Seabilwe Tilodi
I currently work as a Junior GIS specialist at Kartoza. I hold an MSc in GIS and Remote Sensing from the University of the Witwatersrand. Not only that, but I have an Honours degree in Geography and a BSc in Geological Science, both from the University of the Witwatersrand.
I am passionate about the application of open-source software in solving complex issues in the field of agro-climatology and also exploring different open-source packages used for image processing and analysis. I am also passionate about education in geography and GIS, that is why I tutor because it allows me to be versatile and come up with different teaching methods. It allows me to not only help make learners understand a concept, but also the application of it in the real world.
Sessions
The introduction of technology in the education sphere has brought about improvement regarding the quality of education young and old individuals receive. A country’s development plays a huge factor in the quality of services its people receive, therefore not every country will receive the same quality of services.
Classroom GIS has changed how Geography as an academic subject is taught. It has sparked interest in the practical component of the subject and gives more understanding to the strong relationship between theory and map work. This leads to the concept of spatial thinking and how it has allowed geography educators around the world, some without basic GIS education, to see the importance of including more GIS concepts in the high school geography curriculum.
Several GIS software packages are available that educators can use to teach their students. But taking into account the availability of resources when focusing on the African continent, it is probable that free software and hardware plays a key role in the development of GIS concepts being included in the geography curriculum. It is affordable, and learning resources are readily available, in terms of tutorials, documentation and more.
“This inclination towards GIS textbook lecturing has largely jeopardized the quality of GIS education”. - (Fleischmann and van der Westhuizen, 2020 found in The Journal of Geography Education in Africa)
Advocacy to include GIS practices and strategies in geography education across Africa have been documented, but has not received the necessary exposure it needs from its governments. The majority of GIS teaching has been textbook-based, making the introduction of GIS technology and education a frightening phase that educators may not want to engage in.
To overcome the fears behind understanding and grasping basic GIS concepts in the classroom, interactive GIS tutorials may help to remove these fears and make the adoption of GIS simple, especially within countries where service delivery (education services) is poor.
QGIS for example is an open-source GIS software that has been around for 20 years, it has shown tremendous improvements and upgrades throughout its 20 years. Its user-friendly capabilities have improved, making it ideal to introduce more geography educators and learners to the software. It has tutorials and material that is suited for individuals from different walks of the profession.
The tutorials are interactive and allow first-time users to readily engage with the material. For both learner and educator to understand the material and not get overwhelmed. The key factors to understand are; GIS can be implemented into the African geography school curriculum, open-source software is key to overcoming limitations such as lack of resources and geography educators are willing to take on GIS with sufficient training. More urgent research is needed on reliable and sustainable methods and practices of teaching GIS in a secondary school classroom.