This study introduces a learning activity that was designed based on two student-centered approaches to education: inquiry-based learning and multi-disciplinary education. Twenty-four second grade students participated in the study. The activity integrates geography, English, and technology and offers students opportunities for inquiry-based…

For a pre-kindergarten (preK) class, designing a 3-D map of a newly constructed playground offered authentic opportunities to participate, deliberate, and solve an authentic problem. Responding to the compelling question--"How do we build community spaces that are welcoming to, representative of, and sustaining for all community…

In undergraduate geography programs in the United States there is increasing demand for students to be prepared for real-world project management and to possess strong GIS technical skills and cartographic communication skills upon graduation. There is, however, limited time and opportunity within the framework of traditional undergraduate…

Map making is an exercise in spatial relationships, perspective, and direction, and also can increase students' knowledge of their community and sense of place. In a Roger Tory Peterson Institute program, children map the environment around their school and simultaneously learn science, mathematics, language arts, and social studies. Describes…

A project to help teachers use technology to enhance learning is tied to the Lewis and Clark Expedition bicentennial, to bring a sense of adventure to learning. A 3-day outdoor workshop emphasizing the Nez Perce role in the expedition and a mapping project tracing changes in Lewiston (Idaho) had 8th-graders using global positioning systems,…

Presents a simple, yet effective method for drawing a world map that helps younger students remember the continents, oceans, and major seas. The only materials required are a ruler, paper, and a world map (a transparency would work best). Includes suggestions for related activities and ways to improve map skills. (MJP)

A software development collaboration project designed to maximize the skill sets and interests of school children and teachers, educational software technologists and researchers, and college undergraduates is presented. The work brings elementary school children with college seniors and technology consultants to implement a problem-solving…