Latest Contributions by CharlieFitzpatrick

T3Gers: amid the chaos of March-December, I bet you each had at least one moment of "Hey! This helped!" Maybe even a quiet but well deserved "Good for me!" for making something work, or making some lives better. Maybe you led a great class in an awesome new way, or succeeded with a remote project; maybe you helped a colleague, or rescued a friend; maybe a single student, or their whole family, had a better experience because of something you did. Whatever it was, you might be able to help someone else just by sharing that story. We've set up a Survey123, https://arcg.is/0WO8Wa, and want to ask you to share, so that we can look at these in our January webinar. You all have done so much this year. Please submit one thing, join the webinar, and take away ideas that could help you. ((Also remember: new registration needed for Jan-May 2021 series. See the T3G Webinars page.)) ... View more

Centuries ago, David Everett wrote "Large streams from little fountains flow, tall oaks from little acorns grow." Everything worthwhile takes attention, effort, and time. It's certainly true of education, and GIS. ArcGIS School Bundles have been available for free to every US school since spring of 2014. Some regions now engage GIS broadly in schools while others do not; the map of Bundle sites does not match that of population. The ArcGIS Online Competition for US High School and Middle School Students lets students in grades 4-12 show what they can do, individually or as a pair. They need to research a topic in their state, assemble a storymap, and submit it to their teacher. The competition fosters key skills: exploration, research, design, analysis, data management, cartography, documentation, storytelling. Starting out, some struggle to define a topic or ask a clear question; some flounder a bit because there are not pre-defined procedures or even blazed trails to follow. Just like adults, students who persevere sometimes reap unexpected rewards. But students, teachers, and schools can engage only where a "state leadership team" applies to participate (see Part VII of the full info). That takes coordination, a bit of effort, a stitch of time, and someone to be the first acorn. Every state is different, but every state has thousands of educators from grade school to grad school, plus GIS users who work in business, government, and nonprofits, plus conservation groups, youth-serving groups, and individuals who believe the youth of today are the problem solvers of tomorrow. Esri offers the software to schools for free, and provides funds to participating states for awards, and gives guidance for states starting out. We believe that everyone does better when everyone can participate, and no one is left behind. Every US state and territory, plus schools of DoDEA, can participate. But to have enough time, students must know it's an option, and teachers must provide a login. The map below shows the states in the game as of Mon Nov.23, and those waiting for someone to be the first acorn. See more info including live map. Ohio has a special opportunity, via an online meeting, Thursday December 10, 4-5pmET. Attending does not commit anyone to anything; it's just a chance for those in Ohio to learn more, to see and hear what's possible. Ohioans can register here to receive a link to attend.   ... View more

Does what you did in 7th grade affect you today? To software developer Nate Ebel, that's a "no-brainer." In July of 2002, after 7th grade at Jenifer Junior High in Lewiston (Idaho), Ebel was at Esri's User Conference, with a classmate and their veteran teacher, Steve Branting. All year, they had looked at real world situations, including the history of their community. The class won an Esri competition for schools to map and analyze their community, earning a trip to San Diego, and the chance to present on stage to thousands of GIS professionals. Esri User Conference 2002. L-R: Nate Ebel, Ian Coleman, teacher Steve Branting "We'd had a computer but I had never used it for more than a little typing and playing some games," said Ebel. "This was my first exposure to doing cool things, including GIS, on the computer. That sent me down the technologist path. I remember thinking I would be some kind of engineer, but didn't know what. From that work with Steve, I wanted to be technology focused, more GIS. Up until my senior year of college I planned to go fully into GIS, and was already in that role. In summer before junior year of college, I got a job as a GIS intern with Lewiston Public Works." It went well, so Ebel worked 10-20 hours per week during the school year and full-time in summer for two years. Ebel was a geography major with GIS emphasis. He had tried but didn't like a general computer science and programming class. But he took a GIS programming class and realized "Here's how we can write code to make these GIS projects at work easier to solve. Solving real world problems clicked in a way the general CS instruction didn't. It was just like back in our original work with Steve." Applying these new skills, he showed up at work, two weeks into a GIS project that was expected to consume two people full-time for 6-9 months, and said "Hey, I think I've pretty much finished this project." It worked, saving a huge amount of time and money. "This is where I thought 'THIS is what I want to do now.' I was in school for two more years to get a masters in computer science, and then got a software developer internship at Esri in 2013. I spent the summer at Esri, finished up one last year of school, and worked for Esri again, for two and a half years on the Android development team." Having started with GIS in 7th grade using ArcView 3, when Ebel began work at Esri he