May 2012
3 posts
The Diagonal Survey at The Student Data Mapper →
A test project in the new Student Data Mapper.  Take the quick poll and help test the system - or create your own project.
May 12th
White House Highlights STEM Innovators in the... →
….the White House will honor 14 individuals as Champions of Change for leading the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for people with disabilities in education and employment.
May 8th
Seven Ideas: GIS for Geocaching with Scouts,... →
For the last several years now, every spring and fall, I volunteer to help the local Girl Scout council, not unlike many you GeoMentors. We plan and implement a large geocaching event. The event, now called “The Geocache Party” typically has 100 to 300 Girl Scouts involved. If you have ever planned a sizablegeocaching (or Open Caching) event with several activities, you know placing, tracking,...
May 2nd
April 2012
8 posts
1 tag
Discovering: ArcGIS Explorer Online (instructional... →
Discover some the basic features of ArcGIS Explorer Online. This two-page MS Word document activity walks students through several core functions in this webmap tool. Lab requires Internet connection and MS Silverlight plug-in.
Apr 20th
Computational Thinking with GIS (at Esri Ed... →
The educational value of Computational Thinking (CT) was first noted in 2006 and is now largely considered an emerging concept of magnitude from educational organizations like CSTA, ISTE, and AACE SITE. Other organizations with a focus broader than education, like the Center for Computational Thinkinghave signaled the importance of CT for STEM or the University of Colorado’s scalable game...
Apr 10th
1 tag
Apr 7th
NCGE (Free) Webinar: 10 Tips for Easy Geotagging...
10 Tips for Easy Geotagging in Any Classroom Wednesday, April 18, 2012 8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific  Tom Baker Education Manager Esri Kansas City, KS Geotagging, using pictures and other digital files to support student inquiry, fieldwork, and data analysis, can be a simple and fun ways to engage students in GIS and GPS.  Student data, photos, and recorded audio can...
Apr 6th
Apr 6th
“We suggest that spatial thinking is at the heart of many great discoveries in...”
– Learning to Think Spatially: GIS as a Support System in the K-12 Curriculum (2006), page 1.
Apr 5th
Apr 4th
Girl Scouting and STEM (Kansas City) →
Apr 3rd
March 2012
7 posts
6 tags
Exploring the World with ArcGIS Explorer and the...
The Microsoft Xbox 360 Kinect is one of most powerful consumer-oriented “Natural User Interface” devices available today.  Its near-infrared camera produces 3D motion data of anything in front of the it and coupled with a standard webcam and quadraphonic microphone, the device is jammed pack with input sensors.  The Microsoft Education team even promotes Kinect has prepared over a 100 lessons and...
Mar 27th
STEM Education’s Critical Dependence on GIS →
Dr. Jonathan Wai’s recent article in Psychology Today takes a frank look at the role and value of spatial thinking in mainstream education today. While he provides a consumer-level overview in “Why Don’t We Value Spatial Intelligence?” he and colleagues take a much deeper dive in theirJournal of Educational Psychology longitudinal study of 400,00+ students, “Spatial Ability for STEM Domains”. ...
Mar 14th
Up, Up, and Away with Web GIS →
Many great new features have been added to the mapping tools (ArcGIS Explorer Online and the ArcGIS.com map viewer) found at ArcGIS.com over the summer.  For example, we can now easily map tracklogs created by GPS units and smartphones, save, and share.  On a recent summer trip, I was fortunate to ride in a hot balloon in northern California.  The first thing I did?  I turned on my smartphone GPS...
Mar 13th
5 tags
EdGIS GeoForms Tool for BYOD Classrooms
Two weeks ago while presenting mobile geo-tools for education at GeoTech 2012 in Dallas, I started working on a simple idea: create a Google Doc Form that was geo-enabled for mobile devices.  It’s basically a little extra (easily discoverable) JavaScript from around the web that pulls your mobile device’s location and drops it into form fields. The result: with relatively little web...
Mar 10th
1 note
EdGIS Search →
Looking for something related to GIS, GPS, remote sensing, image processing or related in pre-collegiate education?  Maybe a lesson plan using GIS in the earth science class?  Need a geocaching idea for your geography class?  Try this simple search.
Mar 10th
7 tags
Mar 4th
Flipping It: An Instructional Alternative for GIS... →
A few years ago a couple of Colorado chemistry teachers realized that they were spending incredible amounts of time preparing make-up work and documenting the day’s instruction for students who were out sick. To help curb this time problem, they began recording their instruction and placing instructional video (e.g. narrated PowerPoint), class exercises, interactive simulations and other materials...
Mar 2nd
February 2012
8 posts
5 tags
The GeoTech Conference
As this blog posts, I’m en route to GeoTech, a conference for educators from around the country situated in Dallas at the renowned Bishop Dunne Catholic School.  Themed “Where Earth, Technology, and Innovation Meet”, the conference runs March 1-3. GeoTech is now in its 24th year serving educators with pre-conference workshops, sessions, exhibits, and internationally...
Feb 29th
2 notes
Feb 28th
GeoTech Workshops at NSTA
The National Conference on Science Education (NSTA) is fast approaching in Indianapolis, IN.  If you’re one of the roughly 15000 science teachers attending, plan to attend a short workshop to learn how to use GIS and geotechnology to extend your students’ science learning.   Thursday, March 29 9:30–11:00 AM OR Friday, March 30 8:00–9:30 AM Title: Mapping and Analyzing...
Feb 21st
“There is an eternal landscape, a geography of the soul; we search for its...”
