204
Towards a Concept of
“Spatially Enabled Learning”
Robert VOGLER, Sabine HENNIG, Thomas JEKEL and Karl DONERT
Abstract
Communication and information exchange is increasingly web2.0 mediated, networked and
complex. The use and integration of a spatial reference to information, i.e. geomedia, has
been gaining importance. As a consequence, these changes and the potential of spatial rep-
resentations to contextualize learning content account for an increasing relevance of ge-
omedia in education. Based on these devlopments a concept of Spatially Enabled Learning
makes use of web-based mapping to support interaction and communication in educational
contexts via social geocommunication. It links social media with individual spatial repre-
sentations. The purpose is to make learners capable to be ‘produsers’ (producer-users) of
information with a spatial reference. This is supposed to be helpful in education and every-
day life with regard to spatial citizenship, i.e. reflective and participatory practice. The idea
of spatially enabled learning focuses on the vision to enhance both learning and teaching
processes, as well as to contribute to a more global understanding through linking learning
processes with spatial representations.
This contribution discusses two main topics: a) the role of space & spatial representations
in everyday life and in learning processes, and b) conceptual tools needed for that. The
concept of social geocommunication mirrors the shift from stand-alone web mapping appli-
cations to collaborative web mapping applications and finally towards social web mapping
applications. In this context there is a variety of recent tools that already cover the prerequi-
sites of spatially enabled learning. This paper provides a rudimentary conceptual frame-
work to integrate existing tools and learning.
1 Introduction and Motivation
Our societies are becoming more and more interconnected, in their living environments,
economies and social interactions. According to MORIN (2001), the capability of citizens to
think about this complexity of the world is a major educational issue. In such a complex
framework, communication is the foundation of the functioning of society. With advances
in Information & Communication Technologies (ICT), networked interaction has changed
considerably (FABY & KOCH 2010). Information exchange, discussions and the way we
catch up on content increasingly takes place through computer-mediated communication
associated with web2.0 practices. Web2.0 applications provide interoperability and numer-
ous innovative opportunities. Users are allowed to share, publish, interact and collaborate
with each other in a participatory social media dialogue as produsers (producer and user) of
user-generated content (HIEBERT 2006). Overall, the internet has gained overwhelming
relevance in all areas of people’s life and information exchange while direct contact is in-
Jekel, T., Car, A., Strobl, J. & Griesebner, G. (Eds.) (2012): GI_Forum 2012: Geovizualisation, Society and
Learning. © Herbert Wichmann Verlag, VDE VERLAG GMBH, Berlin/Offenbach. ISBN 978-3-87907-521-8.