Fun with GIS 284: Learning Without a Login

[CharlieFitzpatrick]

(Edited in view of software, data, and address updates, Sept 20, 2021; referenced in FWG296.)

The ArcGIS School Bundle provides K12 teachers and students logins to robust tools for free for instructional use, but sometimes (because of technology or policy) logging in just isn't possible. But there is still much that teachers and students can do, and learn. Some options are below, and learners can paste screenshots or video clips into a word processor document (being sure to record the source address as well and credit the author where possible).

1. https://www.esri.com/geoinquiries - Learn classroom content within ArcGIS.com

1. See the Guide 'Getting to Know GeoInquiries' (StoryMap linked in the top of each collection), particularly the short embedded video near the bottom
2. Pick one of the 10 collections, see a lesson, open the map, explore. Repeat.
3. See the links at the bottom of the GeoInquiry StoryMap.
4. Choose the Hub, and see Themes, States, and Student Worksheets
5. Choose the Atlas, and dance between maps in a collection

2. https://storymaps-classic.arcgis.com - 'Gallery' (up top) holds pointers to years of content

1. In Gallery, examine the left side, choose a 'Subject' and explore items
2. Back in Gallery/Subjects, click 'Reset' to clear, scroll to 'Industry', click an industry (scroll down within it), explore items
3. Back in Gallery/Industry, click 'Reset' to clear, scroll up to "Search" and type a desired topic or place

3. https://storymaps.arcgis.com - 'Resources' holds the new and rapidly growing archive

1. Check out StoryMaps showing how to build a StoryMap
2. See different and evolving collections, such as in the menu item 'Explore Stories,' where albums serve as individual collections

4. https://livingatlas.arcgis.com - Curated content, particularly layers and apps

1. Click the 'Browse' tab for options for finding a focus layer, like 'world temperature', then click the thumbnail to read about the layer, and at right click 'Open in Map Viewer' for 2D or 'Open in Scene Viewer' for 3D
2. Back in the 'Browse' tab, filter by content type, region, and more
3. Click the 'Apps' tab for a variety of example applications, including the 'Living Atlas Indicators of the Planet', and click a content area of interest
4. One of the best collections for data on people in USA is the Policy Maps series. See Fun with GIS 276 for a ready-made deep dive that you can personalize for your part of USA in 15 seconds.

5. https://www.arcgis.com - Click 'Map' ('Scene' does some of these, a bit differently; try it!)

1. Explore the standard basemap, with pan, zoom; note scale-sensitive data; try different basemaps
2. See the "ArcGIS Online 5x5" document to explore capacity in the new Map Viewer or in Map Viewer Classic.
3. See the "ArcGIS Online SkillBuilder" to learn fundamentals while playing with capacity in Map Viewer Classic.

6. https://learn.arcgis.com/en/gallery/#?p=agol&c=mapping - The 'Learn ArcGIS' catalog of activities, filtered on ArcGIS Online and Mapping, has lessons, articles, 'paths' (sequences of resources), which can be explored, often begun, and sometimes even completed without login.

7. https://learn.arcgis.com/en/educators/#/library - The 'Teach with GIS' catalog of activities is all about working with ArcGIS Online, and includes lessons, readings, apps, and maps with which to build skills in tools relating to particular content. Similar to the Learn gallery, these are often scenario-driven projects.

8. https://esriurl.com/agoschoolcomp - The ArcGIS Online Competition for US High School and Middle School Students is an opportunity for students to do research projects and present their findings in a Story Map. It shows what students who have logins can do, when permitted. The ArcGIS Hub site linked here has intro and results from 2017 onward. 

9. https://esriurl.com/agousestrategies - This document shows different modes of interaction with ArcGIS Online, and encourages teachers to understand the differences, including the option that teachers could log in to prepare content, which students could perhaps access without being logged in.

10. https://www.esri.com/schools - The site has links to stories, rich resources, and the form with which schools can request software, enabling students to do even more.