The value of spatial visualisations during disasters

Images: Up in the air between Sydney and Canberra.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Where am I?
Canberra, Australia: S: 35º 15' E: 149º 08'


With recent tragic events associated with the Queensland floods, Cyclone Yasi in Northern Queensland and now the devastating Christchurch earthquake, the visualisation of extent and impact via remote sensing and spatial visualisations have come to the forefront of reporting. TV and newspaper reporting have effectively used the capacity of spatial technologies to document and show the impact of disasters. Combined with video, graphicas and images the media has been effective in informing the public on the extent, nature and impact of these disasters on the built environments, landscapes and community. However in our excitement over the potential of spatial representation during these times we should not lose touch with the fact that we are watchng in real time, real people suffering real hardship. Spatial visualisations must not become clinical and non-thinking" of the human component, several degrees detached. When watching the spatial visualisations it becomes quite easy to just focus on the technological wonder and not appreciate the degree of human suffering occuring in the space being visualised.

Here are just some of the sites which have been so influential over the past few months reporting these extreme natural events.

Queensland floods (January 2011)
http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=c973c1ef97cf45b08a7d35842a8ab0d5
http://media.smh.com.au/national/national-news/watch-how-flash-flood-grew-in-minutes-2127942.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/infographics/qld-floods/beforeafter.htm

Cyclone Yasi (February 2011)
http://wxweb.meteostar.com/models/ipsm_looper.php?PROD=2011013106_ANZ_GFS_850_HGT_WINDS
http://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shirgmscol.html
http://www.goes.noaa.gov/sohemi/sohemiloops/shwvgms.html
http://www.bom.gov.au/cyclone/

Christchurch earthquake (February 2011)
http://www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz/
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usb0001irt.php
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/
http://www.geonet.org.nz/earthquake/quakes/recent_quakes.html
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1309194/New-Zealand-earthquake-moves-Earths-surface-11ft-right.html
* Flyover of the Christchurch fault line.
* Before and after images of the fault zone.


Some other sites of visualisations interest when considering a world view:

* Are storms and extreme climatic events becoming more common? This video has an interesting take on this question:
http://www.youtube.com/user/squeezestress?feature=pyv&ad=8677135060&kw=floods#p/u/0/Fp20bhxy6JA

* NASA astronaut Douglas Wheelock who is currently aboard the International Space Station shares pictures of the Earth he snaps with the world through Twitter. Known to his nearly 68,000 Twitter followers as Astro_Wheels, Wheelock has been posting impressive photos of the Earth, including Cyclone Yasi over recent months. To view some amazing pictures of the earth from the space station go to http://twitter.com/astro_wheels#

* Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo

*The data visualisation video “Information is beautiful” can be seen using the following link: http://www.ted.com/talks/david_mccandless_the_beauty_of_data_visualization.html

* Some more great visualisations. Mostly science orientated but still spatial.

* Geography animations - particularly on physical geography and climate.

The way forward for spatial technology in the curriculum

Images of the Flinders Ranges in January 2011

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Where am I?
Sydney: S: 34º 0' E: 151º 0'

