Browsing by Author "Juvonen, Elina"

Digital education has increased in the 21st century, and it has challenged teachers to update their knowledge and teaching. In geography teaching, digital maps and digital map-making tools has changed geographical method and research skills. The aim of this thesis is to research the utilizing of digital maps and digital map-making in upper secondary geography. It is possible to achieve more diverse learning benefits by using digital maps than by using paper maps. This requires using the kind of digital features that paper maps doesn’t include. There are also diverse possibilities to develop method skills, research skills and higher-order cognitive skills by making digital maps. To develop higher-order cognitive skills, digital map-making should involve application of skills independently, analysis and evaluation of knowledge, and creation of new information. This study was carried out as a survey for Finnish upper secondary geography teachers. The purpose of the survey was to research how digital maps are utilized and made in upper secondary geography, how well higher-order cognitive skills are developed when making digital maps, and what are teacher’s opinions of the teaching with digital maps. The data (N=65) was descriptively analyzed and the results were discussed based on the literature. The aim was to get an overview about the current digital map teaching. The study provides information to improve digital map teaching, digital education and geography education. According to the results, digital maps are used often and in fairly different ways in upper secondary geography. Static digital maps and online map services, such as Google Maps are commonly used in geography lessons. However, the most diverse digital map types, such as interactive digital maps and virtual globes are used less often. Furthermore, advanced use of digital maps is rare. Digital maps are commonly made with drawing software and webGIS software. Due to lack of time, it is not possible to make digital maps very often. Because of that, digital maps are not necessarily made at all in most of geography courses. In addition, there is not enough time to practice advanced skills and higher-order cognitive skills sufficiently when making digital maps. The teachers are mainly positive about teaching with digital maps, and they see it as a relevant part of modern geography education. Nonetheless, teaching with digital maps in upper secondary geography doesn’t cover all the learning and teaching benefits of digitality, especially in the case of digital map-making. Besides the lack of time, the lack of technical skills and user-friendly materials and applications are the main reasons for this. To correspond better to the modern goals of geography education with the digital map teaching, more training for teachers, equal ICT education for students, and easy-to-use materials and digital map applications are needed.