Thanksgiving 2018 news

[CharlieFitzpatrick]

Friends, would you please share some news here about GIS in your situation? The notes that some of you have sent personally to me, or items that you are inspired to add upon reading others' entries. Tell us anything ... little tidbit, powerful "deal with it," or epic summary. Please REPLY to this note to keep it all in one thread.

Also, please make sure you have posted in our tally any GIS teacher trainings you did this year.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for what you do for LEARNERS OF ALL AGES!!

[AllisonHoff]

Hello Scott! Yes SIngle Sign-On sounds like the best option! I will ask if the school/distric has this and, if not, if that is an option. It seems like something the Tech folks would have to answer. Allison

[ScottFreburg1]

Minnesota K12 GIS is continuing to amaze me! October 3, 2018 we had our 4th Educator Day, held annually the day before the state's GIS conference. We had 82 teachers, including 7 students. Thank you Charlie for coming to instruct more advanced AGO topics. The teachers are hungry for these advanced sessions. Some numbers at a glance:

2014 statewide AGO licenses - around 5 to 7

2018 Statewide AGO Licenses - almost 300

Our 1st Educator Day in october 2015 - 55 teachers with 42 in the introductory classes

Our 4th Educator Day October 2018 - 74 teachers and 7 students with 55 in the intermediate and advanced sessions

Not only are teachers taking workshops and training sessions put on by MN Dept. of Education and MN GIS/LIS Consortium, they are taking it, practicing, using in their classrooms and coming back for more advanced sessions. For Minnesota, our movie terminology really applies to present day, "If you build it they will come!"

Other items of note:

1. Two Minnesota Geoinquiries are complete with six more to be finished by Spring, 2019. We will share this on GeoNet in case other instructors around the US would like to use them.

2. Additional Geoinquiries are being discussed for the near future.

3. Our Educator Day geo-mentor matchup with teachers was a success. All 12 of the teachers that were matched with GIS professionals have made contact. This will be a continuing mentorship tool.

4. Workshops and training will continue into 2019 for the 5th year!

5. MN GIS/LIS Consortium and MAGE are partnering to continue MAGE's past success at the University of MN Media Lab.

6. Work is continuing on a one-stop-shop website for teachers in Minnesota. A place where they can get training material, workshop and training dates and signup, curriculum material, teacher AND student success videos and much more!

[PhillipHare1]

A little behind in posting to the group, love seeing everyone's work. Here are some recent highlights of my own:

Four quick stories:

In my classroom - hurricanes have meant lots of lost days here in South Caroline and this has created difficulty fitting in some of my larger, more student oriented projects so far in AP Human Geography and IB Geography. However, the GeoInquiries continue to provide great opportunities for seeing geography happen in whole group and small group instruction as we work through content in both AP and IB Geography. For instance, both Human Geography Development Geoinquiries were used again, with one redone as questions for a student conducted activity. These are easy to integrate even as we work to deal with making up lost time.

In my building - I've gotten another World Geography teacher working more with the GeoInquires. Specifically they used some of the tectonic stuff from maybe the middle school earth science collection (this class is academically struggling 9th graders, so it works great). The teacher has found the activities to be engaging for the students and has worked to redo some into the scripted, student conducted activity type.

Much broader - I'm working on a K-12 Education subcommittee for USGIF. They are looking at broadening some of their material. Although I've gotten a little push back from another high school teacher (of the "GIS is too much for many teachers" variety), the GeoInquiries continue to provide so many points of easy entry. I'm trying very much to make sure the free accounts and Geoinquiry material are highlighted as great tools for teachers working to integrate more into their classrooms. Of course I am highlighting other free resources like QGIS, but most teachers with limited time to learn and do are going to look at the GeoInquiries and say "Ok, these are aligned with content, have full directions, and are easy to use in class." I'll see where this goes, but hopeful I can use this for some good T3G-style evangelism.

I just signed on to present at the annual Geofest for the SC Geographic Alliance where I'll share lessons aligned with our new geography standards for middle and high school. You can be sure I'll work AGO and GeoInquiries into this, and possibly accounts if time allows.

Request: keep supporting us in the classroom! There is still nothing like AGO for us classroom teachers. It is still an uphill battle getting people, but the resources ESRI has provide and continues to provide make my students' experience much better. It also makes the pitch to other educators much easier. So a big Thank You to you, your fellow ESRI Education staff, and ESRI for the committment and support!

[ScottFreburg1]

Nice job Phillip. Keep connecting!! Is there a statewide GIS association in SC? If so, perhaps go to them and see if any of the GIS members would be willing to geomentor. Perhaps they are like Minnesota and want to go further and actually fund outreach, training and workshops. Keep up the momentum!!