2005 Volume 52 Issue 4 Pages 32-43
This report is a practice record of high school geography class with using GIS (Geographic Information System). Today, GIS does not become a popular tool in Japanese geography class. The reasons, the author points out, are two problems. First, many high school teachers think that GIS does not fit their geographical exercise for college examinations Second, a GIS software is not easy for students. When the teachers teach geography with GIS, they have to teach about software more about geographical subjects. The teachers who do not use GIS not so more tend to think that GIS is not useful tool for their classroom. The author tried to make a practice to solve these problems.
The author showed students how to solve a “Center test”, or a simultaneously test for college entrance examination asked by public examination center, with a diagram which was drawn by GIS software, “Kashmir”. It is well known software among Japanese mountain lover. Not only processing digitalized topographical data, drawing a bird's view diagram for example, but also searching Japanese topographical map from an Internet service. The teacher could comment smoothly with showing online map and bird's view diagram. Students understood about how to solve the tests more.
Today, we can get the map and data from an internet. But if students use the data with each own computer, it is very difficult to understand more. In this case, the teacher is just showing the diagram made by GIS. The author believes that the teachers have to use GIS more easily.
