GIS in Education and Curriculum Integration

Overwhelming Options for the Classroom

2012-01-10T13:33:00.001-06:00

Because I live near New Orleans, many of my house guests want a taste of the French Quarter when they visit. We stop by the usual spots often and try to accommodate special requests. On my most recent trek to the quarter with my Missouri visitors, I discovered a little bookstore shown in the photo. Now...I love reading and books, but this scene was overwhelming to me as you barely could sidestep throughout the tiny establishment. Books were teetering on stacks and wedged in nooks. This scene makes an excellent visual metaphor for the overwhelming web 2.0 options for educators.

In preparing for a webinar I'm presenting in a few weeks, I couldn't help thinking about how many GIS in Education options there are now opposed to 12 years ago when I started using GIS in my classroom. These thoughts come to mind as you are choosing the best tool for each moment in your classroom, whether they are high or low tech options. Let's be realistic, you can't use them all...nor should you.

What do you want your students to know?
Why are you considering a new tool?
Are you teaching content?
Are you teaching the tool?
Why use this tool instead of pencil andpaper?
Why is this tool better than what I've used in the past?

Like my Dad says, "Use the right tool for the job! Otherwise you're just wasting your time."
Don't be dazzled by the glitz of shiny tools if they won't be helpful to changing your classroom and students...choose wisely!

Creativity: The Road to Curiosity

2011-12-06T12:12:00.001-06:00

After reading a blog post at the Esri Education Community today, I offer my thoughts to the question, “Is curiositycool again?”

Curiosity, much likecritical thinking and analysis, is an elusive quality...tough to teach andchallenging to elicit from teenagers. I’m not sure that curiosity became“less than cool,” or if we stopped allowing opportunities for it in ourclassrooms. Test-driven environments around the USA squashed many educators’plans for creativity and enlightenment. Having taught in heavily scriptedand monitored field, English Language Arts, I know that it’s a challenge tonurture curiosity and creativity when the “rules” seem so regimented. Ifound that exploring my creativity offered more curious moments which lead tothe essential skills of critical thinking and analysis that we all seek.

Some suggestions to getyou there:
1. Offer your studentsoptions. When students have more than one choice for assignments, theytend to engage more. They will be thinking about what they know and how toimplement that knowledge...so sneaky of us educators!

2. Show your studentsanother “side” of the issue. Perhaps you might look into somethingscientific in English class or do a bit of written explanation in Math class. Catch them off guard and present them with the unexpected...they’ll becurious! (Perhaps wondering what you were thinking...but curious!)

3. Get their ideas. Gather students before a unit begins and find out what they want to know,what they wish they could do instead and what they enjoy. Then take thosesuggestions and find the “interesting” moments in the curriculum to show themmost of the world is connected.

Showing studentsconnections is a powerful tool to teach them how to look for patterns, tocommunicate their ideas and to encourage them to explore beyond the boundaries ofthe textbook.

Where Is Your Next Adventure?

2011-10-30T13:45:00.003-05:00

I'm gearing up for Geography Awareness Week 2011 with an emphasis on the theme: Explore the Adventure in Your Community. The folks over at The Geography Collective have created cool MISSIONS to get you out and about...exploring your community. Also, Daniel Raven-Ellison, one of their geographers, is stopping by the NCGE Webinar program to show off what they're up to!

If you want to get outside and discover something new, try these GPS-enabled activities with your students, family and friends!

Geocaching www.geocaching.com
Earthcaching www.earthcaching.com
Confluencing www.confluence.org

If you'd like lesson plans, check out Going Places with GPS by Roger & Anita Palmer.

Bottom line, get out in the fresh air and explore your world!

The Great Pumpkin Harvest

2011-10-24T12:43:00.001-05:00

It just wouldn’t be fall without pumpkins and greatstories. One of my favorite stories isthe one made famous by Charles Schultz. Linus van Pelt tries to convince his friendsthat The Great Pumpkin “rises out of the pumpkin patch that is the mostsincere.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiSIQzwIPzQ Another website with good information about the story is http://peanuts.wikia.com/wiki/It's_the_Great_Pumpkin,_Charlie_Brown.

I believe this is an opportunity to talk about vocabulary,science, storytelling and just have some fun!

What is a "sincere" pumpkin patch? Where might that pumpkin patch be?

Queue the map! (http://explorer.arcgis.com/?open=e78e55469e2746ad993e7bfb940daa7d)

View Larger Map

Lesson idea: Have your students explore the data, then add points to the map to predict The Great Pumpkin's journey to the most "sincere" pumpkin patches. Older students may be interested in exploring the data behind the map and the math involved in the statistics.

Where do those pumpkins come from anyway? If you eat the seeds will they grow in your belly? Great agricultural lesson for elementary studentsillustrating stages of the pumpkin: http://aitc.oregonstate.edu/resources/pdf/activity/great_pumpkin.pdf

And finally, a pumpkin post wouldn't be complete without my favorite pumpkin pie recipe:

Step 1: Buy a can of Libby’s Pumpkin. You can’t buy anyother kind or you can’t do Step 2!

Step 2: Follow the recipe on the back or use the onlineversion. http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/LIBBYS-Famous-Pumpkin-Pie/detail.aspx

My secret: Add Vanilla extract and nutmeg to the mix (atleast a teaspoon of each).

My favorite pie crust recipe from Anne Thornton: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-thornton/mama-thorntons-peach-pie-recipe/index.html (or get those ready made ones from the store).

Q & A: Do you have any maps of world governments?

2011-09-21T11:31:00.000-05:00

I often get questions about where to find maps on various topics. This week a colleague, who teaches elementary students-third grade, asked about incorporating maps of world government types with their study of democracy and the three branches of US government while comparing it to Ancient Greece.

Here's what I found:

A nice lesson plan (http://greece.teachingmatters.org/lessons/1-2 ) with a great role playing activity...very practical.

A types of government worksheet: http://www.cvhs.cv.k12.ca.us/STAFF/kcassidy/World0708/RiseDemocracy/Typesofgovtchart.htm (Also great for AP Human Geography or Government class)

And an interactive map: http://chartsbin.com/view/6kx (This site is full of great data! The types of government is just one data set.)

Happy mapping!

Telling Your Story with Confidence

2011-09-08T12:00:00.000-05:00

How many people feel like they aren't good writers?
"English isn't MY subject!"
"Do I have to write it in a sentence?" "Couldn't I just tell you about it!"
"I hate writing!"
It's quite common for people to struggle with communicating their stories, opinions and research in written words and then translate that frustration into a crippling lack of confidence.

A dear friend's young son has that impression, but a wise teacher had him dictate his story, showed it to him in print to begin to build his confidence as a great story teller. Now, don't worry, he won't be dictating all his stories. Certainly, he will be doing plenty of writing in his academic life, but what a great start. His mom shared this site: http://edina.k12.mn.us/concord/teacherlinks/sixtraits/sixtraits.html. It's a nice resource for beginning...you have to start somewhere!

I was talking with one of my high school students that I tutor. Her assignment was simple really. Describe what the author was saying...no fancy analysis needed, just write a summary. She had such a challenge starting. My least favorite words came from her mouth, "I can't." Like my friend's son, she could tell me everything that should have been on the paper, but thought she needed lofty vocabulary and perfection on the first try. I told her to just get it out. The first one's a draft...no pressure.

Step 1: understand the assignment
Step 2: make a list of thoughts, cool words, ideas...anything related to the assignment/topic
Step 3: make some sentences with those thoughts without concern over spelling and how great they sound.
Step 4: put the sentences in order and begin to edit them...dress them up a little.
Step 5: make a more final product...dressed up sentences in the proper order and check the picky stuff like spelling and punctuation.

After a bit of practice, you may not need all the steps, but if you're stuck in "I CAN'T" then you have to start somewhere...work the steps. This technique can be helpful for students with disabilities who need assignments in smaller bits, not just the reluctant writers.

There are more writing & curriculum ideas on my website too: www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm. If you have ideas or sites worth a look, please share! Don't be afraid of writing...it's just telling your version of the story.

Teachable, Mappable Moments: Weather

2011-09-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

Although weather can pose some challenging moments, I'm struck with the idea that we have not only a mappable moment but a teachable one as well. In our recent past, the US dealt with Irene and a substantial earthquake in Virginia. The weather keeps coming! I live in southeast Louisiana where we're watching now TS Lee get ready to pound us with rain, rain, rain. While the folks here make preparations for possible flooding conditions, particularly on lakes, canals and rivers, the rest of you out of harms way can look at the maps of it all. I created a map from a myriad of weather related data that's shared within www.arcgis.com.

Take the map below (at ArcGIS online: http://explorer.arcgis.com/?open=ba5a0959692b4104b0790c8ceafb8547) We can see real time warnings, wind direction, etc.
Check out many teachable, mappable data sets in the online library and make a map!

View Larger Map

Boldly Going Were No Maps Have Gone Before

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Some critics say the online mapping tools and free mapping tools are like chasing a moving target. Well, warm up your running shoes and pack extra arrows in your quiver, because the latest version of ArcGIS Explorer Online is worth the effort to chase it down!