Since Spatialworlds is a blog dedicated to all things spatial I feel beholden to write a posting on the Australian Curriculum: geography shape paper in terms of its capacity to promote, embrace and bring to fruition the desire of many of us to see spatial technology and analysis used in geography classrooms around Australia. I guess the question is not how many times the word spatial or spatial technology is referred to in the document but how it is integrated into the knowledge, understandings and skills implicit in the curriculum. Yes, spatial is one of the perspectives described in the shape paper and spatial technology is alluded to as an important skill but is the document a strong advocate for the use of 21st Century geography technology and analysis? Furthermore does the document imply that to teach this curriculum from F-10, schools and teachers need to use spatial technology and associated analytical techniques and skills? The question needs to be asked; does this curriculum perpetuate the teaching of geography using tracing paper and coloured pencils or is there an expectation that teachers have to learn how to use and understand spatial technology and its applications? To many of us this is a no-brainer considering that spatial technology is so accessible, costless and supported with heaps of curriculum materials. What excuse can a school have to not promote the use of spatial technology as an expectation if they are doing geography? I know this is a contentious point of view with many saying that schools cannot afford the technology and teachers have not got the time to learn the technology. I strongly believe that these attitudes need to be challenged by teachers and schools which use the technology and that the curriculum should not be determined by those who have not used the technology in their schools or classrooms. All the impediments we faced to using of spatial technology in 1997, when it was first used in Australian classrooms, have gone (cost, computer capacity, data accessibility and cost, available curriculum and teaching materials). That is with the exception of one; the capacity of the geography teacher to learn spatial technology and be prepared to continue to learn with the students. Such a pedagogical risk-taking style is a core ingredient of the profile of the spatial technology using teacher. We cannot let this last impediment stop the introduction of ‘beyond Powerpoint’ technology into our geography classrooms. It is achievable if we decide we want it to happen! Imagine if a mathematics teachers in the 1990’s had decided that the graphic calculator was too hard for teachers to learn and use in schools, we would still have classrooms not using such a basic technology for mathematics. To the world of geography, spatial technology is already a basic technology being used in all walks of life (by academic, vocational and lay geographers and the general public). Why is it so hard to get meaningful use of spatial technology into the geography classroom, let alone history, science, mathematics classrooms? Yes, it is the profile of the geography teacher but that can be overcome with investment in sound professional learning. Spatial technology and its use needs to be ‘front and centre’ as an expectation in the curriculum, only then will the investment in the professional learning required be offered and embraced by jurisdictions. So is it in the shape paper? What follows is an attempt to locate and analyse the importance of spatial technology and spatial analysis in the ACARA shape paper for geography.

1. Spatial Perspective: One aspect of this perspective is the investigation of how places are linked to other places, such as through natural processes, the movement of people, flows of trade and investment, cultural influences, the exchange of ideas and information, political power and international agreements. Geography examines the effects of these connections and interdependencies by identifying the changes they produce and the ways these changes can be managed. A spatial perspective enables students to consider their own place in a much wider context. Another aspect involves the study of the spatial distribution of one or a small number of the characteristics of places, and the attempt to explain the patterns observed by the operation of atmospheric, hydrologic, geomorphic, biological, socioeconomic or political processes. Geographers may be particularly interested identifying and explaining regularities, or how the same processes can produce different outcomes in different places, and consequently contribute to the diversity between places. A spatial perspective teaches students how to think spatially, how to use and interpret maps of all types, and how to analyse and understand relationships between phenomena using spatial technologies. It also enables students to understand that the influence of location on the characteristics of a place depends on the relative location of other places, the infrastructure and technology that links it to those places and the economic and social relationships between them. Geographers also evaluate the environmental, economic, social and political consequences of spatial distributions and the policies that could be adopted to respond to any unwanted consequences (page 4, ACARA Shape Paper for Australian Curriculum: geography).

2. Geographical concepts (page 6) are the higher level unifying ideas that can be applied across several fields of the subject. The key organising geographical concepts related primarily to spatial are:
• distance
• interaction
• interdependence
• location
• pattern
• place
• proximity
• relationship
• scale
• space
• spatial distribution

3. General Capabilities(page 8); the ICT General Capability says:
The geography curriculum will provide many opportunities to develop and use ICT skills. These include basic computing skills and the use of computer software to locate, manage,analyse and present geographical information. Geographical ICT skills include the use and application of geographical information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems (GPS) to create, manage, represent and analyse spatial data; the viewing and analysis of spatial data through remote sensing and 3D visualisations (such as Google Earth), and the management and representation of geographical data in graphical and other visual forms. The use of spatial technology is a rapidly growing area of ICT, with significant employment opportunities in the expanding spatial industry. The use of spatial technologies will be integrated into the curriculum from early primary school onwards to ensure the development of students’ ICT skills matches their cognitive abilities, and the application of those skills in the topics being studied. The curriculum will also provide opportunities for students to explore the effects of these technologies on places, the location of economic activities and on people’s lives, and to understand the changing spatial relationships enabled by ICT.

4. Skills development: Geography develops a range of other skills. These include representing and communicating information through maps, diagram and graphs; analyzing data through cartographic, statistical, graphical and qualitative methods; and modelling spatial relationships. Opportunities to learn appropriate spatial technologies should be included in both the primary and secondary school curriculums (page 20).

