Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Learner Requirements And Geospatial Literacy Challenges For Making Meaning With Google Earth, Lynn A. Moorman, Susan Crichton

International Journal of Geospatial and Environmental Research

This research contributes an educational research perspective to teaching and learning with geospatial technologies. This work considers the literacy of a geospatial text that is readily accessible to students, but often assumed to be intuitive to read– dynamic scalable satellite imagery, which often serves as base maps for common navigation, GIS, and virtual globe applications. Within the context of a STEM project, Grades 5 and 6 students were observed and interviewed to identify knowledge and skills that were required to make meaning of Google Earth imagery. A qualitative methodological approach incorporating a thinkaloud data collection protocol was followed to stay …