Those of you who have been involved with the effort to integrate geospatial technology (GIS, GPS & Remote Sensing) into the classroom environment for the last 10 years or so know we've been through many changes in terms of viable solutions. Didn't you love ArcVoyager and it's prescribed modules...so nice, and then AEJEE with it's closer-to-the-real-thing features. We began to embrace ArcGIS Explorer (now ArcGIS Explorer Desktop) virtual globe with it's improving features. As new tools came along, old ones die away...rules change. The pursuit could be frustrating or invigorating depending on your tendency towards a glass half-full or half-empty mentality. As things changed, you had to remember that these tools weren't always built with educators and classrooms in mind, rather designed for business, industry and the general public. The creative educators were utilizing the cools tools. Well, the game is changing again. Gone are the concerns for whether you have a Mac or a PC! (cue those hilarious commercials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5z0Ia5jDt4) Run it all in your internet browser! Woohoo!

So what's possible? Queries and shapefiles and map notes...oh my!

I've created some examples and posted a collection of links to maps and data that are residing in my account space (for free) at arcgis.com. http://www.barbareeduke.com/mymaps
There are samples of old lessons that are still on my website and in ArcLessons as well as some new ones, such as T.S. Spivet and Plessy v. Ferguson.

I think the real treasure in these tools is more flexibility. As an educator, I can create the beginnings of a map and prompt students with the expected handouts; then, my students access that map, add more data and analysis to it AND...(drum roll, please) create a presentation using the built-in presentation features to assess their knowledge, thinking and communication skills. We're teaching many more skills than GIS with this tool and its features. We expose students to course content, subject analysis, directed research, critical thinking, problem solving, story telling, persuasive writing and public speaking. I challenge you to find me a tool that does all of that...in a web browser!

There are great tips and information at the Esri blogs for each product. Also the Esri Education Team's blog has great educational insights and some step-by-step entries on using the tools as well as implementing the tools.

Check out the blogs:
Esri Education Community
http://edcommunity.esri.com/
ArcGIS Explorer Desktop
http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/arcgisexplorerblog/default.aspx
ArcGIS Explorer Online
http://blogs.esri.com/Support/blogs/arcgisonline/default.aspx

Thank you to Bernie Szukalski & the Esri team for bringing us a great set of tools!

Thinking about "Above and Beyond"

2011-07-28T14:58:00.001-05:00

The message here is one that resonates with me deeply. Seems like I've been fighting for curriculum and educational experiences to go "above and beyond" for more than 20 years. I hope the public as well as key school personnel get this message, but just as the film portrays...how many folks will see it and say, "We should have kids build stuff!" or "Let's get rid of all teachers that aren't pushing this kind of creativity." or "Let's have a school contest." Those folks would be missing the mark also, not with malice but off the mark the same.

A smart guy I know, Charlie Fitzpatrick, said, "It is always far more impressive watching people do powerful things with simple tools than doing simple things with powerful tools." The kids in this allegory certainly do that and more. Their use of simple tools produced powerful things, impressive results. I submit that the real tools are those that are highlighted less often. What if the "tools" we used implicitly were things like creativity, spatial awareness, diversity, compassion, teamwork and persistence? We might come up with a recipe for success that includes the perfect ingredients AND the best tools for the job! Perhaps we might all go "above and beyond"!

Q & A: How Do I Share an Online Map within my Blog?

2011-06-30T15:45:00.001-05:00

I recently met a great group of teachers in the Dallas area. We spent the afternoon together talking about geospatial technology. They were excited about online maps and were intrigued about the possibilities. One teacher was going on some world adventures this summer and wanted to document the journey so that she could revisit it with her students.

Question: She said, "How do I share an online map within my blog?"

Answer: (PDF of these instructions)

Go to http://www.ArcGIS.com (Be sure you have an account for the site so that you can save your map.)

Click on Make a Map.

Click Add. Select Create Editable Layers.

In the Add Features box, choose what you want to add to the map, a point, line or polygon.

Click the type of feature you want to add.

Click on the map where want to put the feature on the map.

Now edit the feature (give it a title, add a description, put a link to a picture online, a pertinent website, etc.) Click on the item on the map to get this box.

Once you’ve added all the details to your map, save the map your online arcgis.com folder.

Now you’re ready to share your map. Click the Share link.

Turn on the Share with everyone (public) so that the Embed in Website button is active.

Click embed in website and you’ll get the embed code to copy and paste into your blog entry.

As you have more points, lines or polygons to add to your map, you’ll just login and edit the original map, save…adding the new stuff each time. The embed code will not change.

Try it!
Sample on my blog: http://gisined.blogspot.com/search?q=devil%27s+lake

Thank a Teacher

2011-05-03T12:08:00.003-05:00

Happy National Teacher Appreciation Day!

My thankful story begins in First Grade with Mrs. Pate. She was kind and sensitive to the unique personalities and abilities in her classroom. She encouraged me to move beyond the boundaries of first grade reading and exposed me to my first chapter book, Charlotte's Web. Mrs. Bankester in Second Grade taught us with music...we sang our way to learning. Mrs. Carpenter made multiplication facts solid as a rock in Third Grade and showed us that learning could be fun and interactive. Mrs. Bretz made me feel comfortable in a new school in Fifth Grade. Mr. Duren and the band programs made school matter for me. Because of his dedication, I saw potential in myself and found confidence in an intimidating school environment. And finally, from my Baylor days, Dr. Wortman gets the nod for most influential. He took a chance and believed in me when I couldn't see a way. For me, the most memorable teachers are the ones that helped build my confidence and made me feel like I mattered, that I had something important to share with the world.

For all my teacher friends, don't underestimate the power you have on young lives. I'm blessed to have known so many wonderful students and thanks to inventions like Facebook...they have found me again. What a lovely gift to know that little me made a difference!

And to those of you who aren't "officially" teachers, don't count yourselves out...we are all "teaching" lessons in life to the people we work with, the business that you support, or the customers that you serve. Who "taught" you something valuable and positive? Who do you "teach" everyday?

So...thanks to all my "teachers" and teachers! I'm a better person because of you!

Q & A: Adding Charts and Graphs to My Layout

2011-04-22T12:06:00.000-05:00

Question: How can my students add graphs and charts to their layouts in ArcGIS 9.3?

Answer:

Adding Charts and Graphs to an ArcGIS (9.x) Layout

1. 1. Create the Graph

a. Click the Tools menu, select Graphs, select Create.

b. There are two customization screens. On the first one you primarily select the information to be represented. The second customizes the look of the graph.

i. Select information for your graph.

1. Type (bar, line, area, etc)

2. Select the layer that the data comes from.

3. Choose the value field that you want to be displayed on the graph

4. Click Next.

5. Add a title, footer, legend title, etc.

6. Click Finish. The graph appears in a floating window.

2. 2. Add the Graph to your Layout

a. Be sure the graph looks like you want it to look. The graph will be added to the layout, “as is”.

b. Right-click anywhere (except the X) on the floating window with the graph.

c. Select Add to Layout.

d. Now your graph is a graphic element on your layout that you can manipulate.

3. 3. Changing the Graph – Perhaps you realize the first try at the graph isn’t exactly what you wanted. No worries. This gets saved as part of your map document. To edit this graph again.

a. Click Tools, select Graphs.

b. Select your graph from the bottom of the menu. You get the floating window again.

c. Change the physical size of the window and you’ll change the data representation.

d. Double-click on the window to edit the data represented.

e. Add your updated graph to the layout and delete the previous one.

Q & A: Adding Pictures to your ArcGIS Explorer Map

2011-04-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

Question: How can I insert a personal photo into a pop-up for a feature I've added to my map?

Answer:
First, know which ArcGIS Explorer you are using, DESKTOP(AGXD) or ONLINE (AGXO). The rules are different for each interface.

Second, here are the rules...

Save your personal photo in an online service, such as Picasa. It needs to be accessible from the web.
When you have saved your photo online, you can edit the pop-up window. This way it doesn't matter which interface you use (AGXO or AGXD).

AGXD: Just click that little pencil icon in the bottom right corner. Drop in the URL of your photo. Save it and you're all set. You can also add a local path to a photo but remember you'll need to open the map document on that same computer for it to show up. (see http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/arcgisexplorerblog/archive/2009/09/18/adding-photos-to-your-map-using-notes.aspx)
AGXO: Click the create features button, place the feature (point, line or polygon) on the map, click the feature, in the bottom right corner select edit and edit pop-up. Drop in the URL of your photo on the image URL line. Click OK.

You can add photos in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop (AGXD) to be used in a presentation, a URL in a pop-up and to customize the symbols(markers).
From Esri AGX Blog on How to customize a symbol: http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/arcgisexplorerblog/archive/2010/06/03/Creating-custom-point-symbols.aspx
My version of the instructions: You can customize a picture to become a marker...instead of one of the stock icons.
- right-click the place name in contents
- select symbols
- select manage symbols
- browse to your picture
- ok
- then on the appearance tab, select the new picture as your symbol
In the example picture above, I've used AGXD to make my marker unique and added a URL of a personal photo in the pop-up window for that point feature.

It's really easy and offers some great opportunities to share information geographically!

Twinkies: A Reason to Use Maps in PE Class

2011-04-14T10:10:00.000-05:00

Have a look at this cool map interface! You can map snack foods as well as the nutritional choices as they relate to calories and physical activity.

What a great way to get students involved with the outdoors and have a snack!

Check it out at http://maps.esri.com/AGSFlex_Demos/TwinkieMap/!