had already had ten years of GIS experience. "That really gave me a leg up. I had domain knowledge, and could contribute to discussions and decisions." Changes led Ebel beyond Esri to different companies. "I wanted to teach. I started doing some public speaking. I'm an engineer first, but went out of my way to host meetups, and help people learn to write Android apps. I really enjoy meeting people, sharing information, creating tutorials. Through all of this was the thread of GIS and computers." As we talked, we looked at the project from 2002. "There! That DEM [digital elevation model], that's mine. I still really enjoy DEMs; doing the map probably piqued my interest. And seeing the marker that the town put up in the park after our work was so formative. Out of the 7th grade activity came this bigger project with Steve that kept me interested and active; every year we would work with Steve, to follow up on this, do more research, then travel places to speak. There are so many different skill sets beyond just sitting down at the computer and processing data." That 7th grade class was not a GIS class per se, but "something like 'Learn to solve problems.' He got us to look at a problem from different perspectives. He trained us to look at things from all these different angles, to make inferences, to use data. The whole first part of the course was training us to think about solving problems. When I talk with people today, one piece of advice I give is that tools and libraries are not as important as they seem. There's all this attention to inputs and outputs, but I try to teach people that how you think about the problem is much more relevant, and more challenging than being able to sit down and write the actual code. That's what Steve was doing with us." For info on using GIS with K12 students, for free, even remotely, see Esri's program for schools. ... View more

The ArcGIS Online Competition for US HS+MS Students challenges students in grades 4-12 to engage deeply with a local topic of individual interest, research it, and present findings in a StoryMap. At the launch of the 2019-2020 event, we dared to expect more states, more entries, and more profound work than ever. Students hit a big speedbump in March 2020 when Coronavirus interrupted school. Still, it was just late enough in the year that many students were well underway, and enough persisted to craft some very impressive Story Maps.   Tumult continues into the 2020-2021 year, but students already have to be more independent learners than ever. The competition permits only solo or single partner work (see https://esriurl.com/agoschoolcomp), so students with even moderate technology access and skills but driven by a question can have a field day, exploring options, tinkering with data, building crucial skills and understanding.   Esri encourages teachers to seize this chance to expose students to ArcGIS Online and start them on a long-term journey of their own design. This is ideal for those keen on physical, natural, and social sciences, but any student can pursue a local matter of interest. Addressing classroom content using ArcGIS Online (such as with GeoInquiries) in repeated experiences over months is a solid strategy for teachers to build curiosity and foster student skills in investigation, analysis, and presentation. Opportunity for a monetary prize or even a travel award should pale in comparison with building essential lifelong attitudes, skills, and knowledge.   But states hold a key for participation: states need a formal leadership team working with Esri to conduct the competition. This is the one challenge students alone can't beat, because it depends on a few GIS-savvy adults committing in advance to a little extra work on behalf of an unknown number of participants … from none to platoons. But just a few GeoMentors and education leaders willing to collaborate can launch a network exposing great opportunity to students (see https://esriurl.com/agoschoolcompinfo).   Today more than ever, we need students to build and demonstrate the ability to learn independently, tackle unfamiliar challenges, and see projects to completion. Esri's ArcGIS Online Competition for US High School and Middle School Students offers a perfect opportunity in the 2020-2021 school year. ... View more

(esriurl.com/agoschoolcompinfo) Esri challenges US high school and middle school students (whether onsite, online, or hybrid) to create and share projects about something in their home states, striving to be among the best in the school, state, and nation. Esri's 2021 ArcGIS US School Competition is open to high school ("HS," gr.9-12) and middle school ("MS," gr.4-8) students in the US who can analyze, interpret, and present data via an ArcGIS storymap or web app. Esri offers to all states the chance to participate, with grants to states supporting ten equal prizes of $100, for the five best HS and five best MS projects in the state. Schools can submit up to five projects to the state, and states submit to Esri up to ten awardees (up to 5 HS, up to 5 MS), with one project each at HS and MS tagged for a final level of competition. From across the nation, one HS project and one MS project will each earn a trip to the 2021 Esri Education Summit in San Diego, CA (if appropriate). State Leadership Teams: Esri seeks state leadership teams to conduct each state's competition (limit of one team per state, covering all 4th-12th graders in the state). The team may consist of geo-savvy adults from schools, higher ed, informal ed, government, business, and non-profit realms; different types of expertise are important. See the projects of all 2020 state awardees and previous years   2019 HS+MS Competition Winners at 2019 Esri Conference L-R: HS teacher Russell Columbus and HS winner Donovan Vitale, from Monroe, MI, and MS winner Abby Ziehl and MS teacher Laurie Bohn, from Bloomington, MN Click the pic to see their 8-min video interview from the Map Gallery at 2019 User Conference   2020-21 Contest Details Elements below: I. Eligibility II. Entries III. Awards IV. State Registration, Mentoring, and Judging V. Design/Judging Criteria VI. