Category: Teaching GIS
-
Esri Story Maps are alright!
I know that Esri story maps have been around for quite a while, but I am only finally learning how to create them now. For some reason, I was quite resistant to using them, but now that I have created a couple I have to say they could be really useful for teaching both GIS…
-
Teaching GIS online requires a diverse skill set
I am considering teaching an online GIS course this fall. The course proposal is currently winding its way through various approval processes and so, in the meantime, I am devising a work plan for preparing the course. I’m really excited at the prospect of teaching online, and I’m optimistic that this teaching mode can offer…
-
GeoDesign as a teaching concept
I recently had the good fortune to attend a GeoDesign workshop presented by Bill Miller, who is the Director of GeoDesign Services at Esri, and one of the people credited with coining the term. It was a fascinating morning, and it was a reflection of how important this topic is becoming that Alex Miller, president…
-
John Snow and serendipity
I was skimming through my Twitter stream this morning and came across a tweet from the intrepid Michael Gould (@michael_d_gould) mentioning David J. Unwin’s digital workbook “Numbers aren’t nasty: a workbook of spatial concepts“. I’m a big fan of David Unwin’s Geographic Information Analysis (co-authored with David O’Sullivan), so I downloaded the workbook (it’s free)…
-
Paper maps for driving not dead yet
I was recently contacted by a Toronto Star reporter for an article she was writing about paper maps vs. GPS for navigation (Map publishers facing a rough road, Aug. 19, 2011). She was asking whether I thought people used or needed paper maps anymore and if they would still be around in five years. I…
-
Engaging new GIS students with web mapping
Simultaneously published at V1 Magazine with thanks to Matt Ball, co-founder and editor, Vector1 Media. Not that long ago, I considered “web mapping” an advanced topic, best left to be taught in a senior GIS course. While that can still be the case, depending on how it is defined, the fact is that creating a map of…
-
My GIS curriculum review: what to leave in, what to leave out
I have now completed a systematic inventory of my teaching material as part of my GIS curriculum review and renewal process. It has been a challenging and enlightening exercise, as I forced myself to take a hard look at what I have, as well as what’s missing. The result is I can now make more…
-
Taking an inventory of my teaching material
I have tried many times, in many ways, to create a well-organized and complete inventory of all my teaching material, and so far it has always eluded me. I want to have one document where I can track all of my lecture topics, concepts, skills, tools, readings, and assignments. I’m not talking about all of…
-
How do we reach and teach casual GIS users?
Simultaneously published at V1 Magazine with thanks to Matt Ball, co-founder and editor, Vector1 Media. There are many people who don’t consider themselves geospatial professionals, but instead are casual GIS users. They probably don’t go to GIS conferences, or keep up with everything that’s happening in the field, and yet I’ll bet they perform a…
-
Reference management methods for GIS teaching material
I have spent the last couple of days reviewing my reference management system (or lack thereof) and looking for alternatives. I like to save articles and website links I find online and through journal alerts and blogs so I can use them for case studies and examples in lectures and assignments. For the last couple…