Caching into Writing

2011-03-14T11:04:00.001-05:00

Geocaching isn’t just for science class or the serious geography geek! A cache is simply a hiding place, and caching is hiding something like a treasure. Nature is full of treasures waiting to be explored. A popular movement called “geocaching” gets folks outside with their GPS units to find treasures hidden by other geocachers. If you haven’t tried it yet, it’s great fun! (www.geocaching.com) Folks are geocaching all over the world!

Many educators are taking that idea to the classroom to do campus investigations. Now you might expect that it’s the science teacher out looking at nature, but surprise your students in English Language Arts class with an outdoors writing assignment! Realizing that not all classrooms are created equally, here are some low-tech options as well as the spiffy high-tech ones. Either have students locate specific cached items or let them explore the landscape for surprises. Anyway you do it, get creative and allow the students to explore their creativity.

Low-Tech

Create a map of your site with destinations. Use a hand-drawn map with destinations or use a tool like Sketch-A-Map (http://edgis.org/sketch) to create your map for students.
Students can create a poem or story based on the destinations on the map. Nature is an excellent way to pull more adjectives out of a student. I used a similar activity with my students in my book, Reading, Writing and Thinking around the Globe: Geospatial Technologies for English Language Arts Classroom and Beyond (www.barbareeduke.com) where students create topographic and geographic definitions for words. Visualizing vocabulary can help cement those words into a student’s personal dictionary.

High-Tech

Using your school’s or a set of loaner GPS units (www.gisetc.com). Set up waypoints with caches. Perhaps the students find words, phrases or starters for writing assignments. They could take photos and return to the classroom with real experiences. Don’t think that you have to have green spaces and trees to make this work. Urban explorations could be quite powerful as well! Perhaps tell the stories of graffiti or buildings changing over time.
Perhaps you decide to pair the GPS units with cameras (a reason for kids to use those cell phones) to create a photo essay. Just ask National Geographic if photos have a story to tell!
Another option is to use a smart phone application. I have a GPS app on my iPhone (MotionX GPS) that integrates a picture and text with my waypoint. I can email this waypoint with the photo and text attached, and then view it in a virtual globe application like ArcGIS Explorer (http://www.esri.com/arcgisexplorer) or Google Earth (http://earth.google.com), another educational reason for kids to use that cell phone at school. Because applications like ArcGIS Explorer are equipped with a simple presentation creator, as a next step, you could combine all the stories and photos for a class-wide virtual tour.
For the more adventurous, you might like to check out a project called “confluencing” (www.confluence.org). This calls for a GPS unit and some planning. Check out some of my adventures with my friend, Dr. Joseph Kerski. (http://www.confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=14853). The post-adventure writing is the star here. You could take this same approach with your geocaching explorations as well, a detailed story of who, what, where, when, why and how is great practice for all those persuasive writing assignments!

The moral of the story here is: expand the borders of your classroom. Think beyond the text book and computer screen. Engage students with outdoor spatial experiences and watch their writing transform!

ArcGIS Explorer Online How-To Guide

2011-02-17T09:45:00.000-06:00

If you're searching for a nice how-to document on using the Esri ArcGIS Explorer Online tool, then point your browser over to the University of Redlands. They have done a nice job with most of the basic functions that you would want to use with students. http://www.institute.redlands.edu/lens/downloads/guides/ArcGIS_Explorer_Online_extended_quickguide.pdf

The Left-Handed Chocolate Caper for ArcGIS Desktop and Explorer

2011-02-08T14:51:00.000-06:00

My students loved doing GIS "puzzles"! I have created an update to the a classic puzzle designed by the Esri Ed Team in 2000, "The Left-Handed Chocolate Caper." Students use demographics, average temperature, food, elevation and more clues to find the best search area.

"Hishe Penn traveled the world in search of exotic foods. Two weeks ago, he called his office with exciting news. He found a variety of cocoa bean whose molecules formed opposite the usual way. This "left-handed bean" was actually much more nutritious and had all the flavor of a regular cocoa bean. He was excited about creating a new brand of chocolate products. Much to his surprise, Penn had been followed by a rival scientist, whose henchmen grabbed Penn and held him captive, hoping to steal his discovery."

Find Penn and give the world better chocolate in time for Valentine's Day!

NCGE Webinars: Feb. & March

2011-02-02T10:01:00.000-06:00

We're excited about the new year of live webinars! We are endeavoring to include all facets of NCGE into the program. The Webinar Task Force encourages you to discuss with your committees great additions for our program.

Participation is so simple. Just use your internet browser to go to the webinar address, type in your name, watch, aks questions and share! Don't miss the exciting sessions coming this spring!

Coming Attractions

Ask the Webinar Team

Have questions? Just zap us an email at webinars@ncge.org.

Landscapes to Learning

Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7pm EST/6pm CST

Bob Lang, FRGS C.Geog of King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham, UK

Art, Geography and Travel in the Classroom

Don't miss this exciting session on using geospatial technologies, photography and data! There is something for everyone in this very interactive session. This webinar will look at an innovative cross-curricular project based around Geography and Art and a school's established International link with a school in

Guangzhou. The project uses modern art, GIS and photography via Birmingham's Museum and art gallery and student's photographs and experiences to look at the growth, urbanisation and redevelopment of the cities of Guangzhou and Beijing in China. Join us for the adventure!

APHG: Gearing Up for the Test

Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 6pm EST/ 5pm CST
Ken Keller, AP Human Geography & U.S. History Teacher at Danbury High School, Danbury, CT

Preparing for the AP Human Geography Test
Calling all APHG teachers and geography teachers! In this session teachers will learn some tried and true methods on how best to prep their students to earn a score of "5" on the AP Human Geography exam. Emphasis will be placed on deconstructing both multiple choice and free response questions. Likewise, participants will learn how to employ best practices related to teaching test taking strategies in the classroom as well as teaching their students some techniques to reduce stress and be more focused when they go to sit for the exam. Ken Keller has been teaching the course since its inception and has been an exam reader for the past nine years.
Other topics planned include: Spatial Cognition, Political Geography and more APHG. Check the
NCGE Webinar Program page often for updates. Also we'll be notifying the membership once a month of all the great developments!

NCGE Map Gallery Contest

2011-01-31T14:05:00.002-06:00

NCGE 2011 Map Gallery Contest

The 2011 NCGE Map Gallery Committee invites you to submit a map for display during the 2011 Conference. All GIS maps are welcome. The maps will be judged by a panel of peers, with the exception of the People's Choice Award, which will be voted on by the Conference attendees. The Map Contest will feature two award categories and the winners will be announced at the closing session on Saturday, August 6, 2011. Please review the minimum requirements and categories carefully when designing the content of your map entry.

Awards

Best Cartographic Design (Higher Ed., K-12 & People's Choice) - Awarded to the map that artistically employs the elements of cartography without compromising use and functionality. Maps will be judged on fundamental cartographic principles including figure ground representations, visual hierarchy, color selection, typography, symbology, overall aesthetic appearance, etc.

Best Analysis (Higher Ed., K-12 & People's Choice) - Awarded to the map that is best designed to display the results of spatial data analysis and presents the information in an unbiased way, allowing the viewer to extract their own conclusions, utilizing the map as a tool.

The three winners in each category will be awarded prizes along with the admiration of their peers.

How do you and your students participate?

Create your awesome map. Size must be ANSI D (22 x 34) or smaller. Save your map as a *.pdf.
Create your map abstract and collect all the important information.
Complete the submission form online.
FTP your map's *.pdf file to the server.
Meet us in Portland at the NCGE Annual Conference to share with others your excellent work!

Map Gallery Contest Information (*.pdf)

Map Submission Deadline is May 15, 2011

If you have any questions about the Map Gallery, please email Anita Palmer at anita@gisetc.com.

Q & A: It's All Relative!

2011-01-12T18:03:00.000-06:00

Question:

Can I have my students create projects so that everything is "relative"?

Answer:

You can have relativity in a GIS project. You just need to plan ahead. It's harder to get relativity after you've already created the project. ArcMap does relativity well when we tell it at the beginning of the project.

Without getting into too many hairy details, here's the simplified, general process:

Plan your folder architecture before you start creating your GIS project.
For example, a good ol' standard is to have a general folder, a MASTER FOLDER if you will, for the whole thing that contains the *.mxd, a folder for images, a folder for links, a folder for metadata and a folder for geodatabases. Each of those folders contains the individual files(i.e. images has all the *.tiffs and *.jpgs, etc). See attached picture. For educational environments, I add a folder for documents (lesson plans, student handouts, etc.)
Collect and move files into the folders BEFORE you add them to your map document in ArcMap. You may have a working area that different that your master folder and master map document. I do this often when I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the final product will become.
Start an empty map document in ArcGIS/ArcMap. Set all your environmental things (home directory, default geodatabase, document properties, etc).
Set the "relative" characteristic for your map document. (File, Document Properties, Data Source Options, Store relative path names, Make this the default for new map documents, OK, OK)
Save your *.mxd in it's permanent home folder, the MASTER FOLDER. You're telling ArcMap that all files will "relate" to this location. It won't care if it's on a hard drive, CD or flash drive. It just knows to look in it's own backyard.
Now, as you begin to build your map document and do analysis, everything you do goes into this one area (MASTER FOLDER) for the project.

This process is helpful for your students. They need good data management skills as they learn how to do GIS. It saves many conversations like "where is the original data?" and "didn't you write anything down?" We laugh because we've all been there! In education, transportability (relativity) is important since we may not always be sitting at the same computer.