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) VII. State Leadership Teams   I. Eligibility Entrants must be pre-collegiate students, registered in grades 4-12 at the time of project submission, from public schools or non-public schools including home schools, who have not yet received a high school diploma or equivalent. Entrants must reside and be in school in the United States, including districts or territories, or attending a Department of Defense Education Association school: 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and DODEA sites. (Thus, "state" in this document means one of these 57 units.) Students can work singly or in a team of two, but can participate in only one entry. Teams with one student in middle school (gr.4-8) and one in high school (gr.9-12) must be considered as high school. Entry level is determined by student's grade (MS= gr.4-8, HS= gr.9-12), not by school name (e.g Lincoln High School students in gr.7-8 participate in the MS competition). Student teams of two from different schools will be counted according to the school of the first student listed. Entrants may work on the challenge through a school, a club, an "educational pod," or independently, but entries must be submitted to the state from their primary school of record (a recognized school or home school), in case of engaging in activities at more that one location. Any school or home school program can submit to the state a maximum of five (5) entries total, counting the sum of middle school and high school entries.   II. Entries Entry forms (student/s to school, school to state, state to Esri) will be made available to state leads in January 2021. Entries must be from an ArcGIS Online Organization account (not a "public account"). Any K12 school (public, non-public, or homeschool) or formal youth club can request for free an ArcGIS School/Club Bundle (includes an ArcGIS Organization account). Entries must be in the form of a ArcGIS StoryMap ("new" template), or a Classic Story Map (any of the "classic" templates), or an ArcGIS web app (via template or builder). Entries must focus on content within the state borders. States may choose to refine the focus further, but the geographic scope of the project must be within the state. The project may reference data outside the state "for context," but may not extend the focus of the study beyond the state borders. For example, broader patterns of environmental characteristics or demographic movements may be referenced for context, but the focus must be on phenomena within the state. Schools must announce their own internal deadlines, in time to complete judging and provide information to the state by its deadline. States must announce their in-state deadlines, but can be no later than 5pm Pacific Time on Wed May 12, 2021. States must submit data to Esri no later than 5pm Pacific Time on Wed May 19, 2021.   III. Awards Esri will announce its awards decision by 5pm Pacific Time on Tue June 1, 2021 If circumstances permit holding the 2021 Esri Education Summit as a physical public event, and if circumstances permit national awardees attending, Esri will provide a travel grant to one HS team and one MS team, each team consisting of the student(s) and at least one parent/guardian (could be teacher/rep). Awardee teams must agree to attend the Esri Education Summit ("EdUC"), arriving by 10amPT Sat July 10, and staying through at least 4pmPT Tue July 13, 2021. Awardees will be responsible for handling any tax implications, be personally identified including name and photograph, and post a graphic in the Esri User Conference ("UC") Map Gallery on Mon. Awardees will be recognized at EdUC and UC Map Gallery on Mon, and may have additional attention. Because only 1HS+1MS nominees from a state will be considered for the final national competition, in determining nominees for the national competition, states may consider, to the degree practical, the willingness and ability of awardees to attend in person the EdUC. Because it is impossible to foresee all circumstances, awards are subject to change or elimination.   IV. State Registration, Mentoring, and Judging States may determine but must announce in advance if they will require any form of "pre-registration" by schools as potential participants, and any cutoff date. Any such exclusive operation must be clearly announced and applied equitably. States are encouraged to establish an "Early Mentoring" option. In this scenario, states set an "Early Mentoring" deadline, recommended as no later than Fri March 19, 2021. Entries submitted to the state leadership group by the state deadline would go to state mentors for review and comment (but not scoring), so students might benefit from learned guidance. States would be responsible for constructing and implementing their own submission/ comment/ return process, ensuring adequate opportunity for mentors to review and respond, and students to consider and revise. Any such process should require "transparency," to foster good instruction and prevent inappropriate communication; only a student's parent/ guardian/ teacher/ leader should be communicating with the student; all other communication should be between adults. In considering this model, states are encouraged to seek early commitments from many mentors. States using an "Early Mentoring" process may determine but must announce clearly in advance if entries must have gone through the formal "Early Mentoring" process to be accepted for final state judging, and must apply the policy equitably.   