What other GIS resources are available to me as an educator?
by Shannon H. White, Ph.D.
Courses and other training
Colleges, universities and community colleges
Many educational institutions offer courses in GIS. There are few courses designed for educators and integration of GIS in the K-16 setting. Check with your local college, university and community colleges for GIS related courses.
ESRI Virtual Campus ESRI has a Virtual Campus (http://www.campus.esri.com/) with discounted online courses for educators. These courses are based upon a variety of ESRI products. They have been developed so that those enrolled can work at their own pace. These are a good place to start for novices and as a review for the more advanced users.
There are numerous training opportunities offered by organizations and agencies. The KanGIS website is one location to locate GIS training, workshops, institutes that are upcoming across the nation and world. (http://kangis.org/learning/calendar/) There are also companies such as GISEtc (http://www.gisetc.org/) that offer GIS training for schools and communities. ESRI also has a "Friends of GIS Education" list of companies and agencies (http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/resources/foge.html ). They support GIS education with products, training, and resources.
Books
This is not a complete list but a few of our favorites focused on GIS in Education!
GIS Books For and About Educators
GIS in the Classroom: Using Geographic Information Systems in Social Studies and Environmental Science by Dr. Marsha Alibrandi (2003) Heinemann Press
GIS in Schools by Richard Audet and Gail Ludwig (2000) ESRI Press
Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators by Lyn Malone, Anita Palmer, Christine Voigt (2002) ESRI Press
Community Geography: GIS in Action by Kim English and Laura Feaster (2003) ESRI Press
Community Geography: Teachers Guide by Lyn Malone, Anita Palmer, Christine Voigt (2003) ESRI Press
The Essentials of the Environment by Joseph Kerski and Simon Ross (2005) Hodder Arnold
A to Z GIS: An Illustrated Dictionary of Geographic Information Systems by Shelly Sommer and Tasha Wade, Editors (2006) ESRI Press
GIS Software Reference books
Getting to Know ArcView GIS (1997) ESRI Press
Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop (2001) ESRI Press
GIS for Everyone 3rd Edition (2003) ESRI Press
GPS Reference books
Fun with GPS by Donald Cooke (2005) ESRI Press
GPS for Dummies by Joel McNamara (2004) For Dummies Press
How to Do Everything with your GPS by Rick Broida (2003)
GPS Mapping by Rich Owings (2005)
Agencies and Organizations
There are numerous local, state, regional, and national agencies and organizations that are helpful to educators. They may come to your school to give a presentation; to help you find data; to donate hardware such as a used plotter, to help answer your GIS questions. GIS partners in your community can help your bring GIS to your students. They bring real life problems, experiences and GIS work to your classroom.
Suggestions of GIS partners may include:
In your city, town or county:
local GIS office
local police, fire and rescue services
local utility companies and departments (electric, natural gas, water, sewer, etc)
tax assessors office or deed office
city planner
historic commission
voter registration
community colleges, colleges, universities (look for Geography departments or search GIS on their website)
In your State:
Highway Department or Transit Authorities
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources
Regional Planning Commissions
Historic Commission or Registry
Spatial Data Clearinghouses
Geographic Alliances (http://www.ngsednet.org/community/about.cfm?community_id=94 )
National Agencies and Organizations
US Geologic Survey - http://www.usgs.gov
Site specifically for educators: http://rockyweb.cr.usgs.gov/outreach/giseduc.html
US Census Bureau - http://www.census.gov/
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - http://www.epa.gov/
Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) - http://www.fema.gov/
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) - http://www.nasa.gov/ )
National States Geographic Information Centers (http://www.nsgic.org/states/index.cfm )
Geospatial Information and Technology Associations (GITA) Regional Chapters: http://www.gita.org/chapters/chapters2.html
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Chapters: http://urisa.org/chapters/chapters.htm
National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/ )
International Resources
Geospatial Information and Technology Associations (GITA) Global Affiliates: http://www.gita.org/global_affiliates/global2.html
Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) International Chapters: http://urisa.org/chapters/chapters.htm
GISIG-Geographical Information Systems International Group: http://www.gisig.it/
UNIGIS (International Universities and Colleges offering courses in GIS) - http://www.unigis.net/
International Map Trade Association - http://www.maptrade.org/
In addition, there are libraries that are repositories of GIS data. The NC State University is one such library (http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/gis/).
No comments:
Post a Comment