Q & A: Studying Louisiana Wetlands

2011-01-11T11:00:00.000-06:00

It's a new year filled with new questions from my GIS teacher friends. Solving questions and having students go on that quest is so powerful.

Question: I have a GIS student who is interested in learning some things about Louisiana’s water. She is interested in studying wetlands and salinity as a first topic choice. Erosion and river silt problems along the coast would be a 2^nd choice.

Do any of these sound reasonable (because you can help us find data sources)? Do you have data sources that might lead her in some other directions?

Answer: The fine folks of Louisiana have a DVD of state geospatial resources.

I have a two DVD set from 2007. It's now available for download at: http://lagic.lsu.edu/geodata/LOSCO/2007_DVD/default_2007DVD.htm. They have a quick start guide to that data collection also: http://lagic.lsu.edu/geodata/LOSCO/2007_DVD/downloads/2007DVD_Quick_Start_v20071017.pdf

Some other sites that may be helpful:

http://atlas.lsu.edu

http://lagic.lsu.edu/loscoweb/

Just Add A Little GIS

2010-12-30T10:13:00.000-06:00

I've been following an interesting discussion on a Linked In group. The original question was "How can technology aid in student achievement? Or also, What is technology's role in education?" There have been some terrific thoughts shared from this great group of professionals (Technology Integration in Education...if you care to join the discussion)
Here's my addition to the discussion:
When you're deciding on using technology or any other tool to teach or enhance content. As the experienced instructors, we must keep asking ourselves, "How will this way be better than the old way?" The recipe that says "just add technology" doesn't make the most impact. The right time to add technology is when student achievement and student understanding are drastically changed.

For example, I was teaching Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to my middle school 7th graders as part of the required English Language Arts course content. Some other teachers were having their students search the Internet and write a report on Mark Twain or some aspect of the time period. Other teachers would watch a movie from the Biography Channel on Twain's life. Now both of those examples are adding technology, but the impact isn't much different on the students...you're just using a different vehicle to get there. I had some experience using GIS(geographic information systems) and saw some potential in that technology really changing student perspective. Let's face it, when they see an old book and hear that it's about slavery and a river...you might lose them...a bunch of dead authors and dusty books! My experiment really paid off. After having students use GIS to examine Twain's trip down the Mississippi River, slavery population maps of the time and look at a historic map that Twain might have used when piloting the riverboat, they were not only more interested, but began to see novel as we read it. They made the connection between slavery and an old dusty book. They could see how their state looked at that time. They started to see Social Studies and Science in what we were studying in English class. As I included GIS and other geospatial technologies along the way, their critical thinking and ultimately those pesky test scores went UP, really UP and that's a good case for using technology that you don't have to explain to anyone.

Water, Water Everywhere: Cross-Curricular Approaches to Studying Water

2010-11-17T00:10:00.000-06:00

Happy GIS DAY!

Geography is never discipline-specific! Even a theme like “fresh water” should not be narrowed just to the science community. Embrace the cross-curricular ties that exist within your curriculum. You don’t have to teach something new, just teach what you already do in a different way. This type of integration has great powers to teach your students to think, a skill we often expect rather than teach. Before you decide I’m crazy and reaching for my magic wand, let’s explore the possibilities. Let’s analyze how studying water can connect with all four core curricular areas. I have a real-world...already tried it...works great with real kids... example!

Here’s what happened...I was teaching 7th grade English on a middle school team of four teachers. One afternoon we’re discussing upcoming classroom content. As the math teacher starts sharing about her water project, the science teacher chimes in, “Hey, I could move things around and do pH studies then. We can test their home water and compare with school water.” Not to be left out, the social studies teacher and I start thinking too. In short fashion, we created a team-wide water unit. The results were fantastic. Our students could see the connections across the curriculum, and it prompted them to think about similar connections in the future. This collaboration led to many other collaborative projects among the four subjects. The proof was in the test scores at the end of the year!

Math: statistics of home water use

Students collected data in their homes for a week on water usage. Then they used spreadsheet software to organize and calculate statistics. Then the data was merged with the science data to be analyzed in GIS software.

Science: pH testing

Students collected samples of water around the school and from their homes. They analyzed the water samples and drew conclusions. Then the data was merged with the math data to be analyzed in GIS software (more on this below).

English: water art and literature

I had a collection of old calendar art. I pulled every picture that had water in the art. Students had to answer a series of questions about the art. Keeping within the confines of my school’s literature texts, students read “The Wreck of the Hesperus” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and “Hurricanes” by Patricia Lauber. Then students had to relate the text to the art. Which piece of art best illuminates these selections? Explain.

What if you don’t have water literature in your curriculum or available art? If you don’t have art on hand, utilize a resource like the Smithsonian. Their art collection online is extensive! (http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search) Just search by keyword “water.”
This lesson gives context to Walden Pond along with other English Language Arts topics: (http://edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons/lesson.cfm?id=540). It’s part of a great educational resource by GIS leader Esri, the Education Community at Esri: http://edcommunity.esri.com.

Articles on water related to literature:

http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/literature.html; http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4356560.ece

Poems on water: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/thematic_poems/water_poems.html

Social Studies: how water affects communities around the globe

Because her “location” of study from year to year changed, the social studies teacher focused on the importance of water to the area of the world – her students were studying. One year that country was India. The students looked at available fresh water resources and why people lived where they did. (See http://gisined.blogspot.com/2010/02/sketch-map-in-classroom-part-2-social.html) We even explored the cultural implications of the Ganges River in both Social Studies and English with a part-research, part-creative writing assignment, “Journey to the Ganges.” (http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm)

Geography and GIS: visualizing our water resources

Students took the collected data from math and science class and merged it with census and zip-code data. Then they performed analysis to determine where the best water was. What factors might influence water quality? You could perform similar activities with some pre-crafted lesson plans at the National Center for Rural STEM Education Outreach-Geospatial Technology (http://www.isat.jmu.edu/stem/curriculum.html) – drinking water, aquifers and watersheds are just a few of the 14 lesson collection. Whether you use a Mac or PC, AEJEE, My World GIS or ArcGIS 9, you can use these activities! Another good online resource is National Atlas MapMaker (http://www.nationalatlas.gov). Quick and easy internet mapping on any data that they keep at the National Atlas.

Remember to teach cross-curricular topics to your students with geography! Use technology whenever it’s possible...it’s a language today’s teenagers understand well. Students who are connected to their content in a purposeful way are more successful. Help them discover that their world is connected in many ways.

To Grandmother's House We Go, again

2010-11-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

Do you remember that song? My students just look at me like I’m crazy if I start singing it. I was thinking about the world of the song’s creator vs. today’s world. What elements of geography can we examine through the poem? Where did the grandparents of this folks song live?

In case you have no idea what song I’m referring to, here’s a couple of links to jog your memory.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_River_and_through_the_Woods

Folk Song: http://www.songsforteaching.com/folk/overtheriverandthroughthewoods.htm

So let’s think… ( I know, alert the media!)

The poem was written in 1844. What did the US look like at the time?

Here's a map of the United States and lands from 1845 at the David Rumsey Map Collection online: http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/s/qg19fj You can play with the map here also.

This writer was passionate about ending slavery. What did slavery look like at that time? Here’s what Mark Twain’s world looked like. This is an informative, interactive map. http://atlas.lib.niu.edu/Website/twain/viewer.htm

The Virginia Experiment GIS Projects are excellent if you’d like to explore various history related topics:

http://www.virginiaexperiment.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=51

You could create your own GIS map to look at agriculture, precipitation, forests and rivers! You can use a full GIS program like ArcGIS or a virtual globe such as ArcGIS Explorer. (These maps are available online at www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm)

So based on your explorations, where was grandmother’s house? Where is your grandmother’s house and how do you get there? What would your song lyrics be?
Think about Thanksgiving from a new perspective!

Geography Collides with Poetry and Art

2010-11-15T16:14:00.000-06:00

I love it when curricular lines are blurred especially with the use of geography! Here's a great resource for any week but especially Geography Awareness Week.

"RIVER OF WORDS: http://www.riverofwords.org/ this site is a REALLY neat site is about “connecting kids to their watersheds and imaginations through poetry and art.”

The “for educators” tab on the right contains some great resources, including a link to the “signals of spring” website that has lots of great activities designed to increase students’ awareness and ease with earth image data (http://www.signalsofspring.net/)."

From Dr. Meredith Marsh at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO...thanks for sharing!

Geography Humor

2010-11-15T15:14:00.000-06:00

In honor of geography awareness week, I'm reposting a little humorous moment from YouTube. Do you live somewhere that's difficult to explain?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGRKTkS7pW8

Getting Started with Geography Awareness Week

2010-11-15T10:10:00.000-06:00

It’s Geography Awareness Week

Suggestions from Dr. Tom Baker at Esri:

http://www.mywonderfulworld.org

Theme: Freshwater

Learn about Mapping Freshwater at the GIS Ed Blog:

http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/gisedcom/

You can also watch Charlie Fitzpatrick’s previous webinar on the Community Atlas program, ArcGIS Explorer Online, and Freshwater at:

http://edcommunity.esri.com/im/webinars/

Don’t forget to check out ArcLessons. Search for “Water” focused lessons for all learners:

http://edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons/arclessons.cfm

You can also search for GIS in education case studies that relate to “Water”:

http://edcommunity.esri.com/community/caseStudies/

Be sure to see “Combining Math, Science, and GIS” at: http://edcommunity.esri.com/community/caseStudies/detail.cfm?id=3

And finally, there is a flotilla of water related content at ArcGIS.com – see:

http://www.arcgis.com/home/search.html?q=water&t=content

Got Topos?

