GIS is often used in the workforce. Civil engineers use it to plan out a city, meteorologists use it to track weather systems, geologists use it to track erosion and even an emergency dispatcher uses it to identify the swiftest way to the location of a disaster. For students, however, this future of theirs is a long way off, but in truth, students need to learn how to use this technology before entering the workforce. Programs using GIS, unfortunately are few and far between, but GIS can be incorporated into just about any class, making the material interactive and more interesting for the student and easier to teach.

Lets face it, what kid in their right mind wants to sit in front of a desk (their eyes glazed over) waiting for that hour hand to strike 12? The problem is that the students are being talked at. They cannot give their input, there is no mental stimulation and they become bored. Once this has happened, the teacher will have a difficult time teaching the class.

While, in the beginning the conversion to a GIS classroom will be difficult for both student and teacher, if a student is given the opportunity to do hands-on work, the material is often retained longer and quicker when compared to a long drawn out lecture, therefore the rewards far outweigh the annoyances.