SOCIAL CARTOGRAPHY: THE DIGITAL MAP OF THE COMMUNITY APPLICATION AS A DIDACTIC POSSIBILITY IN SCHOOL GEOGRAPHY TEACHING

Abstract

The research presents the discussion and reflection on Social Cartography, the teaching of school geography and the geographic categories “territory” and “place”. The aim of this paper is to analyze the applicability of the Community Digital Map (MDC) as a didactic resource in the teaching of Social Cartography, territory and place. The MDC is a smartphone application which combines social media with dynamic cartography, allowing the user to post about the socio-spatial aspects of their inhabited space. The research was developed in three stages: first, a bibliographic investigation was constructed in scientific works that introduces the topics of interest: Social Cartography, teaching of school geography, territory and place. The second stage was planning and development of a didactic workshop in four secondary schools. In the last step, an analysis of the application's posts was carried out to verify the assimilation by the students of the contents’ publications on the socio-spatial aspects of their territories. Also, at this last stage, the production of this manuscript was carried out. The use of the MDC as an instrument of Social Cartography in teaching Geography at school, appreciates the autonomy of the student in the teaching and learning process. It also allows the teacher to encourage students in order to share and build a relationship between different knowledge and practices, thus contributing to meaningful learning.