Explores the use of the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) computer program by undergraduate geography students. Argues that, through place name mapping, students can integrate geographic concepts and explore geographic themes in an atmosphere of self-discovery. Offers as an example a GNIS exploration of Wisconsin's valleys. (SG)

Describes a series of exploratory experiments that investigated information professionals' and geographers' use of geographic materials. Mental models used in the manipulation of geographic data are discussed; the improvement of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is addressed; and Spotlight, a new interactive tool for exploring maps, is…

Describes photosketching, including classroom applications in language arts, social studies, history, art, geography, and physical education; the materials that are needed; and actual procedures involved in teaching students the photosketching process. (Contains three references.) (LRW)

Explains geospatial data (which describes aspects of geographic features normally found on maps that are now in digital form) and discusses its use in geographic information systems. Topics addressed include areas for standardization; policy development; and partnerships between federal, state, and local governments and the private sector. (12…

Contains student papers and abstracts of panel discussions on the following topics: (1) social impact of networked communications; (2) text authenticity issues; (3) geographic information systems; (4) the dilemma of open networks versus information accuracy and personal rights; and (5) empowering medical applications via the network. (KRN)

Suggests ways to improve secondary school students' locational knowledge. Argues for teaching strategies that emphasize the value of locational information. Discusses the importance of memory in the development of locational skills. Suggests that issue-oriented instruction can promote the development of such skills. (SG)

Emphasizes writing a dissertation in undergraduate geography study as a means of giving the student some control over subject matter. Offers criteria for selecting a topic including originality, topicality, feasibility, and likelihood of sustaining student interest. Warns that choices by academic supervisors may be made with regard to grant money…

Examines the public confusion and intergovernmental conflicts that arise from overlapping jurisdictions in "Indian Country" (reservations and surrounding counties). Presents legal and proprietal, ethnohistorical, and political-geographical views of Indian Country. Discusses jurisdictional problems related to geography, subject matter…

Discusses the difficulty of teaching computer-based remote sensing to students of varying levels of computer literacy. Suggests an instructional method that accommodates all levels of technical expertise through the use of microcomputers. Presents a curriculum that includes an introduction to remote sensing, digital image processing, and…

Discusses the exchange of plants and animals that resulted from the contact between Europe and the Americas. Includes a table of percentages of the world's crops and animal populations in the western hemisphere. Describes the social disruption that resulted from the agricultural exchange by the spread of slavery and other exploitive labor…

Explores the role of adaptation in cultural diffusion. Explains that adaptation theory recognizes the lack of independence between innovations and their environmental settings. Discusses testing and selection, modification, motivation, and cognition. Suggests that adaptation effects are pervasive in cultural diffusion but require a broader, more…

Discusses the move toward advanced professional certification in geography. Explains that the certification will be available for teachers in social studies generally and those who consciously infuse geography in other classes. Describes how the certification program will work, necessary qualifications for candidates, and possible benefits to the…

Describes a textbook and a videotape series that show that geography can be integrated successfully into the teaching of other subjects. Suggests that the textbook takes a subtle approach that focuses on mathematics while introducing geography too. Discusses the video series in which geography and history deliberately are woven together into a…

The concept of sustainable agriculture from the perspective of development in Kenya is discussed. The steps in an Environmental Impact Assessment which takes into account the physical, cultural, social, and ecological aspects of the problem are presented. (CW)

Inspired by Brendan's fantastic sea adventures, this article describes a cooperative university-faculty project to redesign the elementary social studies curriculum in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The new plan employs literature (biography, historical novels, travel accounts, myths and legends, religious stories, poetry, and drama) to enliven study…