Abstract:

The present era is characterized by continuously evolving information technologies that impact virtually all areas of life. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a typical example of such technologies, which, due to their interdisciplinary nature, influence all spheres, especially geography. However, despite this, they are minimally used in geography education, whether at primary or secondary schools, as teachers generally perceive their use as demanding. At the university level, GIS is commonly taught in geography departments; however, this education is mostly focused on scientific purposes. Therefore, it is essential that future teachers—students studying to become geography teachers—learn how to use GIS for educational purposes as well. This paper focuses on the education of future geography teachers in using GIS in their teaching practice, specifically the use of webGIS tools—Google Earth and Story Maps. The aim of the paper is to analyze how future geography teachers perceive the use of GIS in the teaching process through guided interviews. The results show that 100% of future geography teachers learned how to work with and use GIS in their teaching practice. However, 46% of students prefer using Story Maps, 43% prefer using projects in the Google Earth environment, and 11% prefer both. Before the instruction, up to 75% of students stated they would not use GIS in their teaching practice, and 25% were unsure whether they would use GIS or not.

Acknowledgment:
This work was supported by the KEGA agency (grant number: 008UMB-4/2025).

Keywords:

Education, future teachers, geography, university, webGIS.