The Use of Technology at Secondary School Geography Lessons in Turkey

Abstract

The rapid developments of technology have been causing enormous changes in geographic education as well as in every aspect of life throughout the world today. The most widely used technologies at geography lessons today are computer and Internet because of their contributions to creating an active learning environment. While these technologies have been widely used in geography lessons in many countries, the steps taken in the same way are not satisfactory in Turkey. The aim of this study is to find out which technologies are exist and at what frequency they are used at geography lessons in Turkey. In the study a survey was conducted on 46 geography teachers from 36 high schools. The results revealed that the technological basis in the classrooms where geography lessons are instructed was insufficient. Of the classrooms where teachers used for their geography lessons, 48 % included computer, 35 % included LCD projector, and 26 % had Internet connection. Of the 46 geography teachers however, only 7 % used computer and 2 % used LCD projector in every lesson. None of the teachers used the Internet in every lesson. The results of the survey also indicated that private schools are better than public schools in terms of computer, LCD projector, Internet, and their use of frequencies.