School boards put GIS on the map: Nova Scotia, Ontario have added mapping software to their curricula

Nova Scotia and Ontario are getting with the curriculum by bringing new technology into the classroom. Both provinces are integrating geographical information system (GIS) software into their curriculums, allowing students to use dynamic mapping programs instead of static maps or globes.

The provinces have licensed ArcView GIS from Toronto-based ESRI Canada to provide this functionality. For Nova Scotia's Department of Education, GIS is part of its information economy initiative, whereby the federal and provincial governments work with school boards to develop a more computer-literate workforce. This initiative involves putting 6,000 computers in schools and providing professional development for teachers.

Wayne Hamilton, an IT consultant with the Nova Scotia Department of Education, Learning Resources and Technology, says the GIS initiative is aimed at grades seven through 12, and 242 schools out of roughly 400 will be participating in the program (some schools are already involved in an ongoing technology project).

The computers are distributed to students on a one-to-five ratio, and Hamilton points out it was never intended to be a one-to-one ratio.

"We don't want kids on the machines all the time," he says. "It's certainly not meant to replace all other methods of teaching -- it's there as a supplement and a tool to be used where and when it's appropriate."

In addition to ArcView, schools are also using Geometry Sketchpad for mathematics and a series of science probes for science.

"(Students) can go out with a probe, do the measurements, do the analysis," Hamilton point out. "Then the geography section can plot those and make reports with the mapping software, so there's a lot of integration. We're trying to get students to understand, you don't just do math in math class."

The project has led to partnerships with various colleges and universities in the province. For example, the Acadian Institute of Teaching and Technology (AITT) is working with the province's school boards on how to best integrate technology into teaching.

"We've actually started to put together data sets for use in school from all the various agencies -- GIS on its own as a mapping program is really nothing without the data," says Hamilton. "We sat down with allthe data providers within the province and they're proving us data sets free."

The project spans three years and costs $86 million (there is still one final year for the additional professional development of teachers). Funding was provided by both the federal and provincial governments.

"Money is always scarce no matter where you live," says Hamilton, "but this was seen as (having) really excellent returns on investment."

In Ontario, the Ministry of Education has licensed ArcView GIS for all publicly funded schools in the province. As a result of the implementation of GIS in high schools, colleges and universities have been forced to reexamine their programs.

Doug Banting, a professor with the Applied Geography Program at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, has been teaching GIS since 1981. He estimates that 85 per cent of graduates will work with GIS in their careers.

One problem with technology implementation is that teachers are expected to be able to discuss intelligently all the characteristics of that software.

"The temptation is to teach the software, and if there's anything I can advise it's don't teach the software, don't get married to one piece of software," he says. "If you're teaching geography, that's what you're teaching -- geography."

He says teachers must be cautious about being too focused on the software; rather, they should focus on the method that students are going to learn from using the software.

"I don't think we should turn out drones who only know how to do one thing when they graduate," he says, "but I think we should have a career objective as something at the end of the tunnel."

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Jul 2000
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