V. Design/Judging Criteria Account: Entries must be from an ArcGIS Online Organization account, not a "public account." This can be an Org operated by, e.g., the student's school or club, the district, the state GIS Education Team, or similar group. The entry must be able to remain visible publicly without login through at least June 2022 (one year past the close of this event), ideally longer. Login: Entries must be visible without requiring a login. Entries engaging "premium data" (login required, such as premium content from Living Atlas) must set the display to permit access without needing a login. See helpful note. Originality: Entries must be "original work by students," conceived, created, and completed entirely by the student(s) submitting the entry. Class projects turned into an entry by one student, and teacher-directed projects, are not acceptable. Projects may use data generated by outside persons or institutions, within guidelines of "fair use." (Students are encouraged to use appropriate professionally generated GIS data, but these must be documented, and the integration, treatment, and presentation must be original.) Visual Supports: Because this is meant to be a "map-centric" exploration, analysis, and presentation of a geographic phenomenon, use of "non-map visuals" (images and videos) is limited. Exceeding the limits means a "progressive reduction in judged score." The limits are: total up to 60 seconds of video, and total up to two images not created by the project author (e.g. 1 historic portrait photo plus 1 historic landscape photo), and total up to five images created by the project author (replication of project maps as smaller/thumbnail images, and items visible as popups within interactive maps, do not count against these limits). Short URL: Entries must provide to the school/ state/ Esri two links in "short URL" format (e.g. "https;//arcg.is/1A2b3xyz"), where one link goes to the primary display page (the app or storymap), and one link goes to the item details page (the metadata page for the app or storymap). (A link to the item details page of a shared app will require a login if the Org does not permit anonymous access and the link uses the form "<my_org>.maps.arcgis.com/etc;" to avoid this, change the link to the form "www.arcgis.com/etc" before creating a short URL. Ad hoc short URLs can be generated at http://bitly.com.) Scoring: The state can vary this, and even use different systems for HS and MS, but must apply the same system to all entries in a single grade band, and the system must be clarified for the entrants at the start. The national competition will use this system, and recommends it or something similar: "We look for a clear focus/topic/question/story, good and appropriate data, effective analysis, good cartography, effective presentation, and complete documentation. The element by element analysis in the 2020 national results presents good examples of what is sought in a project." Project Tips: Look at previous national winners and honorable mention projects, and especially the 2020 results. This is a "map competition." Entries should address an identified issue/ puzzle/ challenge, not just documenting what's where, but looking at "why it's there, and so what." Entries should be analytical in nature, map-centric rather than photo-centric or relying on too much text. Use of videos or static images generated by anyone other than the team members must be carefully documented, and such media should be used sparingly; outside content generally detracts in national judging. The project must emphasize student work; professionally generated GIS data generally does not detract from national scores this way. A good way to judge project balance quickly is to identify the amount of time a viewer would spend consuming the entire project; map-based time and attention should be at least two thirds. Good projects gently help even a viewer unfamiliar with the region know quickly the location of the project focus. Requiring a viewer to zoom out several times to determine the region of focus detracts from the viewing experience. (Pretend the viewer is from a different part of the country, or a different country.) Maps should invite interactive exploration by the viewer, not be static ("images"). The presentation should hold the attention of the viewer from start to finish. Maps should demonstrate "the science of where" -- the importance of location, patterns, and relationships between layers. There is an art to map design; too much data may feel cluttered, but showing viewers only one layer at a time may limit the viewers' easy grasp of relationships. Care should be taken to make "popups" useful, limited to just the relevant information. They should add important information, and be formatted to make the most critical information easily consumable. These popups can include formatted text, key links, images, data presented in charts, and so forth. Document the project thoroughly. The 2020 awardees highlighted for documentation, and preceding national winners, show good documentation: organized and thorough.   VI. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) Schools should consider issues around exposing PII. See https://esriurl.com/agoorgsforschools for strategies for minimizing PII. Teachers and club leaders should help students minimize exposure of their own PII and that of others, including in map, image, and text. States must help potential entrants understand the level of PII required. Entries submitted to Esri for the top national prize (i.e. 1-HS and 1-MS) must agree in advance to expose student names, school names, and school city/state (homeschool students would be identified to closest city/town name). Esri does not seek, collect, or accept student names for any entrants other than the national prize entrants (1-HS and 1-MS per state). These and only these will have names exposed by Esri.   