2010-11-05T11:45:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that I like maps...but have you seen the new collection of topographic maps at National Atlas? This is a fantastic teaching tool. Especially if you need quick examples! Just point your internet browser to http://www.nationalatlas.gov/100topos/index.html and select an area. If you click one of the points on the map you can select specific features or look at different versions of that area.

Think of all the great ways you can use this tool!!!

Q & A: Global Geology and Topography

2010-11-02T16:58:00.002-05:00

Question:

My teachers are working on a geology project that they did last year with Texas and US geology maps. They had the students give real world examples of different landforms (volcanoes, and where they existed in TX and the US. This year they are looking to expand it to world wide examples.

It's for fifth grade and the landforms they will be studying are: archipelagoes, caves, cliffs, deltas, deserts, dunes, islands, mountains, piedmonts, plains, plateaus, terraces, valleys and volcanoes.

Do you know of any resources students and teachers can use for this?

Answer:

I like the Sketch-A-Map gadget at http://www.edgis.org/sketch for explorations.

and from my friend, Dr. Shannon White:

First thing that comes to mind is the National Atlas set of first 25 of the 100 topo maps about land forms – that is good for the US. http://www.nationalatlas.gov/100topos/index.html

Outside of the US – global datasets of terrain are a bit more tough, I would suggest checking out the following:

· Center for International Earth Science Information Network data sets: http://www.ciesin.org/sub_guide.html

· The data from the global 7-CD set that is now 1 DVD that USGS put out with American Geological Institute are listed online at:

· http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/globalgis/datasets.htm

· USGS Global Land cover might be helpful (might not) http://edc2.usgs.gov/glcc/glcc.php

· The Landcover institute page might provide some resources: http://landcover.usgs.gov/

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Land Cover Data Directory
Global Land Cover 2000
GAP analysis program (land cover data by U.S. State)
USGS Geographic Data Download (older LULC data)
National Land Cover Dataset from USGS (seamless and the most current for the US)

NLCD Class Definitions in html or EXCEL .dbf format

Nice Math Resource!

2010-11-01T14:13:00.000-05:00

Algebra 1 - Solving Rational Equations - The Official Thinkwell Blog

http://blog.thinkwell.com/2010/10/algebra-1-solving-rational-equations.html

Q & A: Nile River Resources

2010-11-01T13:21:00.001-05:00

Question:
Are you familiar with any lessons and activities related to the Nile - cataracts, delta or the Aswan dam? This 5th grade social studies teacher has expressed some interest in GIS and I'm trying to provide her some GIS-related activities that go along with her classroom focus.

Answer:

That is a VERY specific topic. Joseph Kerski created a lesson three years ago using the NGS MapMachine, an online resource to explore Africa. Unfortunately, the map machine is no more, but Joseph's lesson is still on ArcLessons and does a nice job of having students walk through different aspects of Africa. http://edcommunity.esri.com/arclessons/lesson.cfm?id=294

I would suggest you use his plethora of materials (10 pdfs), but employ a new map gadget. For 5th grade and for an instructor that is just getting started... I like ArcGIS Explorer desktop (a virtual 3D globe) http://resources.arcgis.com/content/arcgis-explorer/1500/download or ArcGIS Explorer online http://explorer.arcgis.com/. If your teacher is in a Mac only environment, you'll need to use the online product. Having students search, add their comments to the map, play with different base maps and make their own presentations about the elements could be fantastic!

Some other goodies around are:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/g35/morellriver.html

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/g912/morellcrisis.html

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/nile/

http://proceedings.esri.com/library/userconf/proc04/docs/pap1036.pdf

Personal Geography # 5: Mapping eBay

2010-10-16T11:50:00.000-05:00

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

2010-10-16T11:31:00.001-05:00

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?

Simple Truths of Service

2010-10-13T14:05:00.001-05:00

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

http://www.stservicemovie.com/?cm_mmc=CheetahMail-_-FR-_-10.8.10-_-STSRMovie

2011 Esri T3G Institute

2010-10-13T14:03:00.000-05:00

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

National Conference on Geographic Education 2010

2010-10-05T11:30:00.000-05:00

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!

Personal Geography #4: The Great Watermelon Conundrum of '78

2010-09-21T17:44:00.002-05:00

Summers were great fun in the deep south! Afternoon stiflingly sticky heat was often quenched with the timely arrival of the ice cream truck as you hear "The Entertainer" tune from far away...plenty of time to plead with Mom for 50 cents! Often those summers included family journeys to the lake house or our family farm. My Popie, my Dad's father, grew up doing quite a bit of farming on the family acreage in Branchville, AL. My brother, my cousin and I would often jump in the back of the truck and "help out," especially at harvesting times.

One summer Popie decided to let us help plant. He had done all the heavy lifting (plowing, fertilizing and such) and called us in for the fun stuff...seeds! He always planted the usual suspects so that our winters were filled with my Mema's canned beans, peas, okra, corn, tomatoes and such...included in the annual plantings were those delicious watermelons that were just the thing you needed after a day boating and swimming in the lake...cracked open on the porch like manna from Heaven. A little shade, a breeze and sweet watermelon still makes me smile.

Okay so the process was simple. He gave each of us a row and a small handful of seeds (dozen or so). We each looked at the paltry pile and said, "Popie, this is not enough seeds! Can we please have more? We want to have plenty of watermelons."
He replied, "Oh, now, that's plenty of seeds."
"But Popie...."
"Well, okay, but if you plant 'em, you've got to pick 'em!"
"Oh YES! No problem, Popie! We'll pick 'em!"
So with that we scampered into the field to plant our personal crop of melons. As the time goes by we look at the plants grow...and grow....and grow. Seems that we had the perfect mix of rain and sun that year for a bumper crop! Before we knew it, it was time to pick melons! We hauled in melons all day and enjoyed the bounty on the porch along with a few neighbors and friends. (By the way did you know standard melons weigh about 20 pounds each?) We were so proud! Another bit of time goes by and Popie calls, "We need to go to the farm. More melons!" Excitedly we go haul in another bounty! Now this was fun the first two trips but after that...not so much. By the time the season was done we must have filled his pickup truck three times with watermelons. We couldn't give them away, we had so many! Lesson learned!!! Needless to say, we didn't volunteer for watermelon duty the next summer!

The story brings home some personal geography and understanding crops. Geography, math and spatial awareness are key to really understanding the watermelon conundrum. If you have a row that is 100 yards and you plant the entire row six inches per plant, how many plants will you have? Given the standard yield of the crop, how many pounds of melons will you harvest? Will you have the same crop yield in Maine as you do in Alabama? Why? What weather do you need for optimal growing?

http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html?id=e3d5a236db7c429fa522fe595d2931e5

Also, what a valuable story! Take these opportunities to bring students' personal life into English Language Arts class! What is the story in agriculture? What literature gives us a new look into agriculture? Also look into the Ag in the Classroom resources. http://www.agclassroom.org/

Little did I know that my grandfather was instilling in us spatial concepts, math and geography along with some valuable life lessons! Thank you Popie!

If you're inspired to grow some watermelons, here's some info to get you started!
http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/watermel.htm
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/growing-watermelon.htm

Hurricane Tracker

2010-09-15T12:06:00.001-05:00

Hurricane Tracker - Weather - msnbc.com

Geospatial Revolution: Episode 1

2010-09-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

Gulf Oil Spill Animation

2010-09-13T14:38:00.002-05:00

Oil Spill Animation

This is a fascinating perspective on the Gulf Oil Spill!
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/deepwater-disaster/index.ssf

Personal Geography #3: Listen for THE whistle!

2010-09-07T14:44:00.001-05:00

Geography is personal from an early age, as demonstrated by some cleaver little boys in an airport (see post Personal Geography #1). I can empathize with that little boy; home is a beautiful place! I felt like that as a child. For me, it was Farley Place in Birmingham, Alabama...steeped in pine tree towers, a creek, a fort in the woods and great places to journey on my bicycle. Yes, my entire world was accessible with try trusty electric blue Schwinn with the sparkle seat, handlebar streamers and playing cards clothes-pinned to the spokes so you heard me coming!

The rules were clear. Anywhere on the loop was fine for a ride around but no stopping. Stopping and visiting had to be pre-approved by the management (Mom and Dad). In general, the measure of an okay distance was within ear shod of Daddy's distinctive whistle which you really could hear for about a block and a half away...as long as you stayed outside...also a rule.

Just once, I made the mistake of playing inside Kelly's house and missed the "come home for dinner" whistle. As I didn't respond (and he had a good idea where I was), Dad came to her house to "drag me home." BIG MISTAKE! My beloved electric blue adventure machine was imprisoned in the shed, locked away, for a month....in the summer! I cried. Lesson learned.

I've often had students (young and old) make personal maps when teaching geographic or introducing spatial concepts. Just draw it out...what do you see? How do you remember it? It's also powerful to share your map. My students, especially middle school and high school students, love seeing "my house." They can also see that you don't expect a Picasso-quality work of art! This kind of activity is a great starting point and makes students appreciate the cool GIS maps that appear on the screen so easily. Remember that personal perspective is an integral part of reading, writing and thinking about any subject.

Feel free to share your personal geography with someone today!

