Geospatial technologies and twenty first century citizenship: opportunities and barriers in the humanities and social sciences classroom

Geospatial technologies, such as geographic information systems (GIS), Global Positioning System devices (GPS), interactive maps and virtual globes, offer a range of meaningful, accessible and authentic opportunities for geography education within the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) classroom. They also offer an opportunity to promote higher order thinking and facilitate students becoming actively engaged citizens. In this paper, we discuss the potential for geospatial technologies for geography and citizenship teaching and learning within the HASS curriculum. We share examples of good teaching practice drawn from experienced geography teachers to identify approaches to using technologies in the classroom. Finally, we recognise some of the persistent barriers to geospatial technology use in schools and propose ways to assist teachers to address these challenges and to make links to spatial citizenship education learning opportunities.