Category Archives: Resource

Return to School with Just the Right Digital Map Tool! – September 28

Hey Educators! Directions Magazine and the Esri Education Team are teaming up to provide a webinar to help you find the best digital map tools for your classroom!

When: Tuesday, September 28, 2021 @ 7pm (Central)

Register Here: https://www.directionsmag.com/webinar/10996

Here’s more from the website:
Join us for a look at geospatial tools for any learning space: home, outdoors, school, or virtual. The Esri Education Team has great suggestions to enhance any grade level or subject area with a geospatial perspective.

In this webinar, we’ll cover:

  • Free mapping software (ArcGIS Online, Storymaps, Survey123, and more)
  • Entry-level, standards-based GeoInquiry activities for the class
  • Tips and tricks for flexible instruction with digital maps

SPEAKERS

Charlie Fitzpatrick, K-12 Education Manager, Esri

Tom Baker, Education Manager, Esri

Kylie Donia, Education Industry Specialist, Esri

Join in the fun ~ TeachOSM Back-to-School Night ~ September 21

When: September 21st, 2021 8:00 PM through  9:00 PM (Eastern)

Attention educators and mappers! Join TeachOSM Tuesday, 21 September for our first ever ‘back-to-school’ night. We’re offering an informal open house to introduce our programming. This hour-long event will feature brief demos from teachers and mappers to enable you to:

  • Find out more about how you can put OSM in your school
  • Learn how to take advantage of our Map-Alongs and other educational programming
  • Find out how you can get support open mapping education in your community

Sign up now to reserve your space!

Are you looking forward to the Landsat 9 Launch?

Rocket Launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Lompoc, California

Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ian Dudley
Photo Credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Ian Dudley

Landsat 9 is scheduled to be launched on September 16, 2021. This will mark almost 50 years of earth observation by US satellites. In preparation for this historic launch, we will be sharing several interactive documents about the history of the Landsat mission as well as the information about the Landsat 9 mission.

Today we would like to share with you, A History of the Landsat Program, developed by Ellie McGinty at UtahView. It’s an interactive Google Earth Tour, which documents major moments in earth observation history through a combination of maps, text, and curated images starting with the founding of the United States Geological Survey in 1879 through the birth of NASA in 1958 to the conception of Landsat in 1970 and all the way to the present day launching of Landsat 9.

Camp Landsat Counts Down to the Landsat 9 Launch

Each week NASA’s Landsat Science team will explore a unique aspect of Landsat earth science (see themes below). Weekly features include Landsat related crafts and games, revisiting each sequential Landsat mission as well a weekly postcard from camp. Stop by each week of camp to explore a new theme.

#ConnectedByEarth – Earth Day 2021!

This year NASA’s Earth Day theme is #ConnectedByEarth. Visit the NASA Earth Day Poster website to watch a short video about the inspiration for the poster and discover the gems hidden within the poster. Download your copy of the poster to learn more about bees and our natural world.

Happy Earth Week 2021!

Earth Day Poster by Brazilian artist – Septo

Here are some ways to celebrate:

A. Get outside – enjoy the beauty of the earth and mark your observations.
Consider joining a citizen science project such as Nature’s Notebook or GLOBE observer Tree Challenge.



B. Explore our beautiful Earth with Ellie Leydsman McGinty’s (UtahView) Earth as Art 4 tour.

C. Learn some new GIS skills with resources from AmericaView members: Google Earth Engine (GeorgiaView), QGIS (WestVirginiaView), or ArcGIS Pro (VirginiaView).

D. Put together an Earth image Puzzle.

Exploring the Landscape of K-12 GIS and Remote Sensing Education in Iowa

IowaView staff have launched a study to understand the current use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software and technology in K-12 public school classrooms across the state as well as to gauge interest among non-users.  The study has two surveys: one for superintendents and one for K-12 teachers.  These surveys will provide a snapshot of GIS in K-12 education as well as identify barriers and opportunities for the use of GIS technology among non-users.

Here is the link to the teacher survey: tinyurl.com/IAK12GIS.

Please contact Amy Logan for any questions regarding the survey.

And now for something weird: Joseph Kerski’s Weird Earth

Today we will be joining Joseph Kerski, a Geographer and GIS education enthusiast, exploring Weird Earth: Exploring the Earth with Interesting, Bizarre, and Odd Imagery. Joseph provides a narrated video on Youtube (primarily targeted at educators) but you can also explore these fascinating places on your own using this ArcGIS Online map. Thank you, Joseph, for taking us to new places and uncover hidden gems on our planet!