Latest Contributions by TomBaker

This is a one-hour virtual jumpstart workshop with limited seating for K12 teachers or K12 IT staff only. Each participant will set-up a Python “stack” on their personal computer. We will include the ArcGIS API for Python in your stack, run pre-built programs, and write two simple programs: one that creates a map and one that performs an administrative function in ArcGIS Online.   This is a beginner’s (non-programmer’s) workshop; however, it is best if you have programmed in any language prior to taking the workshop.  While the coding will be straightforward, our ability to troubleshoot installation problems will be limited.   Before you register: Make sure that you have a Windows or Macintosh computer with administrative privileges, so that you can install software. Make sure you have a publisher level account in an ArcGIS Online organization.   Before the workshop: Know how to launch your computer’s command prompt. On Mac, this is Terminal. On a Windows computer, this is Command Prompt (search for “cmd.exe” in Windows 10). Have your AGO Publisher username/password at the ready for the workshop.   Workshop date and time: TBD Web address: Received via email. To register:  If you would like to be put on a waiting list or receive news about any related "python for educators" workshops in the future, please email: [email protected].  ... View more

A new text which I believe many in this group should consider.   Spatial Citizenship Education: Citizenship through Geography (Shin and Bednarz, 2019) is the inaugural book exploring the contribution of geographic education (and geographic technologies and spatial thinking) to the development of the citizen.  It describes citizenship development through a rich understanding of spatial and geographic narratives. The book includes a history of geographic education as well as theoretical and conceptual elements of the work of geography education. Geography teachers, teacher educators, and GIS education researchers should consider this volume as a critical contribution to their well-rounded library.   Chapters include: Conceptualizing spatial citizenship Geography as a social study Geography, capabilities, and the educated person The spatial production and navigation of vulnerable citizens Citizenship education in a spatially enabled world Rediscovering the local Cultivating student citizens Geotechnologies and the spatial citizen Informed citizenry starts in the preschool and elementary grades – and with geography Spatial citizenship in the secondary geography curriculum Spatial citizenship in the geography/social studies teacher education   Amazon link to the book.       From the Routledge website:   Euikyung E. Shin is a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois where she teaches curriculum studies and social studies education. Her research interests include incorporation of spatial perspectives for global citizenship education and integration of geospatial technology to social studies curriculum.   Sarah Witham Bednarz is Professor Emerita of Geography at Texas A&M University. Bednarz co-authored the national geography standards, Geography for Life (1994 and 2012), served on the Committee on Spatial Thinking (2004–2006), and co-chaired the Geography Education Research Committee (GERC) of the 21st Century Road Map for 21st Century Geography Education Project. ... View more

A few weeks ago, I shared Python scripts with Peter Knoop at The University of Michigan.  He was kind enough to share a cool ArcGIS Online wordcloud generator, which as you might have already guessed, I tweaked and ran against ArcGIS Online this morning with a few Valentine's Day related terms: love and Valentine. The Python script uses the libraries: ArcGIS API for Python, BeautifulSoup (text cleanup), and wordcloud. The script searches the titles of up to 10,000 ArcGIS Online public maps for the keywords love or valentine and then grabs the description from the maps meeting our criteria.  Using the word cloud library, the most common terms are found in the descriptions and the word cloud created.  The word "love" was found in the title of 277 maps in ArcGIS Online today. The descriptions of those maps produced this wordcloud.   Running the script a second time with "valentine" produced 57 maps with descriptions producing the following wordcloud. I noticed "pest" showing up in our love wordcloud and the lack of "valentine" in our valentine wordcloud (at least the english version).  Let me know what you see in the wordclouds below. Happy Valentine's Day! ... View more

"By the end of day one with enterprise logins, I'd saved an entire teaching day! I'm never going back to the old, manual way of creating student accounts!"        —Matt Winbigler, Science Teacher, Cloquet Middle School (Cloquet, Minnesota) For teachers that have already requested a free ArcGIS Online organizational account for their school, know that managing student accounts in ArcGIS Online is an important part of successfully using ArcGIS Online in classrooms, but it doesn't have to be difficult. Why Have Student (and Teacher) Accounts? Many schools have an ArcGIS Online organization subscription, which can hold 500 or more accounts for students or teachers. Student accounts are great for letting students create, save, and share maps and apps. Student accounts can be used to complete Level 2 GeoInquiries or even make apps to compete in the ArcGIS Online School Competition. How Do I Make Student Account Management Easier? ArcGIS Online allows for enterprise logins, which provide a way for ArcGIS Online to talk to your school's or district's student login system. ArcGIS Online supports the two largest student login systems used in US schools today: Microsoft and Google. Teachers will need the help of your school or district IT staff to connect ArcGIS Online with a preexisting login process.  Share this post or send the link below to your school or district IT staff and tell them you'd like to share ArcGIS Online with all the students in the school or district. Ask them to enable enterprise logins, which is a quick process when following the guidelines detailed in the link below. Keep in mind, this will create new accounts for all students. Depending on your situation, you may wish to keep using any existing student or teacher accounts through the end of the school year. Read more about setting up enterprise logins for ArcGIS Online here. ... View more

