Abstract:

Learning with geoinformation, i.e. geomedia (LwGI), has become increasingly relevant in education and society, as digital geomedia play a key role in professional and private life as well as in civic participation. The concept of digital geomedia reflects the digital transformation of cartography from static representations of spatial information (e.g. traditional maps) to platform-based systems that dynamically connect users and information via location as an interactive interface (e.g. interactive digital/ online maps). Digital geomedia encompass a wide range of media with spatial references that enable users to capture, create, store, process, analyze, visualize, and interpret geographical phenomena based on spatial data. Examples are location-based games, web mapping tools, virtual globes, data collection apps, open data including volunteered geographic information, and data visualization tools like interactive online-maps, geo dashboards and story maps. Accordingly, there is a growing need to promote spatial and geomedia skills as an integral part of digital and STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education throughout society. This need is highlighted by different educational concepts such as Spatially Enabled Learning (SEL) and Spatial Citizenship. Now, SEL fosters active knowledge construction by allowing learners to explore, analyse, and visualize spatial information in a real-world or virtual context across all subjects. Spatial citizenship emphasizes the need to foster different skills in people so that they can contribute to citizenship tasks (i.e., the ability to participate successfully):
(i) technical competences to handle spatial representations,
(ii) competence to actively communicate and participate with spatial representations, and
(iii) competence to reflect/ appraise/ evaluate the use of spatial representations.

Given its interdisciplinary and application-oriented nature, LwGI not only benefits from but inherently lends itself to the integration of e.g. action-based, research-based, participation-based, and service learning approaches. But how can digital geomedia be used in the context of the mentioned learning approaches? What are the benefits in terms of LwGI? This will be discussed using examples from the (non-formal) education of the GI learning lab iDEAS:lab and projects carried out there such as u3Green, Contemporary Childhood and kids4EO. Methodologically, a qualitative, comparative case study approach is chosen. The various educational activities carried out in the iDEAS:lab are analyzed based on the learning concepts and participatory forms used, participant observation, and reflective evaluations of the activities. The results show that digital geomedia can be flexibly integrated into various learning approaches, with each approach offering specific advantages. In all cases, increased learning motivation and the development of subject-specific competencies (e.g., urban planning, climate and environmental change) and geomedia competencies were observed. In summary, the study underlines that the integration of digital geomedia into diverse interactive learning approaches is an essential aspect for LwGI, especially when it is carried out in non-formal educational settings such as learning labs. The results also highlight the potential to promote critical, reflective and socially engaged competencies.

Keywords:

Digital geomedia, LwGI, SEL, STEM.