Digital Participation Platforms as Tools for Critically Reflexive Mapping in Geography Education: Insights From a Project With Teacher Training Students

Abstract The use of digital platforms has become a central aspect of contemporary society. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of both schools and higher education institutions to prepare individuals to engage with these technologies in a safe, purposeful, critical, inclusive and reflexive manner. This article provides insights into a project combining digital participation platforms and the photovoice method. A specific case study focusing on the perception of the traffic situation in the city of Passau illustrates how these geomedia can be effectively used with both teacher training students in the first phase of their training and with school students in geography lessons. This study highlights the extent to which working with digital participation platforms and photovoice can improve the understanding of map production and thus initiate a reflexive examination of maps.