Feature

K-12 GIS Education

by David B. Davis

Back in the 1970''s when I was in junior high school, geography class consisted mostly of memorizing major rivers, mountain ranges, ocean currents, and coloring regional maps. Because the class did not cover the interconnecting relationships of human and physical geography but rather just taught you how to memorize a few place names long enough to pass the exam it is not a fond memory for most people. Even today when you tell someone you are a geographer they generally think you must be a schoolteacher or ask you to name the capital city of some obscure country. Fortunately for today''s students the teaching of geography is entering into a whole new realm.

A multitude of free or low cost options have become available over the last few years to teach geography and GIS to students as young as elementary school age. Because most kids are already familiar with and enjoy working with computers a GIS can be an ideal tool for teaching geographic principals. In fact it can be more difficult to train the teachers how to use the software than it is to teach the students. Since geography and GIS encompass so many different fields these programs can be used in classes other than geography. Possible subjects include business, ecology, geology, humanities, history, natural science, math, and languages. In a presentation at the 2001 ESRI users conference it was noted that often times K-12 GIS programs have better success with science teachers than with geography teachers. They are more accustomed to exploring and may have had some experience with remote sensing, where as the geography teachers may still be in the mindset of memorizing names and places.

The field of K-12 GIS education has grown to the point that there are now entire conferences or conference tracks dedicated to the subject. The largest gathering would have to be the ESRI Education Conference which is now held yearly just prior to the massive ESRI Users Conference. The registration price for the education conference entitles one to also attend the users conferences, which also includes several K-12 related sessions. The Intergraph GeoSpatial World 2002 Conference had an education track for the first time dedicated to K-12 and higher education GIS.

The opportunity to turn a classroom, school, or even an entire school district into a GIS training center is possible through the very generous programs available from some of the biggest names in GIS. Clark Labs, the makers of IDRISI GIS and image processing software, offers a 5-seat kit for $150. Several ready-made lessons are available from the IDRISI website to help get things moving. The Intergraph academic program for schools called "The Power to Learn" is ideally suited for teachers with almost any level of technical background. Their GeoMedia Classroom Starter Kit includes a copy of GeoMedia Professional, a classroom resources CD, and a data CD. Free web based support is also available 24/7. To get a copy of the Starter Kit or other items offered as part of this program just fill out their order form. ESRI also has a K-12 program for schools and libraries. This website contains copious amounts of data, lessons, examples, references, and links. Their software and data offering is called the "ArcView for Schools and Libraries Bundle". For about $500 a school can get a build site license. This enables the school to install ArcView on all computers in the school that will be used for training. The teachers and administrators involved with the training may also install the software on their home computer. This can be ordered for either ArcView 3.x or ArcView 8.x. School district wide licenses are also available.

If you would like to obtain the ArcView software bundle for your school but have more time than money there is another option available to you. ESRI has a program called the "Community Atlas". You create an html atlas of your community with photographs, maps, and short descriptions and then submit this to ESRI. If it meets the basic requirements of the program your school will receive the previously mentioned ArcView bundle along with the Spatial and 3D Analyst extensions. Creating the community atlas is not as difficult as it may sound. The website includes html templates and examples of model projects to help you put together your project. The community atlas created by Hillcrest Elementary School in Logan, UT shows the wonderful work that can be done by even children as young as elementary school age.

K-12 GIS Education Continued…

K-12 students have been instrumental in creating major GIS databases in several states. Students in Arkansas using Intergraph software helped in the Mapping Arkansas Information Network (MAIN) project. By using students for this project the work was finished over one year sooner than expected and the state saved about $60,000. Most of all the students learned valuable skills that will help them throughout their lives. The city of Chicago saved over $1 million by using high school students to help digitize part of their GIS and emergency 911 systems.

If you are a teacher or school administrator and would like to start a GIS program in you school you may be asking yourself "where do I find someone to help"? First thing to do is determine which faculty members would be capable and interested in this type of a project. Next start looking in your community. Many school districts have an "Adopt a School" or similar program that matches up schools with local businesses or government agencies. ESRI has the "Adopt a Site Program" to help bring schools and GIS professionals together. Call GIS related businesses, government agencies, utilities, and universities or colleges. Getting help from a GIS expert for one or two hours per week can be a tremendous help to the faculty and students. University students that are working towards a teaching certificate would welcome the chance to participate.

If you are a GIS expert or business owner interested in helping all it takes is a few phone calls, chances are you won''t be turned down. It will be good for the students and you may just be helping to train a future employee.

David B. Davis has over ten years of experience in photogrammetry, image processing, GIS and Latin American studies. He also offers GIS implementation consulting, specializing in Latin American projects. He can be reached at carpincho@att.net

Teacher Training & Resources

GeoWorld Canadian Geography Teacher website

ESRI Authorized Teaching Program for K-12 Educators

ESRI ArcLessons

National Council for Geographic Education 1 1/2 day training courses