Comments on: A VerySpatial Podcast – Episode 77 http://veryspatial.com/2007/01/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-77/ Discussions on Geography and geospatial technologies Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:02:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Michalis Avraam http://veryspatial.com/2007/01/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-77/comment-page-1/#comment-273046 Michalis Avraam Tue, 20 Feb 2007 20:07:02 +0000 http://veryspatial.com/?p=1316#comment-273046 I understand the need to explain the social implications of display in GIS, but I think all GIS courses fail to tackle all 5 elements of a GISystem. And more importantly, as you mentioned, there is a gap between lecture (theory) and lab (application). I am pondering whether the use of non-graphical interfaces (like the geoprocessor command line interface offered by ArcGIS) would force students to learn things in a little more detail, as well as allow them to explore things better (by figuring out graphical interfaces alone). Of course the problem remains that the geoprocessor does not have all commands available through the graphical interface and such. It would be interesting to see what your syllabus ended up looking like, and what feedback you have received so far. I understand the need to explain the social implications of display in GIS, but I think all GIS courses fail to tackle all 5 elements of a GISystem. And more importantly, as you mentioned, there is a gap between lecture (theory) and lab (application). I am pondering whether the use of non-graphical interfaces (like the geoprocessor command line interface offered by ArcGIS) would force students to learn things in a little more detail, as well as allow them to explore things better (by figuring out graphical interfaces alone).

Of course the problem remains that the geoprocessor does not have all commands available through the graphical interface and such. It would be interesting to see what your syllabus ended up looking like, and what feedback you have received so far.

]]> By: D.F. http://veryspatial.com/2007/01/a-veryspatial-podcast-episode-77/comment-page-1/#comment-264260 D.F. Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:53:23 +0000 http://veryspatial.com/?p=1316#comment-264260 The mailing without an address is not new -- it was famously (well, within Geography circles) done by Waldo Tobler and Peter Gould in the 1980s. See this summary: http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/89 On teaching: Cartography: absolutely critical. Whether through a required cartographic class or at least having basic Cartographic principles drilled into them. Most maps by GIS practitioners are garbage. Utter garbage. Part of it is the abhorent cartographic tools wtihin most GIS's (esp. ESRI), but part of it is lack of training. Writing! There is no class, even a technical class like GIS should ignore writing. Even when writing labs, they should be clearly written. (I'm a TA for an Intro GIS class this semester, I'll be expecting decent writing from my The mailing without an address is not new — it was famously (well, within Geography circles) done by Waldo Tobler and Peter Gould in the 1980s. See this summary: http://www.csiss.org/classics/content/89

On teaching:

Cartography: absolutely critical. Whether through a required cartographic class or at least having basic Cartographic principles drilled into them. Most maps by GIS practitioners are garbage. Utter garbage. Part of it is the abhorent cartographic tools wtihin most GIS’s (esp. ESRI), but part of it is lack of training.

Writing! There is no class, even a technical class like GIS should ignore writing. Even when writing labs, they should be clearly written. (I’m a TA for an Intro GIS class this semester, I’ll be expecting decent writing from my

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