GIS IN THE CLOUD: USING WEBGIS FOR TEACHING SECONDARY GEOGRAPHY

Resumen

RESUMEN:

There is no doubt among most geography educators that GIS is an important tool for teaching and learning, but its use has been slowed by issues such as the cost of the software and the management of large spatial data files. The move to cloud computing is one trend that is promising for GIS in education. The "cloud" refers to a virtual network that provides many users with access to files, services, and applications. In this article I argue that cloud computing and WebGIS have the potential to transform geography education. I will describe three case studies that make use of these emerging tools in classrooms in the US, and discuss the lessons that we can learn from these cases.

PALABRAS CLAVE WEBSIG; SIG; enseñanza de la geografía; la nube de Internet; ArcGIS Online; ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (AGX).

ABSTRACT There is no doubt among most geography educators that GIS is an important tool for teaching and learning, but its use has been slowed by issues such as the cost of the software and the management of large spatial data files. The move to cloud computingis one trend that is promising for GIS in education. The "cloud" refers to a virtual network that provides many users with access to files, services, and applications. In this article I argue that cloud computing and WebGIS have the potential to transform geography education. I will describe three case studies that make use of these emerging tools in classrooms in the US, and discuss the lessons that we can learn from these cases.

KEY WORDS WEBGIS; GIS; cloud computing; ArcGIS Online; ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (AGX).

RÉSUMÉ Il n'ya aucun doute parmi les éducateurs les plus géographie que le SIG est un outil important pour l'enseignement et l'apprentissage, mais son utilisation a été ralentie par des problèmes tels que le coût du logiciel et la gestion des grands fichiers de données spatiales. Le passage au nuage de l'internet est une tendance qui est prometteur pour les SIG dans l'éducation. Le «nuage» se réfère à un réseau virtuel qui fournit de nombreux utilisateurs avec un accès aux fichiers, services et applications. Dans cet article, je soutiens que le nuage de l'internet et WebSIG ont le potentiel pour transformer l'éducation géographie. Je vais décrire trois études de cas qui font usage de ces outils émergents dans les salles de classe aux États-Unis, et de discuter des leçons que nous pouvons apprendre de ces cas.

MOTS-CLÉS WEBSIG; SIG; le nuage de l'internet; ArcGIS Online; ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (AGX).