VII. State Leadership Teams Team leaders should apply using a form downloadable below. (There should be only one entry per state. Communicate with your in-state colleagues; collaboration is key.) State application deadline is Tue Dec.1, 2020. States submitting a complete application by Fri Nov.13, 2020, will get an "earlybird" email promotion from Esri to our connections in the state advertising the state's participation. The state leadership team is the key to student participation in a state. All students in grades 4-12 are eligible to participate if a state has submitted an application to and been recognized by Esri. If there is not a formal state leadership team, no students from the state may submit entries. State leadership teams can include anyone who is willing to help develop the state rules and apply things fairly for all students in the state. Team members can be teachers, education leaders, college instructors, GIS practitioners, nonprofit or for-profit groups, or any adults interested in students across the state being able to participate. (See this blog for a good example.) The tasks that must be handled by the leadership team are these: Decide state customizations: particular themes, dates, and participation policies. Submit appropriate paperwork to Esri, including the address of the state website and active email to which state participants may submit questions. The paperwork defines whom Esri will deal with on rules, participation, and grant funds. Post the necessary information, including state customizations, to a publicly accessible website. This can be quite elaborate, or not (see MN 2020 and CA 2021 examples); even just a single page of text works, as long as it is publicly visible and provides all the relevant info. (Good options are traditional websites, ArcGIS hubs, storymaps, etc.) Let schools, clubs, educators, and students across the state know about the competition, website, and email with active marketing. (Good marketing differentiates successful states from others. It is a process, not a single event; producing the web page is necessary but not sufficient.) Recruit and organize judges, and coordinate any "early mentoring option" communication. Post the state's official versions of Esri's template entry forms. Ensure the entries from school to state carry complete information. Submit to Esri complete information about participation and awardees from the state. Receive funds and distribute prizes   QUESTIONS? Email Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri K12 Education Manager, cfitzpatrick@esri.com. Shortcut to this page = http://esriurl.com/agoschoolcompinfo ... View more

Of all the remarkable collections of maps and apps Esri offers for exploration, one of my faves for a teacher is the Policy Maps collection. (See Fun with GIS 259 for background.) Not just a grab bag of maps, it is an environment in which users can study deeply, discover quickly, and share widely, exploring key patterns in their community, and do it all without login. Most maps have scale-dependent data and rich info waiting to be exposed by clicking on an area. Wanting to create a resource for teachers in various conditions to use, I assembled a set of 28 from the hundreds available. Educators can explore, re-center to their region, subset, and distribute to their students via shortURL or email, all in under 10 minutes, giving students hours of investigation and discovery. In a single click, you have those 28 maps at your fingertips, without login (navigate using the panel at left or "<" and ">" arrows at top right). In seconds, you can recenter the map to your location in the 50 states, then export a different shortURL (for Twitter) or full email with contents and link. My set centered on Minneapolis and St.Paul. Go to https://arcg.is/1KSPjH for this pre-built sequence: What is the most common race/ethnicity? Race/Ethnicity with Lowest Median Income How diverse is the US? What is the predominant income range in the US? How expensive are living costs in your area? Households who spend more than 30 percent of income on housing Emergency Expense Risk Index Ratio of People Living Above vs. Below the Poverty Line Children in Poverty Where are disconnected youth? Are Youth Learning, Earning, Both, or Neither? Where are young adults living with their parents? Where are the people who started college but did not finish? Population 25+ with Bachelor's Degree or Higher Education Level (ACS) People in Households with No Internet Access Where are households using a Smartphone as their only computing device? Where are the most socially vulnerable populations in the U.S.? Where are those aged 65 and older? Where are adults with limited English ability? Unemployment in the United States in 2018 Where do People Have Medicaid/Means-Tested Healthcare? Where are the Uninsured? Females with Disabled Status Males with Disabled Status Supermarket Access Map Job Accessibility by Walking and Transit (selected cities) Where are the Households with No Vehicle Available? Where didn't people self-respond to the 2020 Census? How could you teach with your version of this? Here are some ideas: Pick any 4 maps. Summarize some key patterns noticed. What highs and lows are visible? Are there factors which seem to vary directly or inversely? Challenge students to create their own subset (e.g. 5, which could include maps I did not choose) that highlight salient features of your region relating to a current issue. Ask students to explore a distant target community of note (regionally or nationally) and highlight differences between your home and the target. Explore local discussions about equity and how the data does or doesn't match what is being described publicly. Have students take on the roles of residents, mayor, or community planner, and identify some targets to explore more deeply, and even some strategies for building solutions. If a picture paints a thousand words, a single map tells volumes of stories, and the combinations of content have limitless potential, for uncovering the impact of yesterday's events and policies, or discovering ways to build a better world today. Where will you explore? ... View more

