Introduce a New Dimension in Geography to Your School or University by Hosting a GIS Day Event
Educators are:
- K–12 Teachers
- College and University Educators
- GIS Instructors and Professors
As educators and users of GIS technology, you have invested a great deal of time and effort into your knowledge and understanding of GIS. You have found that GIS not only makes for better students, by fostering critical thinking and problem solving skills, but it makes for better schools as well, by helping school administration improve their planning and decision making in areas such as demographic mapping, student transportation, school safety, and community information access.
Some of you may find it difficult to share these benefits and your excitement for GIS with your colleagues and fellow educators who remain unfamiliar with these new geography inspired technologies. If this is a challenge you face, then GIS Day might be just the thing you are looking for.
GIS Day can serve as the perfect opportunity to help expose your students to new technology and curriculum while at the same time, educating your colleagues, building alliances with other schools and organizations, and fostering the growth of student/mentor relationships. Your students will benefit from GIS Day because they will become proficient with new technologies, and have the opportunity to work with instructors and industry professionals that will help them to cultivate their talents, develop necessary 21st century workforce skills, encourage citizenship and community participation, and envision future career options.
If you are a K-12 educator, a higher education professional, or someone involved with youth clubs and organizations like 4H or scouting, now is the time to showcase your work with events that will teach others about the significant contribution GIS technology is making in their lives and communities each day.
Participation is easy, and can be as simple as creating a relationship with a local GIS professional or GIS organization who can visit your school to give a GIS Day presentation, talking to your school principal or administrator about adopting GIS into the curriculum, or approaching school board members to encourage development of GIS learning programs in your school district. On GIS Day you can make a presentation to your class, collaborate with local colleges and Universities to visit their campus, host a school wide assembly, or contact your city, town, or county government officials to inform them about GIS Day and ask them to make an official GIS Day proclamation.
Schools, organizations, or individual teachers can choose to do one of these, or all of these, it's simply up to you.
Listen to Deane Maynard, Project Manager at McMaster University GIS Lab, School of Geography and Earth Sciences, talk about her experience with hosting a GIS Day at the university. [14:33]
Benefits of Participation
- Expose your students to cutting edge technology (GIS).
- Help students understand real-world problems using data analysis.
- Develop appropriate curriculum that will keep students' interest.
- Prepare and point your students toward GIS jobs and career options.
- Share information across multiple disciplines and promote a holistic approach to learning.
- Build alliances with other schools and organizations.