The purpose of this article is to identify the key ideas of cognitive geography related to the modeling of images of space, and present them as a theoretical and methodological tool for updating the content of school geography. The paper discusses the methodological features of perception and processing of information related to the formation of the image of geographical space in schoolchildren. The cognitive limitations of traditional teaching methods reinforced by the features of clip thinking of modern teenagers are revealed. The possibilities of implementing the relationship between cognitive and information technologies in the formation of spatial thinking in the process of organizing educational and cognitive activities are considered. The analysis of didactic possibilities of digital technologies, which are most often used in teaching geography at school, is performed. It is proposed to use GIS technologies and modeling in the aspect of combination with traditional abstract-logical and sign-symbolic schemes as the most effective for creating a digital image of the territory. The advantages of digital technologies that optimize the process of forming spatial thinking in cognitive geography are considered on the examples of solving different types of educational and cognitive tasks.