What I would do, were I still teaching? My practice, even in benign times, was to contemplate "If this were my students' last class ever in this field, what would I want them to leave with?" Above all else, I wanted them to be integrative critical thinkers, disposed to asking questions and learning insatiably. Today would likely be no different, and because of that we would take deep advantage of two tools: storymaps and dashboards. Storymaps (whether ArcGIS StoryMaps or Classic Story Maps) allow the creator to design a presentation of content. The components can be galactic in scope, so creators must exercise self-control. Maps, apps, text, images, and video can be integrated and choreographed to maximize impact. Users can navigate out of sequence, but generally follow the author's plan. Some templates support "more story," while others support "more maps for investigation." Dashboards allow the creator to take full advantage of rich numeric and categorical data about a topic, but leave it to the user to determine the path of exploration. Well-designed dashboards give enough info for the user to grasp the content of an element, and simply invite exploration, so different users may follow wildly different routes. Storymaps, then, are ideal for presenting content and a vision, while dashboards are ideal for presenting content that emphasizes personal pondering and extensive investigation. Which is better? Both, of course! Like pliers and wrenches, still photos and videos, playlists and channels, each has advantages. Storymaps allow deep presentations; dashboards foster discovery. Were I teaching today, each would play a critical role in my classroom, whether focused on science or social studies, whether we were together in time and space or having virtual and even asynchronous interactions, whether students were younger or older. Building integrative critical thinkers, disposed to asking questions and learning insatiably, is what will help us survive and prosper. Consider these examples: ArcGIS StoryMaps links Classic Story Maps links Dashboard links for many topics Dashboard and storymap links for Coronavirus & COVID-19 Blog integrating data collection, map, dashboard, & storymap ... View more

"What builds successful use of GIS in schools across a state? What leads to widespread use of a technology not built for schools? Is there a model that other states could follow?" people ask when contemplating GIS in schools. Depending on the questions, I may point to several states, but one is always Minnesota. Full disclosure: I am a native Minnesotan, with 50 years in the state, including half my Esri career. But I have traveled a lot, and lived half my Esri time in California and the DC area. This is not simply "home bias." I want to find (or catalyze) such success everywhere. The map of ArcGIS School Bundles across USA shows one story. The data behind it show more. Minnesota has a high rate of licenses per 100 schools, a high "activation" rate (launching the ArcGIS Online Org), and high numbers of users per Org. Minnesota launched a state-wide competition in 2016, which became the model for Esri's ArcGIS Online Competition for US High School and Middle School Students, and MN has consistently had the highest participation, plus national winners in the first three years (2017, 2018, 2019; national winners were not declared in 2020 due to the pandemic). Minnesota has run teacher training events for decades that included GIS components and, since 2014, dozens of events for teachers specifically to learn to use GIS. Indicators of success abound. Why? How? Who's doing all this? It's a network, a culture, decades in development. In 1985, Macalester College geography professor David Lanegran began holding summer institutes for geography teachers. I was a participant in 1986, and learned there from middle school teacher Jim Hanson to use database-driven inquiry-oriented investigations with students on Apple IIe computers. In 1987, the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education (MAGE) launched, as part of a network organized by National Geographic, and began influencing generations of teachers. Dozens of institutes and countless workshops later, MAGE is still a force, with Lanegran and Hanson (both despite being formally retired) and a host of others still vigorously promoting geographic thinking, analysis, and technology to teachers. Presciently, their 2019 summer institute was conducted online. Across USA, "Advanced Placement Human Geography" started in 2001, and 9th grade quickly became a key target; many schools in Minnesota (featuring MAGE-trained teachers) offered APHG, building skills in thinking geographically. The sciences, too, have engaged decades of students, from elementary school on up, in projects that relied on data gathering and analysis, whether about local butterflies, migratory birds, regional water quality, budding plants, faraway whales, global temperature patterns, or the very local ways in which humans can prepare for fires. