Saturday, October 16, 2010

Personal Geography # 5: Mapping eBay


Recently, my husband upgraded his truck.  In the process he traded in his old truck and another car.  Since he likes to dabble in cars, we have a few spare parts around the garage.  With the exiting vehicles, he realized that he might make a little spare cash, what my grandmother called "mad money", on the parts and whatnots in the garage.  After my success on eBay, he decided to get rid of a few things.  The car parts have gone all over the USA!   Because I'm a bit of a map geek, we thought it might be fun to visualize car parts and their new homes.

Have a look with ArcGIS Explorer! (http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=71ced8610d514107af868b4fd35bc2b8)

Problem Solving with GIS: Devil's Lake, ND

It's no secret that GIS is an excellent geography problem solving tool.  I recently saw this Accuweather video about Devil's Lake, ND.  I couldn't help but think about how students might use this to predict possible solutions for this small community faced with a big problem, water with no where to go.  The lake has claimed roads and homes at an alarming rate.

http://www.accuweather.com/video/617165007001/devils-lake-land-eating-machine-.asp

First let's take a look at this location on the map. http://bit.ly/9h46P4


View Larger Map

With a traditional aerial photo, we see land, roads and the lake.  But when we switch the map to World Physical.  What do we see? What if we add aquifers and drainage systems?  Is there hope for Devils Lake?

What other areas might begin to develop similar issues?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Simple Truths of Service

Prepare to be inspired!  This video will illuminate how simple gestures can have a lasting impact.

2011 Esri T3G Institute

Anyone who teaches GIS or with GIS should consider applying for this great opportunity.  I had a great experience as I ventured to the "mother ship" of GIS with so many smart and talented folks!  Our collaboration continue today!  Join our ranks!
http://edcommunity.esri.com/community/institute2011/index.cfm

Tuesday, October 05, 2010

National Conference on Geographic Education 2010

Savannah, what a nice spot to return for a vacation get away!  An impressive 46% of the membership attended this conference!  How many organizations can say that?

NCGE is such a warm gathering of scholars and teachers from many disciplines, all united by geography.   Everyone in this organization is excited about how geography can change perspective for any subject.  It's something to consider!  Even my former 7th graders noticed that "everything's mappable."  For a planet full of visual learners, adding geographic content to your instruction makes sense.  Folks in this organization have great ideas and want to share!

I suppose that I have become a geographer.  I never considered myself a true geographer but Dr. Jan Smith at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania said, "If you teach with geography, you're a geographer."  My contribution this year was in the computer lab teaching about using geospatial technologies in English Language Arts and a new work on short(20 minute), content-driven activities for elementary students. Also not to be missed is the map gallery of student GIS work from middle school to university!

If you'd like to get a sense of what was happening, do a Twitter search for #ncge and you will find some great information!  Follow along all year!  Be on the watch for next year's conference information.  We're headed to Portland, Oregon in August of 2011!  And no matter what you teach, join us!