Personal Geography #1: http://gisined.blogspot.com/2010/08/personal-geography-1-theres-no-place.html
Personal Geography #2: http://gisined.blogspot.com/2010/08/personal-geography-2-north-south-east.html

GeoCool: Exploring with GeoTechnologies

2010-09-05T20:07:00.000-05:00

Curious about geospatial technologies, this article gives a good place to start!

Learning and Leading - September/October 2010 - Page 28-29

PAPER AIRPLANE LESSON PLAN 2010 | ONE FOOT IN REALITY

2010-09-05T13:15:00.000-05:00

What a great idea for you English Language Arts teachers! That's right, ENGLISH! Hook them with permission to build paper airplanes and fly them in class!

PAPER AIRPLANE LESSON PLAN 2010 | ONE FOOT IN REALITY

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com

2010-09-03T10:47:00.004-05:00

I enjoy many of the #TED talks but this one should strike a nerve across disciplines...not just my field of education but all others. My friend and colleague, Dr. Joseph Kerski, often talks about the "whys of where." If we start with "why" then we're at the core. Have a look and think about how these concepts can impact your world.

Simon Sinek: How great leaders inspire action | Video on TED.com

Personal Geography #2: North, South, East or West?

2010-08-29T16:21:00.000-05:00

This video clip is great fun, as well as a good lesson in geography. I think it's so funny because you just can't make this kind of thing up. I know how the lady feels in trying to explain this lovely spot. I personally used to live just north of a little town called West in Texas. They sold shirts for a while that said West Comma Texas. And... I can report that if you're in the mood for great Kolaches (this amazingly tasty Czech pastry) stop in West, Texas.

So meet this lovely lady who spent many years in North, South Carolina.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGRKTkS7pW8

Personal Geography #1: There's No Place Like Home

2010-08-27T13:39:00.001-05:00

Summer is my busy season for teacher professional development events, so I find myself people watching at airports around the USA as I make the journey to various events. This summer I had the pleasure of meeting two little boys (about 4 & 5 years old). I was fresh from a conference where I had rubbed elbows with all sorts of brilliant geographic minds who are VERY serious about geography and all things geospatial. As I patiently await the boarding process, two boys bounced into the waiting area like they were straight from the Tigger Fan Club Meeting.

One of the little fellows looks at me and says, "We're going to fly home!"
I replied, "Me, too! Where's home?"
He quickly and assuredly says, "Alemeda and Broadway."
"What city is that in?" I inquire.
He retorts, "Alemeda and Broadway."
Now I'm curious as to how much he understands about his geography, so I ask, "Is that a city?"
"No" he explains, "it's a country!"
"What country is that?" I ask.
As he's dancing around the post he says, "Alemeda."
"Oh, I see. I've never been there." I replied.
He QUICKLY exclaims as he slows down to emphasize his point, "Ohhhh, it's a beauuutiful place!"
I told him I'd add that to my places to visit and he smiled proudly as he skipped off with flagrant waves goodbye.

What a ground truthing experience! Not in the way that geography professionals would think but isn't that truly grounding? It certainly made me think about the "beauuutiful places" in my life, personal geography that gives meaning and shapes who we are. As Dorothy says, "There's no place like home."

P.S. A salute to this little boy's parents who taught him where home is, the most beautiful place in the world!

Archaeologists find new clues why the Maya left - USATODAY.com

2010-08-27T12:37:00.000-05:00

You don't have to use fancy maps to include geospatial content. This article/website does a nice job of giving geographic perspective along with multimedia content. You students will groove on these kinds of experiences as part of their content!

Archaeologists find new clues why the Maya left - USATODAY.com

GeoCool: Exploring with GeoTechnologies

2010-08-25T14:38:00.000-05:00

New Article published in Learning and Leading with Technology with Joseph Kerski "Geo-Cool: Exploring with GeoTechnologies" p. 28-31 (September/October 2010-Vol.38 No. 2). We've highlighted some examples of geospatial technologies for the classroom. There's something for every classroom!

ArcGIS Explorer Desktop 1500

2010-08-25T12:30:00.002-05:00

The newest version of ESRI's free virtual globe is available at http://www.ESRI.com/software/arcgis/explorer/download.html

I love this tool for the classroom! This virtual globe is the perfect mix as a first stop for including geospatial technologies into your content!

According to http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/explorer/whats-new.html

New capabilities of ArcGIS Explorer (build 1500) include:

Directly use and optimize image services.
Improved support for ArcGIS 10 layer packages and geodatabases.
Ability to search for and add content directly from ArcGIS Online. You can also share map items immediately to your online account.
Ability to share (export) to layer packages and to KML. You can also create notes from KML.
Shared layer packages, notes, and KML can be saved locally, added to ArcGIS Online, or e-mailed directly from the application.
Improved KML handling in both 2D and 3D mode; regionated KML is now supported in 2D mode.
Ability to add data directly from Excel spreadsheets.
Inclusion of OpenStreetMap in the basemap gallery.
Notes can now be labeled.
Improved query capabilities, so you can create expressions to filter data displayed on your map.
Improved symbol appearance in 2D and 3D modes.
SDK has been updated to support Visual Studio 2010.

Using Web GIS in the Classroom

2010-08-16T11:07:00.000-05:00

NCGE Live Webinar Series
Topic: Using Web GIS in the Classroom.

Presenter: Joseph Kerski, ESRI, Geographer and Education Manager

Date: Tuesday 31 August 2010

Time: 4PM Eastern, 3PM Central, 2PM Mountain, 1PM Pacific, 12PM Alaska, 10AM Hawaii

Cost: Free for Members, $20 for Non-Members

Description: Today's Web-based Geographic Information Systems have become powerful tools to enable students to think spatially while investigating real topics in real places. All that is needed to interact with these tools is an ordinary web browser. However, the inquiry they offer is rich and engaging, incorporating real-time data with local to global phenomena. Much more than online maps, these tools allow students to investigate geographic patterns, linkages, and relationships. Join Joseph Kerski as we explore natural hazards, language, economics, invasive species, population, and other topics using Web GIS tools including ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Explorer Online, National Atlas, World mapper, Modern Language Association interactive map, and more.

Geospatial Tech. in Education - ASCD EDge Group -

2010-08-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

For anyone who wants to be a part of the ASCD community and discuss geospatial technologies...we have a new group!

Geospatial Tech. in Education - ASCD EDge Group -

3-D Printer

2010-08-05T18:07:00.000-05:00

My friends at GISetc are in Bismark, ND this week. They shared this cool technology with us via their website. Watch the video to see 3D object printed out! Fascinating stuff!

gisetc.com � 3-D Printer Complete Progression (a.k.a. LIVE from Bismarck)

My Summer Reading Adventure

2010-08-04T16:59:00.001-05:00

Summer draws to a close, at least here in southeastern Louisiana....school starts August 9th. I have been talking with my tutoring students about their summer reading. I too try to do some summer reading and wanted to highlight my favorite of this summer, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. I am a geography fan and adore adventure stories. This selection rang both those bells like Christmas at the Vatican. The story highlights the adventure, trials and triumphs of a 12 year old genius cartographer. He maps life: people, places, events...everything. One of his triumphs sets him on a cross-country journey that is replete with adventure. Whether you want a good read, need to recommend one to a student or you're just curious...check it out!

Storm's a comin'! Get your data ready!

2010-07-22T21:01:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again! If you haven't taken advantage of their data, now's a great time to show students the progression of the storm. The National Hurricane Center has their GIS data ready to download and pull into your favorite GIS application. Just click DOWNLOAD GIS DATA. Whether you're using a free product like AEJEE or ArcGIS Explorer OR you're mapping with ArcGIS, MapInfo or MyWorld GIS, you can analyze the weather along with those experts on The Weather Channel!

Tropical Storm BONNIE

Teach Reading and Writing with Geospatial Technologies

2010-07-20T15:05:00.002-05:00

Reading, Writing and Thinking Around the Globe: Geospatial Technologies for the English Language Arts and Beyond

by Barbaree Ash Duke

If you’re looking for realistic ideas for implementing 21^stCentury tools into your classroom, then this is the book for you. Harness the power of online mapping, virtual globes and online content! Spotlighted areas, reading and writing, foster ways to teach thinking in a tradition-laden subject. Ready-to-use lessons, practical ideas, suggestions on collaboration and research make this book a must-have for many classrooms.

Get a copy for $25 in the GISetc Shop!

Send an email if you have questions!

2010-06-22T20:35:00.001-05:00

Attending the ISTE Conference in Denver? Learn more about using GPS and GIS at the ESRI booth! iste10

Rolling Plains Quail Research

2010-06-17T17:29:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of joining the AgTech Teachers in visiting the

Rolling Plains Quail Research Center. They're doing cool research on quail, coyotes and other wildlife and plant species. They're leveraging the power of geospatial technologies: GPS, GIS and Remote Sensing to help understand the wildlife and environment. Have a look around their site and if you're planning on being in that part of Texas, they'd love to give you and your students a tour! It was a great ending to my trip to the Sweetwater area! Can't wait to go back and enjoy the wind sweeping down the plain!

New GIS Curriculum Books

2010-06-16T18:05:00.004-05:00

Come and get 'em! Books are in the store!
http://bit.ly/d25YgY
Reading, Writing & Thinking Around the Globe: Geospatial Technologies for the English Language Arts Classroom and Beyond by Barbaree Duke
and
20 Minute GIS for Young Explorers by Barbaree Duke, Anita Palmer & Roger Palmer
Just $25!