These excerpts show clearly that the shape paper makes it very clear that there is an expectation in the Australian Curriculum: geography that teacher’s use and expose their students to spatial technology and its applications? How will this expectation translate into the enacted classroom curriculum? Can teachers ignore the direction the shape paper gives on the use of spatial technology and associated spatial analysis?
I will leave it up to you to decide as to whether the above references to spatial technology in the shape paper are strong enough to promote the much needed incorporation of spatial technology into the Australian Curriculum for geography spatial.

If you wish to reply to this blog and discuss the nature of the shape paper please take advantage of the Google group called ‘21st Century Geography in Australian Schools’. I have created this group in an attempt to disseminate relevant information on 21st century geography and the AC but also to be a forum for discussion as the Australian Curriculum for geography is written over coming months. By the way, the ACARA timeline for geography is for a draft curriculum to be released for trialing and consultation in August this year.

AGTA 2011 Conference

Keynote speakers at AGTA 2011

Left image: Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the Royal Geographical Society UK.
Right image: Rev.Tim Costello,CEO World Vision and newly appointed AGTA Patron.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Where am I?
Sydney: S: 34º 0' E: 151º 0'

Well the Australian Curriculum: geography shape paper has been released (January 2011) and presently I am attending in Sydney the induction week for the ACARA Advisory Panel for the next stage of the curriculum development of the geography curriculum. Since my last Spatialworlds blog posting way back in October last year much has been happening in the world of geography. Hence the reason for not posting!!
The AGTA conference in Adelaide went off well, with great keynotes, field trips and workshops (and social occasions). For Mark Manuel and me the conference was an especially rewarding time after several years of preparation and worry. To have over 240 Australian geographers all together for a week in one place to share our love and aspirations for geography was a great experience. Several of our keynotes in particular really hit the ‘nail on the head’ when they said:

“The world is amazing – observing it is a privilege, valuing and conserving it is essential, understanding it is fundamental. Geography’s status can only be helped by winning hearts and minds in the wider world
Dr Rita Gardner, Director of the Royal Geographical society of the UK

… and Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision and the new AGTA Patron

“The future is what we make it. Geographical understanding is the key to help students unlock the shape of their future and find ways to come to grips with the challengers of the future.”

The conference provided a great grounding for the work we have ahead of us this year in writing the Australian Curriculum for geography. I hope we can live up to the need to make this new geography curriculum for Australian students inspiring, relevant, challenging and fun. If ever we needed someone to inspire us it was one of our other keynotes at the conference, Duncan Chessell(adventurer of mountain climbing and Antarctic fame, geologist and businessman). Duncan’s address was truly inspirational to all the geographers gathered and really summed up why we are in the business of ‘turning on’ young people to geography and the world. At the end of the talk I had to wait several minutes for the gathered geographers to end their appreciation and applause for Duncan’s talk. Keep a eye on the AGTA site to watch an excerpt of Duncan’s talk.


In summary, Duncan said that he was inspired to find out about the world and challenge himself to do so when he was very young. It was a great line when he said he had asked for maps of undiscovered and unchartered areas of the world so that he could find out what needed to be discovered!! The undiscovered world (to students anyway) is what we want our students to discover and explore. Here is a quote from Duncan;

“Geography was my best subject in Year 12 and my geography teachers engaged and inspired me to find out about the world and think about things.”

For more information on the conference proceedings go to and download any of the presentations, talks etc which have and will continue to be posted over coming weeks.
A huge thanks to Mark, the Geography Teachers Association of South Australia and all attendees in making this one of the best weeks of my life in terms of learning, inspiration and companionship. Rob Berry has also created a Facebook page on the conference and all things geographical. It would be great to see people using this site to discuss the conference but also what is about to happen as we work on the Australian Curriculum for geography.

...and there is more!

Left image: London outskirts from the air.
Right image: Early morning on the Somme, Amien, France.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Mick Laws Blog
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


Some more spatial and geography sites to wet the appetite to play and learn!!

Place spotting with Google Earth. Try to solve the google map quiz

Great teaching resources. This website from the UK contains Geography PowerPoint’s on a range of topics relevant to senior school studies

Mick Laws Contour Education’s Map blog –worth following

ElectroCity is an online computer game that lets players manage their own virtual towns and cities. It’s great fun to play and also teaches players all about energy, sustainability and environmental management in New Zealand.

Questions and answers from ESRI on a variety of topics. These were originally written in preparation for the ESRI User Conference in San Diego this year and shows the extent of ESRI’s efforts in software development, products, education, and support; future plans in these areas; as well as thoughts on GIS and the industry as a whole. The purpose of the Q&A’s is to for share the information to help teachers be successful in their use of GIS.

