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Abstract
The current cohort of young community college students are increasingly functionally map illiterate. Many have never created their own map, or consulted a road atlas or paper map to navigate to their desired destination, or help others to do so. Thanks to the Global Positioning System (GPS), not only are many unable to do this, but they feel they do not need the skills to do this. The growing reliance on GPS, the declining ability to understand and use maps in daily life, and the declining importance students place on functional map literacy is a legitimate concern. GPS is a wonderful tool for exposing students to their world, but it has its pitfalls. Complete reliance on technology instills a false sense of infallibility, and makes obsolete the cognitive map-making process facilitated by traditional navigation activities. Lacking the internal representations of the experienced world that are cognitive (mental) maps makes it difficult for educators to instill awareness of the geographical world. Functional map illiteracy needs to be addressed. The article concludes with several specific pedagogic activities designed to induce community college students to lay aside their GPS, challenge them to create cognitive maps, and learn some basic functional map literacy skills.
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Monika M. Bachmann
MONIKA M. BACHMANN is Professor in the Department of History, Political Science, Geography, and Anthropology, Prince George's Community College, Largo, MD 20774. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include Map Literacy, and Geography teaching and learning.