Resource Needs and Pedagogical Value of Web Mapping for Spatial Thinking

Abstract

Web mapping involves publishing and using maps via the Internet, and can range from presenting static maps to offering dynamic data querying and spatial analysis. Web mapping is seen as a promising way to support development of spatial thinking in the classroom but there are unanswered questions about how this promise plays out in reality. This article examines the resource demands and pedagogical value of Web mapping for geographical education for the case of an undergraduate introductory geography course designed to develop spatial thinking in students. Web mapping can be effective but is subject to a range of pedagogical, institutional, and technological caveats and corollaries.