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) hosted a statewide license of Esri software for school instruction. Working with content teams, MDE incorporated GIS formally into some state educational standards. While such standards do not dictate the exact content or style of instruction, good teachers easily find support for the critical thinking skills, problem solving, integration of knowledge, and active learning that are hallmarks of GIS. "There is legitimacy in GIS for teachers just because it is in the state standards," said MAGE co-coordinator Kelly Swanson, who teaches at both Johnson High School and Metropolitan State University. MDE is also a key communicator to schools, districts, leaders, and teachers about opportunities to learn about using GIS in all areas. But the biggest influencer at MDE was their GIS lead (recently retired), Scott Freburg. A longtime desktop GIS user with deep ties to MN GIS/LIS -- the state's professional GIS community -- Freburg recognized the power of online GIS for instruction, and encouraged the pros to support teachers with events and dollars. Dozens of GIS users led scores of events introducing hundreds of teachers, starting in 2014. They launched a "GIS for Educators Day" in the fall. To make sure teachers could attend, they provide funding for transportation and even for substitute teachers. This annual event features teachers and students as lunchtime speakers, teachers and GIS users mixing at tables, with users offering data and tips, leading to long-term mentorships or serving as competition judges. Coordinator of Ed for U-Spatial@UMD, Stacey Stark, said "What has finally happened this year is that the presentations are being done by teachers, not by those of us who live in this field." Freburg added "This has been our goal for years -- for the teachers to lead it." And it all makes a difference. "Seeing Educators Day was important for me; seeing it every year after that made it clear to our department that this is a big deal. This will be our fifth year of 7 teachers from high school and middle school attending," said Sauk Rapids Rice High School geography teacher Brianne Wegter. Minnesota's Chief Geospatial Information Officer Dan Ross has supported GIS Educators Day with his imprimatur, and more: "It is very important for the state office and community to support teachers in our pursuit of geography and building the next generation of geographers and geospatial professionals." All this helps teachers secure time -- that most precious gift -- to learn, share, and be inspired, even if just meeting online this year. Each building block leads to teachers introducing GIS to kids who get inspired to do impressive work. Of the national prizes in Esri's competition, half have gone to students in Minnesota. "We love the competition as a good culminating event," Wegter said. "We have all our 9th grade students do it -- just over 350 kids this past year. They create a map, and some do it in partnership, so we had just over 250 entries to the competition. It gives teachers a way to bring these skills and data together; it guides us all year long." Hanson added a different spin: "I pull all the state's entries together for the judges, and the frustrating thing to me -- and it happens every year -- is seeing a kid with a brilliant idea, but who didn't really have the support from a GIS perspective to bring it to life. We need even more connection to mentors." Minnesota's success has not come from solo work by a digital version of giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan. It is from a large group of people at many different organizations seeing a key opportunity and working together. Numerous other leaders and teachers deserve mention above for their role. Truly, any state can do this. ... View more

(Note: This was written for and posted on Sept 11 of 2011, the tenth anniversary, and republished today on the Esri EdCommunity Blog. The memories, and need for learning, remain as strong as ever. Never give up. -Charlie) On that dreadful day in 2001, under the “severe clear” September sky, in those thunderbolts of inhumanity that cost so dearly, we lost two friends from National Geographic who, with students and teachers in tow, had embarked on a mission full of hope. The roots of that ghastly day snake back to and reach full stop at a scandalously inadequate geographic understanding, even among the ranks of those who influence the planet. The world is stunningly complex, with visible influence and hidden links far and wide. How can anyone hope to make good decisions about complex matters while ignoring the matrix of connections? We need to see the broad patterns and fractal fabrics around us, grasp the relationships between conditions here and those over there, envision from all sides the Mobius strip connecting yesteryear and tomorrow. Without this holistic view, without comprehending the tyranny of distance yet still the web of connections over space and time, the road ahead is perilous, for each of us, and the world in which we live. Ignoring the lessons of geography, we become a braided stream of humanity, tumbling inexorably toward a cliff. Ann and Joe lost their lives while working to build geographic understanding for all … young or old, teacher or student, rural or urban, American or global. It remains for us truly a mission in which failure is not an option. For those who live in anonymity on up to those whose decisions shape us all, understanding the power of place and past, and the gravity of patterns and relationships, is vital for navigating safely between the shoals of ignorance and apathy, toward a secure and sustainable world. Let us resolve to ensure that all gain experience in thinking geographically, and hail the disposition to do so about matters large and small. Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri Schools Program Manager Link to Facebook group remembering Ann and Joe ... View more