– Josephine Hart 
Feb 20th
4 notes
“If geography is prose, maps are iconography.”
– Lennart Meri 
Feb 18th
5 tags
Feb 18th
3 notes
2 tags
Feb 15th
2 notes
6 tags
GIS, STEM, and CTE
Last week I presented in Wichita, KS at the Kansas Winter Career and Technical Education (CTE) Conference.  My task was to present GIS and how it linked to the Kansas STEM Career Cluster.  Kansas is unique in that current CTE standards explicitly call for the extended use of GIS in the Cluster Map for Geospatial Technology (basically a scope and sequence for studying STEM through a Kansas CTE...
Feb 13th
1 note
January 2012
26 posts
NGA Releases Guide to Building a STEM Education...
“NGA has released a guide, Building A Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education Agenda (PDF), focused on strengthening science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Economic growth in the 21st century will be driven by our nation’s ability to both generate ideas and translate them into innovative products and services. Governors have been working to increase...
Jan 24th
Map Stories (Webmap series) →
Stories come alive through maps: Cellular Explosion, Election Year Primary Calendar, New Madrid, Roots & Shoots, American Jobs Act, House Prices, and more.
Jan 17th
“I wanna hang a map of the world in my house. Then I’m gonna put pins into...”
– Mitch Hedberg
Jan 16th
“Geography is just physics slowed down, with a couple of trees stuck in it.”
– Terry Pratchett,  in The Last Continent
Jan 15th
ArcGIS Explorer Online (Webmap series) →
“In addition to basic mapping, users can conduct queries of feature data. Users can create map notes with special symbology and content, then save “map frames” with title text, and strung together as a presentation of dynamic maps.”
Jan 13th
Sketch-A-Map (Webmap series) →
“Sketch-A-Map allows you to draw shapes or annotate on top of a map. Pick from several base maps and any geographic extent and begin drawing points, lines, polygons and more. You can then save the map to an image file (JPG) or print it!”
Jan 12th
1 tag
MotionX - GPS (Mobile series) →
A great app for iOS or Android to record your location as a track and export to a GIS or other mapping application.  The app is cheap but powerful so if your students have smartphones usable in BYOD classrooms, it’s a great GPS solution.
Jan 11th
1 note
1 tag
Zipcode Lookup (Webmap Series) →
“This app shows US demographic data summarized by ZIP Code boundaries, atop maps of other scale, with expandable charts showing data in additional ways. This app shows a lot of info in separate boxes.”
Jan 10th
1 tag
Landsat Viewers (Webmap series) →
“Explore change around the world 1975-2005 using data from Landsat. There are two web apps for working directly with the data; apps are based on Javascript so work on all browsers. ”
Jan 9th
“A map is the greatest of all epic poems. Its lines and colors show the...”
– Gilbert H. Grosvenor, Editor of National Geographic (1903- 1954)
Jan 8th
9 tags
Jan 7th
19 notes
“Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than...”
– Tobler’s First Law of Geography
Jan 7th
1 tag
American Migration (Webmap Series) →
“Close to 40 million Americans move from one home to another every year. Click anywhere on the map below: blue counties send more migrants to the selected county than they take; red counties take more than they send.”
Jan 6th
1 tag
Elevation Profile Map Tool (Webmap series) →
“This application uses ArcGIS Online elevation data and allows users to create a profile by drawing a line, across the world, even in the oceans. After drawing the profile, move the mouse along the profile to see where the specific point is on the map.”
Jan 5th
1 tag
Latitude-Longitude Finder (Webmap series) →
“This geocoder allows you to find a latitude-longitude by dragging the map to a selected location, entering an address, or a place name.”
Jan 5th
National STEM Video Game Challenge →
“Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video...
Jan 4th
2 tags
Webinar PD for Geog Teachers from NCGE
The National Council for Geographic Education has published the remainder of its 2011-2012 school year webinar PD calendar.  Topics include cultural geo, APHG, physical geo, geocaching, GIS, geotagging, and several other great topics.  Most webinars are $20 and held on Wednesday evenings. Hint: If you like more than one of these webianrs, considering joining NCGE for free access to all webinars. ...
Jan 3rd
4 notes
1 tag
ArcGIS.com Map Viewer (Webmap series) →
“This app is the intro map-making site for ArcGIS Online. Maps from world level down to neighborhood can be saved and shared via ArcGIS Online, or opened in ArcGIS Explorer Online or ArcGIS Desktop for more capacity, or embedded in websites.” An embedded sample showing US Median Household Income: View Larger Map
Jan 3rd
1 tag
US Federal Agency STEM Portfolio Released
Bottom line: Feds want to strategically target the $3.4 billion allocated through 250+ federal STEM education initiatives to better reflect “national priorities”.  Download PDF. Feds plan to release a STEM education strategic plan in 2012.
Jan 3rd
5 notes
1940 Census Report Goes Digital, Arrives in April →
Following a 72-year wait period, The National Archives and Records will release the 1940 U.S. Census in April and make the search for photos and information about ancestors easier than ever with free online access from any computer. Genealogists will have digital access to the 1940 Census when…
Jan 3rd
1 tag
Jan 2nd
Jan 2nd
1 tag
Jan 2nd
1 tag
Nation Master (Webmap Series) →
“ a massive central data source and a handy way to graphically compare nations. NationMaster is a vast compilation of data from such sources as the CIA World Factbook, UN, and OECD. Using the form above, you can generate maps and graphs on all kinds of statistics with ease.”
Jan 2nd