainstorming sessions were held in order for teachers to define a project and develop a strategy for implementation. Based upon data available during the workshop, teachers were asked to begin to develop a project for use in their classes. Additional data for teacher-initiated projects will be gathered by CSU students. New projects will also be developed in the 1999 Fall semester. At the end of the workshop, each team presented their project describing their purpose and intent for classroom instruction.
A critical aspect of the project is on-going, on-call support for teachers on-site, both for using technology and for understanding and adapting the curriculum. Many teachers lack the confidence to begin to use the technology on their own. The district does have technology support people, but most have little or no experience with GIS or geography. A trouble-shooter familiar with the technology and content is needed for teacher support. Two content/technology specialists support geography and earth sciences teachers as they embark on their implementation of spatial technologies.
In addition to providing support for teachers who have participated in the summer workshops, the content/technology specialists produce content lessons and conduct presentations for all teachers at each school that has the hardware and ArcView software. This ensures that everyone receives exposure to the capabilities of the resources they now have. These on-site presentations illustrate the potential uses of GIS in the classroom and encourage teachers to put it to use.
In concert with a CSU graduate research assistant, the Content/technology Specialists have been key to ensuring the CSU student projects are properly installed, loaded and running at each site. This continued support for teachers has been especially important to the success of utilization of the GIS projects.
The Front Range in general, and Fort Collins in particular, boasts a large number of GIS users in many different fields. In order to tap into the wealth of knowledge present in the community, the project has established a Community Advisory Board. The Board is comprised of members of the community who use GIS and include representatives from: Larimer County Commissioner’s Office, the U.S. Geological Survey, CSU Departments of Earth Resources, Forest Sciences, Environmental Health, and the Natural Resources Ecology Lab (NREL), City of Fort Collins, and Center for Ecological Management of Military Lands (CEMML). The purpose of the Board is to provide technical software support, to offer "real-world" examples and experiences, to serve as internship sponsors, and to help evaluate teacher and student products. Several Advisory Board members participated in the GIS Kids Camp. They have also donated materials and contributed data to the Kids Camp and CSU student projects.
In Summer 1999, a GIS Kids Camp was conducted for 21 students, grades 7 - 12. The students worked on "real world" projects with the assistance of the content/technology specialists, university professors, graduate students and local GIS users. They learned to use ArcView, its applications, and data retrieval and conversion. During the Camp, students used an inquiry approach to come up with a problem and solution. For example, students were posed the question, "Given all the development happening in Fort Collins, is there a need for a new high school? And if so, where?" Using "real" issues and local data proved extremely successful for engaging the students. These students have the potential to act at aids to trained teachers and mentors to other students learning SIT during the school year. Many of the students have expressed interest in pursuing an internship or further study using GIS.
The CSU/pSD Partnership has been successful for several reasons. The project has been funded through numerous grants since 1997 that have enabled the support of software purchase, teacher training and teacher support (refer to Acknowledgments). Teacher support has been provided not only via training and content/technology support specialists, but also in the form of stipends that enable teachers to attend week-long summer workshops and meetings with CSU students throughout the school year. These stipends are not a significant amount, but they do serve to recognize that teacher time is valuable. The dedication and enthusiasm of the PSD staff and teachers has been overwhelming. The project has grown rapidly from year to year based on requests from teachers to be a part of the training.
A plan has evolved whereby SIT is integrated into the curriculum at each school, between schools and grade levels via technology and content. Media specialists have been trained at each of their schools to provide support for teachers using SIT. Teachers of the same grade level from different schools have been partnered with each other to devise GIS projects. For example, sixth grade teachers from three different schools are developing a project that compares the natural resources of the United States, Canada and Mexico. However, the database for this same project, provides the basis for a project devised for high schools: endangered species and ecosystem management of wilderness areas between these same countries. The continuity of topic and technology between schools and grade levels will enhance the success of utilizing SIT for instruction.
Two other factors contributing to the success of the project are the content/technology support specialists and the development of ready-to-use lessons. The specialists have created demonstration projects as well as building upon the CSU student projects. Their ability to travel to the various schools and work with the teachers in their resident labs and classrooms has been invaluable for increasing teacher "comfort levels" with the technology. Ready-made lessons allow for immediate use of SIT in the classroom, however the question of how to teach using this tool remains. In planning their projects, teachers are asked to consider how they will be using the various projects in their classrooms: will they use the project for demonstration or show and tell using an In Focus projector? Will they conduct the project in a laboratory? Will students work in teams, individually or in groups? Will students have access to only one computer or many? How much time will be dedicated to the project? A single class period or a week? Initial planning regarding how the project will be used in class helps to address the issue of how to teach with new technology. In addition, the materials developed by ESRI’s Library and Schools Bundle (i.e., preexisting data sets, ArcVoyager) provide excellent data sets and information for "jumpstarting" project development.
