Abstract:
OpenStreetMap (OSM) is a powerful tool for spatial understanding and community engagement. This project aims to promote OSM education among teachers in schools, equipping them with the knowledge and resources to integrate mapping into their curricula. By empowering educators with OSM skills, we can foster spatial literacy, critical thinking, and active citizenship among students. The project outlines a comprehensive approach that includes teacher training programs, curriculum development, and collaborative mapping projects, enabling teachers to effectively incorporate OSM into various subjects and inspire the next generation of mappers and geospatial thinkers.

Introduction:
OpenStreetMap, a collaborative mapping platform, offers immense potential for educational purposes. By introducing OSM education to schools and training teachers in its application, we can enhance spatial awareness, data literacy, and community engagement among students.

Teacher Training Programs:
The project begins with comprehensive teacher training programs, designed to familiarize educators with OpenStreetMap and its functionalities. These programs can be conducted through workshops, webinars, or online modules. Training sessions should cover topics such as map editing, data collection, quality assurance, and the integration of OSM in various subjects. Teachers will gain hands-on experience, enabling them to confidently incorporate OSM into their teaching practice.

Curriculum Development:
To integrate OSM into the school curriculum, dedicated efforts should be made to develop subject-specific lesson plans and activities. This can involve collaboration between educators, mapping experts, and curriculum specialists. Lesson plans can be designed to align with existing subjects such as geography, social studies, environmental science, mathematics, and civic education. These curriculum resources should incorporate interactive mapping exercises, data analysis projects, and community mapping initiatives to enhance students' understanding of spatial concepts, data interpretation, and civic participation.

Collaborative Mapping Projects:
Engaging students in collaborative mapping projects can foster a sense of ownership, community engagement, and active learning. Teachers can organize mapping campaigns that focus on local communities, historical landmarks, or environmental issues. Students can contribute to mapping their school campus, local neighborhoods, or areas of interest, collecting data, verifying existing information, and adding valuable details to the map. This hands-on experience encourages students to explore their surroundings, understand local contexts, and make meaningful contributions to the shared knowledge resource of OpenStreetMap.

Experiential Learning and Fieldwork:
OSM education can be further enhanced through experiential learning and fieldwork. Teachers can organize field trips to explore the local area, enabling students to collect data, document points of interest, and contribute to the mapping process. This immersive experience enhances students' spatial observation skills, data collection techniques, and encourages them to view their environment through a geospatial lens.

Cross-Curricular Integration:
To maximize the impact of OSM education, it is essential to promote cross-curricular integration. Teachers can collaborate across subjects to create interdisciplinary projects that incorporate mapping into various disciplines. For example, students can analyze population data in social studies, calculate distances and travel times in mathematics, study environmental changes in science, or explore historical routes and landmarks in history. This multidisciplinary approach strengthens students' critical thinking skills, data analysis abilities, and understanding of the interconnectedness of different subjects.

Local Community Engagement:
By integrating OSM education, schools can actively engage with their local communities. Students can collaborate with local organizations, municipalities, or community groups to address local mapping needs or contribute to civic initiatives. This collaboration fosters a sense of responsibility, active citizenship, and an appreciation for the role of spatial data in community development.

Assessing Learning Outcomes:
To evaluate the effectiveness of OSM education, appropriate assessment methods should be implemented. This can include project-based assessments, presentations and map analysis.