If you publish a chapter, article, or conference proceeding that substantially involves GeoInquiries, would you  post a note here?   https://community.esri.com/groups/k12-instruction/projects/geoinquiries/content?filterID=contentstatus%5Bpublished%5D%7Ecategory%5Bpublications-and-best-practices%5D   You will need to tag your new discussion with the “Publications and best practices” tag in the GeoInquiries Project. ->> See the current list is available int he project, under the Content tag, Publications and best practices.   ... View more

GIS for Teachers – A Guide to Authentic K-12 Integration and Application Grounded in real experience, free resources (GeoInquiries), and the ArcGIS platform, GIS for Teachers: A Guide to Authentic K-12 Integration and Application gives a comprehensive view into all aspects of the classroom and how GIS meets many needs and challenges facing educators today. The book includes 10 chapters and access to a comprehensive resource center online, replete with ready-to-use handouts, rubrics, exercises, videos and more. Review the book at GISetc. >> Authors: Anita Palmer‌ Chris Bunin‌ Barbaree Duke‌ ... View more

Geospatial technologies in mainstream classrooms: A brief examination of pedagogical diffusion Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference, Mar 26, 2018 in Washington, D.C., United States ISBN 978-1-939797-32-2 Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE), Chesapeake, VA Abstract: This paper examines the development and advancing use of a mainstream curricular solution intended to support standards-based classroom teaching and learning with geospatial technologies With over one million downloads, Esri’s GeoInquiries are reaching the Early Majority of educators across the US The role of instructional design, professional development, and web-based technologies is explored in this manuscript Formative, partial results from a series of professional development workshops are also presented Location(s): Read more at LearnTechLib. >> ... View more

 How could a map change the way your students understand history?  Immerse students in the geography of the 1930’s U.S. Dust Bowl. Use population change, agricultural patterns, and precipitation to help students understand how and why the Dust Bowl occurred by using a free tool called Geoinquiries (www.esri.com/geoinquiries) from Esri.  Read the full article at ResearchGate. >> ... View more

Mass customization is a growing tech trend, including software that is created to respond to learners as they progress. As teachers, we often differentiate to engage learners, so we need materials that can be tweaked quickly. GeoInquiries (www.esri.com/geoinquiries) are a set of lessons available for English, math, science, and social studies that enhance key concepts using the free ArcGIS Online website. They can be used out of the box or customized, making GeoInquiries a great starting point to meet the needs of your changing classroom. Read the full article at ResearchGate. >> ... View more

Regardless of your subject area or grade level, you can incorporate fun, interactive geotechnology lessons that will enhance your students’ learning experiences. GeoInquiries are free, fast, and easy-to-use lessons currently cover science, history, and geography topics, all of which can be accessed with any Internet-enabled device. Read the article at ResearchGate >> ... View more

For those interested in additional publications and educational research involving GeoInquiries, be sure to explore the GeoInquiries Project on ResearchGate (Research Gate). Head over to the project >> ... View more

Ever want to take a quick, deep-dive into a map found in your students’ textbooks? Ever want to use a web-based map to bring that static, print map to life? Maybe the map you’re using would be better with interactive or near real-time data. Enter the new Earth Science GeoInquiries! Earth Science GeoInquiries from Esri are instructional resources designed for the U.S. middle school Earth Science classroom. Each Earth Science geoinquiry takes about 15 minutes, ties to the Next Generation Science Standards, and is based on map concepts found in the leading textbooks used in schools today. GeoInquiries are content-forward, teaching Earth science concepts first – and using ArcGIS Online maps and data to enhance that instruction, taking student engagement and inquiry deeper than they would experience with the text alone.   While this article is dated, it continues to describe some of the conceptual underpinning of Esri GeoInquiries™.  The article is from NCGE's The Geography Teacher.   Publisher site: view     Note: If you have published an article about Esri GeoInquiries™ or have an article in conference proceedings, be sure to categorize your post with "Publications and Best Practices". ... View more

Come visit Esri at TCEA, February 5-7, 2019 in San Antonio, TX. We will be in booth #977, along with GISetc and a few other friends.  Drop by and tell us about all the great things you’re doing with GIS in the classroom and we’ll share the latest news from Esri with you! Be sure to ask about Single Sign-On (SSO) support in ArcGIS Online, making student account management faster and easier! Also be sure to see the new GeoInquiries and Learn activities for schools! And don't forget to visit other Esri partners at TCEA like Virtual Job Shadow and PASCO!  Learn more about the Esri Schools program. >> Anita Palmer‌  George Dailey‌ Roger Palmer‌ ... View more