Several lessons have been learned during the course of this project to date. These lessons can be categorized in three general areas: resources, technical issues and pedagogy. Continued support is crucial for long-term sustainability. Support personnel are currently supported via grants over a two year period. Funding needs to be secured for these positions to ensure on-going, on-site, on-call support. In addition, new technology often demands more hardware and software. Software upgrades and extensions will be needed in the future. Projects and databases need to be physically stored somewhere. Should a server be purchased and dedicated to SIT activities? And who will maintain and update the web site?
A second set of problems is largely technical in nature. Working across platforms has proved to be difficult. CSU students create projects in the UNIX environment and projects must be ported to Macintosh computers. Numerous technical problems have been identified, primarily related to directory structures and relative versus absolute paths. For the most part, these problems have been solved. However, the most serious consideration for the continued success of this project is the lack of development by ESRI of new versions of ArcView in the Macintosh environment. Whereas all the PSD high schools have both Macintosh and PC laboratories, K-8 are predominately Macintosh sites. CSU graduate students use the most current version of a given software which makes working with K-8 teachers problematic as older versions of software are not maintained on the CSU computer network. The Partnership projects may focus exclusively on high schools, leaving K-8 projects to be developed by the content/technology specialists and resident teachers.
A different aspect of technical issues has to do with the site-specific computer facilities at each school. Levels of technology differ at each school. Laboratories range from state-of-the-art to aging computers with overloaded servers. Technical glitches in implementing a SIT project will be unique to each school. A close working relationship between teachers, media specialists and the content/technology support specialist is critical. In addition, increased laboratory time is needed for practice "runs" of projects to be used in the classroom.
A third set of issues focuses on pedagogy. Teaching with new and innovative technologies is a multi-faceted challenge that demands new strategies for implementation in the classroom. Teachers need training to learn the software. They need to learn methods how to teach using the software. And they need to make sure the lessons are content-based on their curriculum. This challenge is further compounded by the interdisciplinary nature of SIT. The investment of time to learn and utilize these technologies will continue to be an important issue for teachers. Also, there is the potential to emphasize the technology rather than the content and to privilege specific learning styles (Bowers, 1995). Computer-based technologies offer only another tool of the myriad of tools teachers use.
SIT in general, and GIS specifically allow the users to conduct geographical analysis that goes beyond creating maps or hotlinking to photographs or interesting web sites. Teachers need a baseline understanding of GIS questions that address application-oriented issues. Issue-based learning can make explicit interdisciplinary connections. Applications of geographical analysis can introduce users to the true utility of GIS and present a picture of geography that is beyond "facts and figures" approach. Workshops need to be conducted that demonstrate and define the notion of geographical analysis that allows one to create, extract and display new information from spatial data.
Finally, the development of new teaching strategies must be linked to outcomes and assessments. SIT projects should reflect the assessment strategy and address the standards. Designing SIT projects based upon a specific assessment tool will greatly enhance the ability to measure the impact of SIT on the learning process.
The CSU/pSD Spatial Information Technologies and Geographic Education Partnership is funded by the Colorado Department of Education for another year. The overarching success of the project has been twofold: 1) the bringing together of community through linking higher education, K-12 and local government and business and 2) the recognition of the integrative nature of SIT that allows for cross-disciplinary applications and increased communication between teachers, trainers, professionals and the community.
Bowers, C.A. 1995. Educating for an Ecologically Sustainable Culture: Rethinking Moral Education, Creativity, Intelligence, and Other Modern Orthodoxies. New York: SUNY.
Cleary, C. and D. Benson. 1998. The service integration project: institutionalizing university service learning. The Journal of Experiential Education. Vol 21(3):124-29.
EDGIS, Pedagogy Curriculum Issues, http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/education/conf/EDGIS96/curriculum.html
Geography Education Standards Project, 1994. Geography for Life: National Geography Standards. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Research and Exploration.
Laituri, M. In Press. Marginal societies and geographic information systems. In Empowerment, Marginalization, and Public Participation GIS, Craig, W. and D. Weiner, (eds). Santa Barbara, CA: NCGIA.
Markus, G., J. Howard and D. King, 1993. Integrating community service and classroom instruction enhances learning: results from an experiment. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Vol.15(4).
The authors acknowledge the assistance, support and dedication of the other team members of the project: Pam Uhls, Social Studies Curriculum Specialist, PSD in coordinating the CSU/pSD Partnership and Marsha Ring, GIS Coordinator and School to Career, PSD in developing and implementing GIS projects throughout the school district. We also acknowledge the support and assistance of Eva Wallace, Curriculum Support, PSD in supervising the logistics of workshops, training sessions and meetings.
This project has been supported by grants from Colorado State University, Poudre School District, the National Geographic Society Education Foundation and the Colorado Department of Education.
Melinda Laituri, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Resources, Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado
telephone: (970) 491-0292, fax: (970) 491-6307
e-mail: mell@cnr.colostate.edu
Sophia Linn, M.A.
Geography Education Consultant
114 Frey Avenue
Fort Collins, Colorado
Telephone/Fax: (970) 224-9117
email: sophia@verinet.com