Representations of local environmental knowledge: instantiating cultural landscapes in a virtual classroom

Abstract

In the modern world new technologies have fostered a new sense of community and sense of time and place that put emphasis on global connectedness while at the same time enhancing local distinctiveness. In this outline a proposed project that leverages virtual online communities pedagogically to elicit, represent and promote a local sense of place and environmental knowledge in secondary Greek schools, in the context of changes in the analytical curricula where environmental education and local history become independent subjects. Specifically, we propose a project based on team work and supported by exploitation of Web 2.0 technology in the History Class of third grade junior high school in an interdisciplinary approach with other fields such as Modern Greek Language, Literature and Art. This is based on a constructivist approach, and aims to promote an interest in environmental issues relating to specific locales and the strengthening of bonds with the local cultural and environmental legacy. We further aim to increase awareness in children of the multiple approaches and representations of both the environment and their locale and an understanding of the potential of those approaches.