Updating a Hungarian Website About Maps for Children - Maps for the Future Children Education and Internet - page 179

Chapter 15
Updating a Hungarian Website About Maps
for Children

Jos ´ Jes ´ s Reyes Nu ˜ ez and Csaba Szab ´

Abstract The first website in Hungarian language dedicated to the presentation of
basic cartographic concepts for children and young people was made in 2000,
preceded by a study about the basic map concepts learnt by Hungarian pupils in
Elementary and Secondary Schools. After more than 10 years from the publication
of the original website, the time has arrived to update the website, considering that
Internet and in particular the Web has had notable changes along this period of time
and also considering possible changes in the teaching of the map concepts in the
Hungarian Educational System. This decision implied not only the possible revision
of the themes presented in the original website, but also the analysis of compulsory
changes in the structure of the website, namely, which new programming and
design tools can be used to develop the new site and which new graphic tools can
be added to develop a new Web based environment.

15.1 Original Research (1997-2000)

15.1.1 Theoretical Research

The project was begun with the study of curricula, textbooks, workbooks and
atlases used in the subjects related to Geography in the Hungarian Educational
System, to determine which cartographic concepts were learnt by the pupils. The
conclusion was that the majority of the cartographic concepts were taught between
the third and the fifth grade of Elementary School (Tompan´ 2002 ), and the
posterior use of maps and school atlases in the classroom (including High School)
is based on this knowledge (Horv´th et al. 2002a , b ).