Education means freedom, the chance to learn and grow and change. Unfortunately, life can include roadblocks. Many public school districts support “alternative schools” for students who may not have stayed on schedule at a “traditional school.” At Esri’s 2016 User Conference, students from such a school — San Andreas High School (Highland, CA) — with only a few months of GIS experience, presented their work to over 10,000 GIS professionals from around the world. Working with educators skilled in teaching with technology (but still new to GIS), the students learned to ask geographic questions, acquire relevant data, analyze it, interpret it, and present it, to their peers at school, and before a massive crowd of professionals. The school had let them do, and you can see the results. From the first click, GIS offers the chance to do — to engage and explore, to puzzle and ponder, to tinker and tweak, to reflect and perfect. With boundless data available, users can dive deeper, focusing on matters of personal interest, whether topical or technological. GIS offers alternatives: ArcGIS Online provides easy access and quick success, and the broader ArcGIS platform means limitless opportunity. At all experience levels, users must make decisions constantly, and learn incessantly. New tools, strategies, and data appear endlessly, and at an accelerating pace, yielding ever more choices. At San Andreas, one teacher heard about the opportunity of GIS via Esri’s ConnectED offer, investigated on her own, brought in her colleagues, engaged the students (with pioneers becoming leaders of succeeding waves), sparked a revolution, and presented to the world, in under 18 months. Alternatives matter. Students in alternative schools are typically just as bright, capable, driven, engaging, feeling, and thirsty for opportunity as elsewhere. The endless capacity of GIS means those most open to and supportive of engagement, critical thinking, and fostering the opportunity for students to make a difference (for themselves, the community, and the planet) will succeed. All students can succeed with GIS; San Andreas showed it. Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri Schools Program Manager (This item posted also at http://esriurl.com/funwithgis200.) ... View more

The ArcGIS Book offers “10 Big Ideas” about mapping, in hardcopy, free downloadable PDF, and free online in multiple languages. Equal parts coffee table book, text book, and workbook, some educators began teaching with it immediately after its release at Esri’s 2015 User Conference. It worked well having students reading on one screen (even a phone) and mapping on another. The Instructional Guide for The ArcGIS Book now makes it even easier for educators to leverage the original. The Instructional Guide works like an outrigger, matching the concepts and technology of each section, speeding solid comprehension thru carefully designed activities. Linked movies launch chapters with an easy hook. Step-by-step guidance thru a bank of scenarios ushers even novices steadily into the power and flexibility of online mapping, via generic tools in browsers, browser-based apps, and mobile apps. End-of-chapter tasks summarize the fundamental ideas and skills. Many activities can be done without logging in, but many valuable ones require the powers of an ArcGIS Online organization account, and the Guide shows how educators in different situations can acquire such an account. Coupled with the original volume, the Instructional Guide for The ArcGIS Book is a terrific resource for educators who want to see and employ true GIS power with online tools. And, especially for educators in Career/Technology Education (CTE) programs, or anyone who wants to see STEM in GIS, this demonstrates powerfully how online GIS can be engaged in day-to-day scenarios relevant to many different industries. Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri Schools Program Manager (This item also posted at http://esriurl.com/funwithgis201) ... View more

Jane Goodall. The name conjures images of science, documentaries, jungles, crowded auditoriums, and visions for a better world. Jane’s work and passion have captured minds and hearts across the globe. For 25 years, young people have engaged in community projects through her “Roots & Shoots” organization, learning that they can make a difference, at home and across the globe. Roots & Shoots makes it easy to start, with a 4-step formula: Get engaged, make a map, take action, and celebrate. This year, Roots & Shoots added ArcGIS Online to the mapping alternatives, so now projects can combine digital mapping, collaboration, and analysis. Is it powerful? See the video featuring teachers and students of the Math, Science, & Technology Magnet Academy of Roosevelt High School (Los Angeles, CA). See also the youth leader blog on the Jane Goodall Institute page; leaders from across USA visited Esri and learned about adding ArcGIS Online in their work and outreach. Projects are not just the most powerful way for people to learn GIS. They are also the best way for people to see that they can make a difference in the world, no matter their age. Roots & Shoots projects epitomize “service” — something done for the benefit of another. Roots and shoots help plants spread out and grow, and Roots & Shoots projects can allow young people to shape their world and their future. Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri education manager (This item also posted at http://esriurl.com/funwithgis202) ... View more