SMARTGEO-MOBILE LEARNING IN GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Anna Chatel, Gregor Falk
2017 European Geographers European Journal of Geography   unpublished
We all have them and they are omnipresent in our everyday lives: smartphones and a wide range of applications. Apart from communication and information these powerful devices provide enormous resources for learning in and about our local and global environment. Integrating GPS tools they even link information with spatial patterns and allow us to analyze and understand relations and locations in the context of spaces and places. In this context augmented reality is supposed to be highly
more » ... e to enhance the development of various geographical competences. Based on best practice examples developed at Freiburg University of Education we have initiated some empirical research projects to learn how effective the implementation of Smartphones in the teaching and learning process is and how to improve the tools. The paper presents a deeper insight into the use of smartphone applications for education and two case studies: 1. QR-code based learning environments developed together with students and professional media designers. This study provides insights into some preliminary empirical findings evaluating the applications in the context of Geography learning and 2. Students create their own apps. These apps do not focus on school and university students only. The applications promote Geography in the wider context for different target groups like refugees, children or seniors in the sense of Service Learning.
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