MapTube is a free resource for viewing, sharing, mixing and mashing maps online. Created by UCL's Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, users can select any number of maps to overlay and view

Arc lesson on mapping the recent Australian Federal election

A great site if anyone is looking at World Heritage sites. The map plots properties which have been approved by the World Heritage Committee to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The map shows 911 different properties as of July, 2010

Time lapse for nuclear explosions. Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project’s “Trinity” test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan’s nuclear tests in May of 1998.

A useful site on GIS resources, history and links.

Mapping with a difference: On this site just select a subject from the top menu and watch the countries on the map change their size. Instead of land mass, the size of each country will represent the data for that subject --both its share of the total and absolute value. Similar to Worldmapper but even better to show differences around the world.

NearMap is a great site to get current aerial images (last one taken on August 30th). NearMap offers high resolution PhotoMaps which are clear and current, which allows you to see change over time. You are also able to integrate NearMap with existing technologies. The resolution is also excellent and the images are also archived to show change over time.

Workshops maketh a conference!

Left image: Amien Cathedral, France.
Right image: Sydney Opera House from the pavement.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Mick Laws Blog
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


AGTA 2011 in Adelaide
In our quest to clarify what is geography and what is important to geography teachers, it is often worthwhile looking at the workshops at a conference. As we know conference attendees vote with their feet and the 2011 AGTA conference in Adelaide is no different. We have already an unprecedented interest in the conference and the registrations are very strong 3 months out. This conference is looking as the biggest AGTA conference for a long time. The list of workshops provides a great summary of where geography is at in the year 2010. The workshops range from the use of technology (spatial and other), global perspectives, Australian curriculum engagement, geographical thinking and pedagogy, geography in a range of contexts and links to the world outside the classroom (employment and fieldwork).

Just have a look at this smorgasboard of geographical professional learning provided by the AGTA 2011 conference:
• Exploring Globes, Maps and Mapping in the Primary School
• The Australian Curriculum within a Minerals and Energy Context
• Using Thinking Routines in the field
• Using Web 2.0 Technology in the Geography Classroom
• Learning about the Olympics in the Geography classroom
• Building Global Awareness Twenty first century Australians are members of a global community, connected to the rest of the world by ties of culture
• Data sets and data visualisation tools:
• Finally, a teacher-friendly GIS!
• Forests- a global perspective
• Geography past present and future
• Australian Curriculum: Moving from content to engagement
• Injecting Thinking into classroom practice
• Teaching about other Countries
• Gaia, Evolution and the very Spirit of Geography.
• Goyder’s Line and beyond
• Bringing the Australian Geography curriculum into the classroom
• Geographical skills: inquiry and Geography Going National
• Creative, Collaborative, Mobile Technologies for the Geography Classroom
• Geography across the P-12 campus
• Geography Beyond Education
• Development Geography and Global Citizenship
• Where From? Where To? Where Now?
• Making Spatial Simple
• A new professional learning tool
• The future of the Geography textbook in the digital age
• A Picture's Worth a 1000 Lessons
• Carbon Kids – tackling climate change
• 20 Minute GIS Using Virtual Globes
• Big Game Small World – The Geography of Sport
• Building Global Awareness
• The Geographers' Toolbox for the National Curriculum
• myWorld Atlas - see your world in a whole new light
• The Asian Century
• More than Google Earth
• Population: The Essential Ingredients.
•Combining Geography and Surfing to develop better Global Citizens
• Cache in on Learning, Cache in on Fun!
• Being an active global citizen
• Injecting Thinking into classroom practice
•“Teacher vs. Wild"- exploring and surviving the world's environments via virtual field trip (VFT)

The workshops are being support by excellent fieldtrips to the Adelaide coastline, CBD and suburbs, the St Kilda wetlands and mangroves, the Lower Murray Lakes and Coorong and waste recovery sites around Adelaide. Again, a real mixture of physical, human and 'sustainability' geography.

Finally the context for the conference will be set by Dr Peter Hill (ACARA CEO) and Dr Rita Gardner (RGS UK Director) when they talk about the place of geography in the curriculum of any progressive, thinking and sustainable nation.