AgTech Camp - Great Fun in Sweetwater, TX

2010-06-15T22:18:00.000-05:00

We had a great day here in Sweetwater, Texas! I had the honor of doing a workshop for 20 great Ag teachers here on the Texas State Technical College West Texas campus. We talked about geospatial technologies for agriculture and the classroom. We got outside with our GPS units and mapped farms, invasive species, ponds, fences and more. These teachers have great ideas for implementing geospatial technologies for their students...and had no trouble seeing how their colleagues in the traditional core subjects could utilize this as well.

View of Wind Turbines from I-20

Encourage your students to follow their interests and talents...technical, vocational and community colleges offer some excellent programs with real results--jobs when you graduate!

Thank you to all the fine folks here in Sweetwater for a great time! I hope that I have the opportunity to return!

Oh...and did you know that Sweetwater is the wind energy capital? http://www.sweetwatertexas.org/

Atlas of the Biosphere: Mapping the Biosphere

2010-06-14T20:58:00.000-05:00

If you love GIS, you love more data!

Atlas of the Biosphere: Mapping the Biosphere

2010-06-14T14:47:00.001-05:00

Quote for the week: "To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream...not only plan, but also believe." ~ Antoine France

2010-06-08T13:46:00.001-05:00

For all you bird lovers, you might enjoy watching Phoebe the hummingbird...and her babies! http://ping.fm/44r0F

2010-06-05T13:00:00.001-05:00

Good deals on business cards and other related items at Vistaprint http://ping.fm/ELlgI

2010-05-19T20:24:00.001-05:00

Quote to consider: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects." ~ Robert Heinlein

Ten of the greatest maps that changed the world

2010-05-19T09:57:00.003-05:00

Something to consider...

Ten of the greatest maps that changed the world

Which of these maps changed how you view the world?

Teachable Moment: Oil Spill Essays

2010-05-07T12:53:00.000-05:00

Current events are great opportunities to show students that it does matter what you say and how you say it! Here's a good reason to write a persuasive essay!

http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/OilspillMapEssay.pdf

Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog

2010-05-05T12:51:00.000-05:00

For all you dog lovers...

Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog

2010-05-05T12:46:00.001-05:00

Something to think about... Transliteracy http://ping.fm/XvVBW

2010-05-03T12:35:00.001-05:00

Gulf Oil Spill GIS Maps
Great tool for student discussions! http://ping.fm/z0tfD

2010-04-30T12:21:00.001-05:00

NC School of Science and Math offers SITE Science professional development – Summer 2010
www.dlt.ncssm.edu/site-68_wkshp-10.htm

Another view of earthquakes

2010-04-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

We have seen many representations of current earthquake data. This is a nice example of ways to experience GIS without GIS software. Check it out! quakes

2nd Graders & Spatial Awareness

2010-04-20T10:50:00.003-05:00

This teacher shares how she implemented the study of coordinate systems in her 2nd grade classroom.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills - EduVision

You might also be interested in Ken Kay's video on fusing the 3 R's and the 4 C's. http://tiny.cc/vvs7o

2010-04-20T07:41:00.001-05:00

Love life...http://ping.fm/raioy

2010-04-20T07:37:00.001-05:00

What can you learn from Louisa May Alcott's Dad?http://ow.ly/177obj

2010-04-15T10:49:00.001-05:00

The latest from GISetc: http://ping.fm/G3Vla

Shakespeare Enlightens Differentiation

2010-04-15T10:37:00.002-05:00

Good food for thought here!
NCTE Inbox Blog: Everything I Know about Differentiation I Learned from William Shakespeare http://ping.fm/KNXeK

Clipart from http://etc.usf.edu/clipart

Costa Rica is CALLING YOU!

2010-04-08T20:27:00.005-05:00

Costa Rica Technology in the Field with GISetc

The signup and payment date has been extended to May 1 for our July 2010 trip to the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. This field experience has a strong marine component and encompasses substantive work being done with the community of Bahia Ballena near the Osa Peninsula.

Community mapping projects:

ASANA MesoAmerican Corridor – turtles and tapirs

Marino Ballena National Park – reef and whale migrations

SURF student program

ASADA community water issues

See the detailed itinerary and trip specifics at http://bit.ly/arn2jY.

YouTube Video Bahia Ballena highlights http://bit.ly/9jEDzy

Don’t miss out on the first phase of this important work in this wonderful coastal community of Costa Rica. Pass this along to your colleagues and friends!

Anita Palmer

214-533-8376

anita@gisetc.com

CLIMBE

2010-04-08T17:43:00.002-05:00

Cool outdoor summer adventure for students at http://www.climbe.org/!

New Curriculum on the Horizon!

2010-04-08T10:30:00.002-05:00

I'm working with the fine folks at GISetc to bring you two new curriculum products: one for elementary students and the other integrating geospatial technologies into English Language Arts! Coming this June!

Safaris, Trash and Adventure: GeoTech 2010

2010-03-31T12:09:00.000-05:00

Don't be fooled by the conference title! It's not just about geography and technology. GeoTech is an opportunity to expand your horizons. It doesn't matter what you teach, because you WILL find something for you! I'm a thinker, something that was a problem in the 4th grade...accused of daydreaming, but as an educator has served me well. The keynote speakers consistently inspire you to venture beyond your borders and think. Blessed with two keynotes this year, Chad Pregracke and Ben Osborne didn't disappoint!

I had no idea who these men were before I met them at GeoTech. They were absolutely personable and instisted on having lunch with us, chatting in the evenings and experiencing the conference together. How many teachers get to meet these kinds of folks and have a nice chat? They were interested in our work as educators and wanted to know how they could help further our causes. Ben's photographs are stunning! Don't overlook the Friday evening presentation at the Science Museum...it's worth the time and money, always! Ben shared his experiences in Africa with the wild dogs and lions but even more intriguing were the behind-the-scenes videos of their adventures in filming. Undeniably, lions are impressive beasts. But how much more incredible that they were looking for them IN THE DARK! The moment in the video when it's all quiet, pitch black and windless; the folks in each vehicle are whispering across the radios, "We don't see any lions," while "No lions over here either," is answered with the deep, eerie rumble of the lions' distinctive growl. It still sends chills up my spine! What amazing stories could my students begin to tell after viewing this experience! Having created lessons for my students related to Mark Twain and the Mississippi River, Chad's story intrigued me. He grew up on the river and set out to change it, make it trash-free. His tenacity and ambition to try it and see what happens is contagious! After hearing his story, I question how many causes are in my own backyard, simple causes that could make a big difference. You don't have to go to Africa or live on the Mississippi River to realize that adventure and purpose should be part of our lives...our classrooms! What adventure awaits you?

A Sunday Drive and GPS Data

2010-03-29T11:22:00.001-05:00

Don't be intimidated by the word "data"! Like Forrest Gump says, "You can tell a lot about people...where they goin'...where they been." While out on what my grandfather called "A Sunday Drive" yesterday, I tried this with my new iPhone.

GIS Education Community Blog : Fun with GIS #42: Using the iPhone to Collect Data for GIS

Start thinking about all the great ways to connect to places! Your kids will think you're really cool!

The Space Place :: How to Make a Topo Map

2010-03-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

If you need to teach about topo maps, this is a great interactive way to do it!

The Space Place :: How to Make a Topo Map

Climate Change: See the Data!

2010-03-19T19:43:00.004-05:00

This project offers a great way to integrate GIS and geospatial technologies with just your internet browser. Use this website to enhance your classroom discussion of climate change! http://www.climatewizard.org

Here's some additional information that might be helpful to that discussion:

http://www.esri.com/library/bestpractices/climate-change.pdf

Ready for Disaster?

2010-03-18T09:22:00.001-05:00

I love that there's always something new in resources and enhancements for any lesson that you create! In the Rural STEM GIS lesson collection (http://www.isat.jmu.edu/stem/curriculum.html) there are activities related to disasters. FEMA has created a web experience for kids (Adults and Businesses at www.ready.gov) that sends them on an adventure. http://www.ready.gov/kids/index.html

There are nice ancillary materials for Geography and Language Arts as well! http://www.listo.gov/america/_downloads/inschool_plan.pdf

ArcGIS Explorer Blog : A new version of ArcGIS Explorer is now available

2010-03-17T11:57:00.000-05:00

ArcGIS Explorer Blog : A new version of ArcGIS Explorer is now available

ASCD Inservice: NCLB Guilty of "Readicide"?

2010-03-17T11:49:00.000-05:00

This article offers some interesting food for thought.

ASCD Inservice: NCLB Guilty of "Readicide"?

3rd National Summit on GIS in K-12 Education at James Madison University

2010-03-17T10:42:00.000-05:00

The National Center for Rural STEM Education will be hosting the 3rd National Summit on GIS in K-12 Education

at James Madison University in Harrisonburg from 19-20 June 2010. This gathering will provide an opportunity

for developers and teachers to share materials and approaches, for school districts to learn about the possibilities for

GIS in the classroom, for researchers to connect to practioners, and for the GIS in Education community to get together

and plan for the future. This event is co-sponsored by the Virginia Geographic Alliance.

Dr. Mike Barnett of Boston College and National Geographic will be our keynote speaker this year.

Note - the Summit will address GIS use in all school situations, not just rural schools. All are welcome!

