Learn more about GIS

Tips & Tricks

  • GIS is a supportive tool that allows your students for faster and better understanding of the topic while they have access to real and up-to date information. The main topic of a lesson needs to be clearly defined to use GIS tools as a support for reaching your goals.

  • Cooperate with other teachers and educators: Establish a cooperation with institutions involved in environmental education in your area: educators in the national and landscape parks. Organise joint activities and field trips. These partners often have access to equipment that is not available in schools: measuring equipment, GPS devices, and tablets. They are usually happy to lend it for the classes, so that the young people can learn how to operate it.

  • Using GIS in your classroom might result in using new software and new technology. This can be scary, especially because students might cope better with this new technology than you do. Don’t let this scare you off and try to investigate new options together with your students.

  • Try to anticipate that technical problems might occur. Every piece of equipment can fail (e.g. power outage, failure of the Internet connection etc.); therefore it is important to anticipate on such events, so that you won't be surprised during the class. Think in advance about such possibilities and for example copy the appropriate amount of information from Internet databases and take screenshots of interactive maps and geoportals so that you can use them as offline resources during the class.

  • If you want to learn more about GIS technology you could look for e-learning courses, find information on the Internet or try to find another teacher in your area who already uses GIS to teach. And if you are not comfortable enough with introducing geo-media at your standard lessons, begin with a smaller group of students. This could be a group of students that are exceptionally interested in technology or need an interesting topic for their high school project. See also ‘Learn More’.

  • Use equipment available outside of your classroom/lab: teamwork is everything. Cooperation with an IT teacher can result in easier access to a computer lab (in case you don’t have computers in your own subject lab).

  • Go into the field: Learning natural subjects without field classes is like a driving course without actual driving practice, or a cooking course without the participants even touching the pots.. Geo-media are perfect tools to be used during field work with your students.Organise activities for students at home: If students can use geotechnology to solve problems and verify their hypothesis, they will be more engaged in individual and self-sufficient work. Using Internet databases, interactive maps, geoportals, or even GIS software for preparing information for the next lesson can be an excellent homework idea.

  • Organise activities for students at home: If students can use geotechnology to solve problems and verify their hypothesis, they will be more engaged in individual and self-sufficient work. Using Internet databases, interactive maps, geoportals, or even GIS software for preparing information for the next lesson can be an excellent homework idea. 

Learn more

GIS Tutorials

GIS Trainings

Inspiration for your GIS lessons

  • [EN] EdCommunity of ESRI – homepage of education community using GIS in education at schools – some lessons plans available

  • [EN] GIS at school - Guidebook for biology, geography, and science teachers.
  • [EN] DigitalEarth.ue - Materials developed within the Digital-earth.eu project