GIS Educators Day

GIS Educators Day, sponsored by NEARC and Esri, is a full-day conference devoted exclusively to topics and issues pertaining to the use of GIS and other geospatial technologies in K-12, college, and informal education. 

Whether you’re a K-12 or college educator, an experienced GIS user or a newcomer who wants to learn about the educational possibilities of this powerful tool, you’ll want to put this outstanding regional event on your "Must Do" list for 2019.

GIS Educators Day is a one-day pre-conference to NEARC’s annual professional user conference which will run from October 20-23 at the Grand Summit Resort in Sunday River, Maine. GIS Educators Day will feature hands-on computer labs, presentations, and participant-driven discussions on a range of resources, projects, and topics.

Theme

The theme of the day is Global Citizen Science with GIS: Learn Today. Teach Tomorrow. 

​2020 will mark the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the associated Earth Challenge 2020 which is a global citizen science initiative using mobile technology such as GIS to monitor and improve our planet's health.  You will be able to use and apply the skills, tools, and resources you learn during GIS Educators Day immediately to engage your students in real-world geospatial data collection, data analysis, and data visualization projects that will help increase their understanding, preservation, and protection of the planet.

Schedule Overview

The day will consist of:

• Two 2 hr and 15 minute workshops, each offered twice:
  • Survey 123 / Mobile GIS - You will perform a complete field data collection, analysis, and visualization project using Esri Survey 123 and your own smart gizmo.
  • ArcGIS Online / Story Maps - You will map, analyze, and visualize your own data using ArcGIS Online and share your work as an interactive Story Map or web app.
• Poster Session with prizes awarded at the end of the day. 
• User-submitted 30-minute and 60-minute talks 
• Keynote presentation by Dr. Tora Johnson 

Register to Attend

Attendees may register for the GIS Educators Day only (Sunday), GIS Educators Day (Sunday) PLUS Monday of the regular Fall NEARC Conference, or the full thing (Sunday through Wednesday). Registration information can be found here. 

Organizers

Carsten Braun cbraun@westfield.ma.edu
Timothy LeDoux ​tledoux@westfield.ma.edu

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Tora Johnson

​Dr. Tora Johnson is a social scientist and the director of the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory at the University of Maine at Machias. Her research focuses on using new approaches and technologies to support rural communities as they plan for a sustainable and prosperous future. She has also collaborated with installation artists and sculptors on community-based and place-based installation art projects. Also a writer, Tora's award-winning book, Entanglements: The Intertwined Fates of Whales and Fishermen, was released in 2005.