Details from the 1st and 2nd National Summit are available at http://www.isat.jmu.edu/stem/

Please contact Bob Kolvoord (kolvoora@jmu.edu) with any questions.

The proposal form for sessions and workshops for the 3rd National Summit on GIS in K-12 is now available at

http://www.isat.jmu.edu/stem/workshop10.html (click Session Application)

Session/workshop proposals are due by 15 Apr. 2009 and final decisions on the program will be made by 22 Apr. 2009.

The conference fee will be $100 and will include all meals and one night of lodging in a JMU dorm.

We invite any and all to come and present.

Feel free to forward this to other lists/interested parties.

Bob Kolvoord, Ph.D.

Professor, Integrated Science and Technology and

Educational Technologies

James Madison University

MSC 4102

Harrisonburg, VA 22807

+1 540/568-2752 (o) -2768 (f)

kolvoora@jmu.edu

Newport News students earn money, experience mapping watershed - dailypress.com

2010-03-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

For anyone who asks, "What can students do with GIS?"

Newport News students earn money, experience mapping watershed - dailypress.com

Way to go!

Pointed Journeys

2010-03-15T09:58:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned the Degree Confluence project in the past (www.confluence.org), because I've been out there zeroing out my GPS unit: twice to 30N 90W, one trek in the middle of Lake Tahoe and others. It's great fun! I was introduced to this project by Dr. Joseph Kerski. Appropriately, The American Surveyor has featured a beautiful article on his journeys to "feel centered." http://www.amerisurv.com/PDF/TheAmericanSurveyor_Kerski-PointedJourneys_Vol7No2.pdf

GISetc

2010-03-13T11:57:00.000-06:00

If you're headed to #NSTA or just want the latest software and GIS classroom materials at a great price. Check out GISetc! They'll be in the Geospatial Zone with #ESRI!

Worldmapper: The world as you've never seen it before

2010-03-13T11:54:00.000-06:00

Cartograms offer a great opportunity for quick visual analysis in the classroom. This site is one of my favorites.

Worldmapper: The world as you've never seen it before

ASCD 2010 Report

2010-03-08T11:33:00.001-06:00

I'm reminded of the Dr. Suess book, Oh the Places You'll Go! Two
conferences in one weekend is where I went...driving to San Antonio
from GeoTech in Dallas. After stopping by Baylor University, my alma
mater, to say hello to the bears (Yes, we have real bears in the bear
habitat on campus). Shannon White and I headed on down to San Antonio
to meet up with Randy Kilian-Smith. With the theme "Critical
Transformations" ASCD (www.ascd.org) offered a great opportunity to
inform folks on the possibilities with geospatial technologies. Linda
Mariotti, ASCD President, says "As relationships, systems, economics
and societies are being redesigned and refashioned in ways that
challenge the status quo, new dimensions of learning and teaching must
also be boldly envisioned. Everyone with a stake in learning must be
engaged in better meeting the complex needs of 21st century
students." Doesn't it make sense to put geospatial technologies in
this discussion?

We presented "Transforming Curriculum with Geospatial Technologies."
Geospatial technologies facilitate a learning environment for students
to discover the whys and hows of their curriculum, to engage multiple
intelligences, and to think spatially. These technologies offer
unique opportunites to incorporate 21st century skills by expanding
the scope of curriculum to tap into cognitive research strategies
through studying local and global issues across all content areas. We
shared research-based pedagogical approaches to classroom-tested
geospatial tools, ready-to-use resources, lesson plans, software
recommendations and experience.

It's always a challenge to include everything we need to say in 60
minutes! But we gave it a go and enjoyed having our beloved leader,
Charlie Fitzpatrick, in the audience. You can have a look at the
presentation online at http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm.
Special thanks to ESRI who provided us with books and GIS in education
materials for the participants and to the GeoTech Center for
sponsoring my travel needs. We're looking forward to next year's
conference. I encourage you all to get involved in local, state,
regional or national events where you can share your perspective on
being spatially aware and impacting students.

Sketch-A-Map and 20 Minute GIS Presentations- Ready!

2010-03-06T17:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks for everyone who supported our efforts! Great crowds at all the sessions! The pdfs and resources are ready for you to download. See you at the next GeoTech! http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm#GeoTech_2010

Teaching GIS: Using Data that's...Ready to GO!

2010-03-05T15:45:00.000-06:00

Thanks again folks for filling the room again this morning. The powerpoint handout is available online at http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm#GeoTech_2010. If you're interested, tomorrow...I'll be presenting on using Sketch-A-Map in the classroom and 20 Minute GIS.

GeoTech 2010

2010-03-04T16:50:00.004-06:00

If you're still thinking, "Hey, I wish I had signed up to go to GeoTech!" No worries, you can still join us! Two three hour workshop opportunities tomorrow and a full day of sessions on Saturday.

See you at Bishop Dunne HS! Click http://www.bdhs.org/geotech to register.

Introduction to GIS

2010-03-04T16:34:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the great turn out at our GeoTech 2010 workshop! The handouts are available online at http://www.barbareeduke.com/downloads/downloads.htm#GeoTech_2010. While you're at the website, check out lots of other goodies that might help you be more geospatial!

ASCD 2010 in San Antonio, TX

2010-02-24T13:09:00.001-06:00

If you can't meet me at GeoTech in Dallas next week, then mosey on down to San Antonio, TX for the ASCD Conference March 6-8! I'll be there with my colleagues, Dr. Shannon White from the University of Missouri and Randy Kilian-Smith of Region 20 and Northeast ISD. We'll be presenting on Monday morning on "Transforming Curriculum Using Geospatial Technologies." Come see us for a spatially good time!

GeoTech 2010 in Dallas, TX

2010-02-24T13:00:00.001-06:00

Don't miss a great opportunity to connect with other educators interested in technology integration! Join me at GeoTech hosted by Bishop Dunne Catholic High School in Dallas. I'll be presenting workshops and presentations on using geospatial technology across the curricular boundaries. Check it out at http://www.bdhs.org/geotech!

See you in Dallas!

Sketch-A-Map in the Classroom-Part 3: Math in English Class?

2010-02-11T12:49:00.000-06:00

I love surprising my students with facts and trivia that will make curricular elements stick with them. Previously, I discussed using place as proof and analyzing water resources. What about breaking the stereotype that if you're good at English then you can't do math! The students I tutor in Algebra are always surprised that I "can do math."

A great way to incorporate a little math is a journey book or story. A great example is Journey to Jo'burg by Beverly Naidoo. A 13-year old boy and his sister must make a journey 300 kilometers from their small village to Johannesburg, South Africa to get medical help. How far is that...really? For you sharp GIS folks, it's a quick little buffer activity in ArcGIS or AEJEE. You could use ArcGIS Explorer and measure that distance; however, if you only have the internet available to your classroom, our trusty tool Sketch-A-Map can give us some assistance here. As the teacher you will have to do some homework here to discover real distance. In the case of our story, Pietersburg, South Africa is approximately 300 kilometers from Johannesburg.

With the street map in view, students can draw a line on the map of that distance and more lines to discover where the children's small village is. For some perspective, then we could zoom over to the USA and draw a similar line from Washington, D.C. to Newark, NJ. It's about the same distance. Most students would realize quickly, "Hey! That's pretty far!" Most of my students wouldn't have considered such a journey!

Now that we can see that journey on the map, let's appreciate what Tiro and Naledi in the story did to get help. Time to do a little math!

1 mile = 1.609344 kilometers. How many miles is 300 kilometers? What city is that distance from your town?

A person could walk about 2.5 miles per hour. If you made the journey, how long would it take you to get there?

If you're just a little creative, you can continue to cover your required content and give students important connections to their curriculum! As an added bonus, the math teacher will be happy too!

Sketch-A-Map in the Classroom Part 2: Social Studies and English are Friends

2010-02-04T10:46:00.001-06:00

This is a continuation of a discussion on a simple but powerful, free online resource, Sketch-A-Map (http://edcommunity.esri.com/maps/sketchAMap2/index.html). In my previous blog post, I shared one possible use in English Language Arts (ELA) class (http://blogs.esri.com/Info/blogs/gisedcom/archive/2010/01/20/sketch-a-map-in-the-classroom-part-1-finding-mark-twain-in-english-class.aspx).

Cross-curricular collaboration is a powerful tool as well. Students see connections to their studies and see teamwork modeled for them among the teachers. Middle school students say, “You mean you talk to Mrs. Smith…about school stuff!?!” Collaborative work is a part of our professional world. It makes sense to show our students some best practices. Not to mention, as my mother always said, “It’s nice to share with others.” While my students in English class were working on a writing assignment that was part research, part creative on Indian culture, my team Social Studies Teacher wanted to show the impact of the Ganges River, one of the most polluted rivers. How important is water in this region?

A quick zoom over to India and a look at the world topo maps, students can explain why this river is significant, not only for its religious importance. What other water sources are available to this region? If you were creating cities, where would you place them based on the landscape? Now, change the base map to streets and compare where the real cities are. How well did you place cities? Could some cities’ water resources be strained? Why?

Once we examine these items in Sketch-A-Map, we have opened our students’ curious minds to “why”! Now we can make an easy transition to GIS analysis to examine world population and trends in cities to offer proof for our hypotheses. Not only do my students know where India, the Ganges River and major cities are located, but they also have some grounded knowledge of their significance…information that they are less-likely to forget when assessed. Give students the connections they need to imprint content and increase their analytical skills!