Seminar on 'Learning Geography from Space' - Ministry of Education press release (25 May 2001)

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1. The Ministry of Education (MOE) is organising a seminar entitled 'Learning Geography from Space' on 25 May 2001 from 2 - 5 pm at the MOE Edutorium. The seminar aims to showcase the potential of remote sensing in the teaching of Geography, and celebrates the collaborative efforts of teachers, fellow educators and our educational partners such as the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processsing (CRISP) of the National University of Singapore (NUS) as co-developers of innovative teaching resources. A CD-ROM learning resource entitled 'Learning Geography from Space' will also be launched during the seminar.

2. Following the introduction of the topic on the interpretation of remotely sensed satellite images in the GCE A-level Geography syllabus from 2001, it was necessary to develop resources for the interpretation of satellite images. Seven Geography teachers from various junior colleges/centralised institutes (JCs/CIs) volunteered to help source and identify relevant satellite image resources and work out lesson ideas, with the view of producing a useful teaching resource to share with their fellow educators.

3. The seven teachers attended training sessions conducted by NIE on the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS) software to view and analyse remotely sensed images, in order to raise their own awareness of current technologies. The training enabled them to identify useful images from which to craft lesson ideas for the human and physical geography curriculum. The selected images were used in training sessions conducted by MOE, NIE and CRISP for teachers from junior colleges and centralised institutes on the use of GIS and satellite images in Geography lessons. Officers from MOE's Curriculum Planning and Development Division and Educational Technology Division were also involved in improving the selection of images and suggesting refinements to lesson ideas.

4. Between December 2000 and April 2001, work commenced on the production of the CD-ROM, `Learning Geography from Space'. The work tapped on NIE's expertise in the use of the GIS and the capabilities of the CRISP in remote sensing technology. CRISP also liased with image owner SPOT Asia to clear the copyrights on selected images of the Southeast Asian region.

5. Said Mr Tan Yap Kwang, Director, Educational Technology Division, "The launch of the 'Learning Geography from Space' CD-ROM is a healthy development to encourage teachers, educational institutions and industry partners to work together to develop relevant IT resources for teaching and learning."

A Joint Release by:
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
CENTRE FOR REMOTE IMAGING, SENSING AND PROCESSING,
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE