It has been an interesting exercise to examine various online geographical resources, particularly as I have recently been asked to purchase a new set of atlases for the school. As our school technology is terrible, I am fully aware that relying upon an online atlas would not be a wise nor welcome move. That being said, we are in the process of getting new computers, and perhaps this set of print atlases I buy might be the last.
It is interesting how the online chatter about atlases has found its way back to the earlier debate of print versus electronic. I am biased in this area - I admit that I lean to the electronic versions - however I am not the teacher nor the student that will frequently use either. My opinion may be guided by Reidling’s criteria but once again I am not the principle user. This thought inspired me to poll a few teachers and students in order to gain their thoughts and opinions.
I was surprised that there was a mix of responses. I expected the students to prefer the online atlases, especially due to the fact that our current atlases are not very good! (They are outdated and contain very basic information.) Of the online atlases we viewed, the most popular one was the Canadian National Geographic Atlas for Kids. The Fact Monster World Atlas was also popular, particularly as it includes links to almanacs and Amazon. (I found that the students using the Fact Monster website were easily distracted by the unrelated links however.) What I found of particular interest is that they enjoyed playing around on the websites, however when I asked them a particular question that required them to locate a city and tell me its latitudinal location, some of the students abandoned the computer if favor of the print atlas.
The teachers, without exception, preferred the print atlases. Aside from their lack of knowledge of the website we explored or their lack of comfort with technology as a whole, they felt that teaching with texts was easier. It is easier to ensure that students are on task, there is not the concern of technology failure and they believe that the tangible factor that print atlases offer is more condusive to learning. I must admit when I open an atlas I touch the pages and follow my finger around the various countries or regions. And I noticed that most of the students (and teachers) did to. Nobody was tempted to touch the computer screen!
So perhaps this won’t be the last set of print atlases I purchase. But as the technology in our school improves and becomes a reliable teaching tool, I hope that teachers will consider supplementing their print resources with electronic ones. There are so many wonderful resources out there that can enlighten and inspire in a way that a print version cannot.
My new favorite geographical gem link: http://hubpages.com/hub/World_Atlas
1 comment:
Jody, again thanks for your link to the "Hub." I enjoyed your post about the tally and survey you conducted in your school. I strongly believe that we are at the edge of things. Many teachers have taught their lessons using print materials and although I agree that one does not abandon them, yet the incredible wealth of information on the net is mind boggling and as such, provides endless possibilities for teaching. The resistance rises when one would have to change the way of teaching things.
One day when lap tops, or some other form of mini computers, are the norm in the classroom, we will then see the rise in the use of online sources.
Atlases and maps are especially very interesting online as evidenced from the amazing maps, statistics and history in your cited hub. I even linked to the world statistic on the ratio of girls attending school in the world. What a great topic for discussion in Social Studies!
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