All those involved are really looking forward to the conference and encourage all Spatialworlds blog followers who have not registered to consider travelling to Scotch College in Adelaide on January 10th, 2011 to attend this seminal conference for geography in Australia.

Visualisation of the spatial!

Left image: The beach, Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
Right image: Mangroves in Moreton Bay, Brisbane Queensland.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


Discerning the difference between visual and spatial literacy
The terms visual and spatial literacy are often intertwined in discussions. I have come across an attempt to discern the difference between the two by the The North East Regional Computing Program, Inc. (NERCOMP), New England Regional Computing Program, Inc.in Massachusetts Institute of Technology. NERCOMP defines itself as an association of information systems and technology users affiliated with colleges, universities and other educational and research institutions throughout New England. I have customised for this posting of what they say visual and spatial literacy is and what it adds to a student learning and capacity building as individuals.

Visual literacies
The visually literate student can:
•Find images for a specific purpose
•Conduct close “readings” of images (VTS/Visual Thinking Strategies)
•Make evidence-based interpretations
•Construct narratives and/or arguments with images
•Articulate reasons for image choice/use
•Cite images
The visually literate student has: •A sense of themselves as creators, not just consumers
•Additional experience as analysts and rhetoricians (aligns with students’ work in first-year writing courses)
•An appreciation for ambiguity, competing/different interpretations of a work
•Familiarity with basic image licensing/intellectual property considerations

Compared with spatial literacy where;
The spatially literate student can:
•Recognize and interpret patterns in graphs, diagrams, maps, and other spatial representations of data.
•Comprehend basic spatial concepts such as scale, resolution, spatial interaction, and neighborhoods/zones.
•Use location as a basis for organizing and discovering information.
•Overlay different types of information to make an argument or solve a problem.
•Evaluate data quality.
The spatially literate student has:
•An appreciation for geography as more than just a list of places on the earth’s surface.
•An understanding of spatial concepts and principles(scale, distance, location, distribution, spatial association, movement, spatial interaction, region and spatial change over time (GTAV interpretation of spatial literacy concepts)
•The ability to capture and communicate knowledge in the form of a map, graph, or diagram.
•Familiarity with GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and geospatial technology.

Food for thought and a discussion we need to have as geographers to clarify the difference between visual and spatial literacy. Is one a subset of the other or are they quite independent of each other?

Spatial Genie!

Left image: A river somewhere in South Korea.
Right image: Australian countryside: Hurstbridge, Victoria.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


Spatial resources: Getting it out of the bottle!

Last Friday I attended a ‘think-tank’ at the Education Services Australia (ESA) office in Melbourne on the development of a Spatial Genie for schools to use when developing spatial thinking for their students. Primarily the focus is on the use of web based activities and a spatial tool for geography. However, over time the Spatial Genie will also be applicable and very useable for learning areas such as history, science and mathematics. The discussion was led by Mark Sanders and Olivia Clarke from ESA. As a precursor to the Spatial Genie, ESA has already posted as “Data Genie’ site. The Data Genie uses tourism Australia data to visualise data in a variety of ways. As a pilot site the data Genie is a fantastic start in developing exciting visualisations of data for geography classes.
As for the Spatial Genie the idea is to develop a resource from K-10, incorporating a GIS capacity tool. The old Learning Federation has already developed some spatial thinking tools on Scootle which will be incorporated into the Spatial Genie.

Mark Sanders also compiled a list of sites which provide a really useful library of spatial thinking resources. As Mark says, these links “may be helpful in gaining and understanding of the context for the spatial tools project.”

The following links are to interesting content that has influenced current thinking on spatial thinking:
Haiti aid map
Example of open source technologies including Open Street Map being used in disaster relief efforts.

Google Earth and math
Great ideas for using Google Earth to engage students in Maths.

Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a Support System in the K-12 Curriculum is a report that can be read here and is the most significant influence on and encapsulation of our thinking so far. It is very compressive to the point of being exhaustive so you may prefer to listen to the following link which is about ten minutes long and gives a great overview of the thinking behind the report.

Spatial thinking podcast
This links to a ten minute mp3 which is a great summary of the thinking behind the report linked to above.

Geospatial revolution
An interesting site from a US public broadcaster which makes the Geospatial revolution mainstream. Also has supporting teacher resources.

Using Google Earth
25 interesting ways to use Google Earth in the classroom.

