Introduction:
I developed this exercise after having read different articles describing the use of Excel in a GIS context. I was a bit frustrated at the lack of data available and few suitable exemplar tasks seem to exist. Microsoft Map is not the most intuitive of applications. If you have not used Excel for mapping before, this exercise should help to develop an understanding of how it can be used in a classroom situation.
Aims of the exercise:
The exercise helps to develop geographical data handling skills - copying and pasting data, working with spreadsheet cells, using and replicating a formula.
The concept of GIS is introduced at a simple level. The extension task allows the more able to develop the GIS theme.
The exercise
promotes discussion & enquiry. Students need to consider the
list of rainforest countries. They should be aware of the link between climate
and rainforest vegetation, for example why does Mexico have rainforest? They
need to understand the economic importance of rainforest. Are any countries
in the list rich? They should be aware of the reasons for deforestation. Should
the extension task be completed, students should be able to work out which parts
of the world will lose their entire rainforest within their lifetime. They should
ask questions about the data, for example is the rate of deforestation faster
in countries with larger areas of forest?
The exercise should be integrated into a suitable unit of work. I had the Ecosystems
chapter of Earthworks 2 by John Widdowson in mind, and the data was sourced
from the teacher's support material for this text. Possibly the task could link
to Unit 14 of the QCA scheme of work.
Issues:
The exercise is designed for year 7/8 students. Is the level of difficulty appropriate?
Microsoft map may not be present on some installations of Office. It does not install by default
I used Office 97/ Windows 98 for the screenshots. Our school experienced an issue with Map and Office 2000 on a network but this was eventually resolved.
An interactive whiteboard / projector would be an invaluable asset!
This exercise does not work with Netscape as far as I can tell.
Feedback:
Please send me any feedback on this exercise.