The Importance of Spatial Awareness

'Spatial awareness is important in the understanding and representation of real world physical conditions. Making maps, drawings, and models that represent actual conditions within our world are useful in scientific processes and developing spatial awareness. Concepts of spatial awareness are also linked to the development of imagination and the creation of original creative content. Design and the creation of new and original ideas must often be represented as maps, drawings, and models to communicate, and test ideas that are important in architecture, design, and art.

Even though we navigate daily through a perceptual world of three dimensions and reason occasionally about higher dimensional arenas with ease, the world portrayed on our information displays is caught up in the two-dimensionality of the endless flatland of paper and video screen.

The problem of spatial perception does not end with the experience, but is continued in the ability to understand and communicate ideas of three-dimensional space in two dimensions. The use of digital technology in the classroom offers the opportunity to both develop spatial awareness and develop methods to communicate spatial concepts necessary for understanding the visual information within children's minds (Everett, 2000; Hermer-Vazques, Moffet, & Munkholm, 2001). The nature of the information created to communicate three-dimensional spatial ideas bridges science and art, physical space, and cyberspace.'

Matthews, David (2002), Technological applications to support children's development of spatial awareness, Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, p.321

Note: the text above is not my work. It has been adapted from the reference.

Once you have finished looking through this blog, reflect on the following questions: Can Google Earth play a role in the development of spatial awareness? Can the ideas and concepts created in Google Earth 'bridge' science and art, physical space and cyberspace? Is spatial awareness important?