Dataset visulaisation
This report deals with Interactive collaboration with a dataset. View the video to get a good overview of the system.

Teaching spatial
teachspatial.org is a collaborative web site devoted to promoting applications of spatial concepts and spatial tools in teaching and learning.

Visualisation tool
This site is a neat data visualisation creation tool.

Free GIS
This website represents an attempt to build a complete index of Open Source / Free GIS related software projects


My World GIS is a Geographic Information System (GIS) designed specifically for use in educational settings. My World allows learners to explore and analyze geographic data about our world.


This work of ESA by Mark and Olivia is incredibly exciting and important for the development and resourcing of a technologically and spatially literate Australian Curriculum for geography.

Neogeography: Time to try to clarify and build on the term

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au


Melbourne, Australia: S: 37º 47' E: 144º 58'


Left image: Mapping example using technology.
Right image: Fields of France in Spring.

Neogeography??
In his abstract for the 2011 AGTA Conference Dr Peter Hill, ACARA CEO, says; "...geography as a discipline has undergone profound changes which in turn have impacted on the teaching of geography as a school subject. With the renewed focus on geography as a discrete subject within the Australian curriculum, there is an unprecedented opportunity to ensure that geography in schools reflects amazing developments in ‘neogeography’.”

In this blog posting I will attempt to define the contemporary version of neogeography and explore what the term means for geography in our schools and in turn the Australian Curriculum for geography.

The term neogeography has been used since at least 1922 (originally used in reference to ancient geology – palaeogeography!). However the meaning of the term has changed significantly over the decades. In the early 1950s in the U.S. it was a term used in the sociology of production & work. In 2010 the term has changed again to mean “new geography” and consists of a set of techniques and tools that fall outside the realm of traditional GIS (Geographic Information Systems).
Where historically a professional cartographer might use ArcGIS, a neogeographer uses a mapping applications like Google Maps, talks about GPX versus KML, and geotags their photos to make a map of their summer vacation. Increasingly there are spatial tools, frameworks, and resources available that make it easy to create maps and share the locations of an individual’s interests and history. Neogeography is about people using and creating their own maps using the “geospatial web” on their own terms and by combining elements of an existing toolset. Essentially, the advent of “do-it-yourself” mapping applications such as Google Maps has brought some of the capabilities of GIS into the hands of the laity. This trend was accelerated by the release in 2006 of Google Maps, Google Earth, and also with the decreased cost of geolocated mobile devices such as GPS units. The concept of Web 2.0 has also resulted in an increased public appeal of mapping and geospatial technologies. However neogeography is not limited to a specific technology and is not strictly web-based, so is not synonymous with web mapping though it is commonly conceived as such.
The contemporary use of the term, and the field in general, owes much of its inspiration to the locative media movement that sought to expand the use of location-based technologies to encompass personal expression and society. Neogeography combines the complex techniques of cartography and GIS and places them within reach of users and developers. The term is sufficiently abstract to serve as a broad category of un/non-professional geographic practices (walking mapping, tagging, etc.). Neogeography covers a broad field of activity, which includes urban exploration, site specific sculpture, land/earth art, geo-tagging, guided walks, ephemeral cities, imaginary urbanism, altered maps/radical cartography, travel writing, psychogeography, place based photo blogging, etc.
A number of geographers and geoinformatics scientists (such as Mike Goodchild) have expressed strong reservations about the term "neogeography". They say that geography is an established scientific discipline; uses such as mashups and tags in Google Earth are not scientific works, but are better described as Volunteered Geographic Information. Despite these reservations by geographers and GIS specialists, many say that the art of mapping using computers (electronic cartography) has democratized mapmaking and “spatial play”, making everyone an active geographer.

The following quote from Andrew Turner is a good summary of the origin and impact of neogreography:
“NeoGeography is the empowerment of the non-geographers, noncoders and folks who don't have access to "real" GIS. Many say that GIS has reached its saturation level (not in all regions of the world) and derivatives of this technology have been developed. The term "Neogeography" is one such derivative of GIS. Similar So, GIS and neogeography, both are here to stay as geography has survived along with GIS and other sciences. Neogeography has helped the GIS and mapping professionals being recognized by the masses (largely thanks to Google and their API) and new tools and application being developed which can be used by all and sundry and is not restricted to a closed and specialized.”

Most importantly, if neogeography as a phenomena is here to stay and is all-pervasive in our society, surely it should be an integral component of geography in schools. The neogeography literate are already incorporating the tools and applications of neogeography extremely effectively in their classroom. An example of this is the work of Rebecaa Nicholas in Melbourne who is doing amazing things with neogeography. Just check out Bec’s and her students blogs to see the impact of neogeography in her classroom.
Considering Peter Hill has highlighted the importance of neogeography, it is beholden upon geographers in Australia to ensure neogeography is well and truly integrated into the Australian Curriculum for geography.

21st Century Curriculum

Left image: Hazerbrouck Railway Station, France.
Right image: Rocks on Rouen beach, France.

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Loxton, Australia: S: 34º 28' E: 140º 31'


The 21st Century curriculum needs to be written to ensure that ‘teachable moments’ happen to the maximum! To do so the curriculum should be written to incorporate:

o Flexibility• be flexible to meet the needs of the self-reliant and autonomous learner.

o Multiple literacies• recognise and consider as equally important the range of ‘non-traditional’ literacy’s i.e. visual, financial, health, media, environmental, spatial etc.
• develop cultural literacy and intercultural understanding.

o Orientation
• be thematic in nature, providing guidance via the provision of ‘big ideas’ and ‘essential questions’, instead of discreet content alone.
• view all topics studied though the lens of sustainability.

o Inquiry focus• build relationship with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally.
• be inquiry based and integrate research and inquiry into the development of knowledge and skills.

o Integration• integrate with other subjects in terms of knowledge and skills.

o Authenticity• relate to the community and interact in a meaningful way.
• have a focus on the citizenship capacity of the individual by treating civic and global issues.
• customise learning to student personal pathways.
• provide ample opportunities for students to be involved in project based activities.

o Global dimensions• be global in treatment- design and share information from global communities to meet a variety of purposes.

o Creativity• enable creativity in thought and action.

o Communication• recognise a variety of ways to demonstrate knowledge and skills.
• encourage a variety of assessment strategies, including teacher, self and peer assessment.

o Challenging
• challenge students to inquire as to possible futures and explore the question of not only what?, why? and where? but also what if? and so what?
• stimulate student curiosity and inquisitiveness.
• reflect the intended outcomes for students by the development of clearly articulated and achievable standards.
• emphasis in course design and assessment on the skill of synthesis, critical analysis and evaluation.

The 21st Century learner

Picture descriptions:
Images: 21st Century students - are they any different?

Related sites to the Spatialworlds project
Spatialworlds website
21st Century Geography Google Group
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
Geography Teachers' Association of South Australia website
Email contact
manning@chariot.net.au

Where am I??
Port Lincoln, South Australia: S: 34º 42' E: 135º 52'

This posting explores the issue of where students as learners have changed. Is there such a thing as a 21st Century learner? The research indicates that there is! If we are on about developing a 21st Century curriculum then we must take into account that the learner has changed and think about how the currciulum may be different to accomodate these changes.

These changes may be categorised under the headings of what they require and expect and what they are interested in.

*They require and expect:• not to have to learn “by rote” knowledge. They recognize that knowledge is important but not to be expected to learn chunks of deep knowledge
• respect from their teachers. They consider respect needs to be ‘earnt’ by their teachers
• to learn the skills of knowledge acquisition, analysis and synthesis
• to develop a taste of the ethos and frameworks of disciplines.
• relevance of learning to their life. They ask how the curriculum delivered will prepare them for the real world whilst they are at school and when they leave. They expect real world competencies through their learning
• the freedom to personalise/customise their learning/tasks to meet their personal needs
• their learning to be flexible, self reliant and autonomous
• new technologies to be available to support their learning and collaborative work
• to work collaboratively in the real and virtual space
• be able to meet achievement standards if they work as required
• the opportunity to study in depth a topic/issue they find of interest
• connectivity with their life and their learning experiences.

* They are interested in:
• issues of social justice
• real stories
• connecting with others in the real and virtual space
• using current technology to learn – in particular to enhance connectivity
• being active citizens and make a difference
• embracing cross-cultural competencies – sensitivity to other cultures
• greenness and sustainability through real ecologically responsible acts
• being global in outlook – citizens of the world
• customising their education to their needs – personal pathways
• being a resourceful learner, curious, enquiring, community relevant and learning
beyond the school day.