Introduction to ArcGIS Online and GIS Resources for Illinois Teachers
A Workshop for In-Service Junior High and High School Social Studies and Science Teachers
Workshop Overview
The Introduction to ArcGIS Online and GIS Resources for Illinois Teachers Workshop will provide interactive instruction, hands-on explorations, classroom-ready activities, and discussions on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), GIS in the classroom, ArcGIS Online, and Esri Story Maps for 24 in-service Illinois junior high and high school (6th-12th grade) social studies and science teachers in Chicago and Springfield, Illinois. The workshop leadership team consists of the Co-Coordinator of the Illinois Geographic Alliance and two US T3G alums that will also serve as lead instructors.
The workshop will incorporate two general content threads: 1) Geography (includes Human Geography, AP Human Geography, and World Geography) and 2) Earth/Environmental Science (includes biology), and is structured as two consecutive days of face-to-face instruction (June 2015) and two 1-hour webinars (July and August 2015) plus a follow-up webinar (October 2015) once the teachers have piloted GIS lessons in their classrooms.
This workshop is funded, in part, by a grant from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation to the Illinois Geographic Alliance as well as an Esri ConnectEd Grant to the Illinois Geographic Alliance.
Target Workshop Participants
The Introduction to ArcGIS Online and GIS Resources for Illinois Teachers Workshop targets in-service Illinois junior high and high school (6th-12th grade) social studies and science teachers in Chicago (including City of Chicago SD 299) and Sangamon County, which includes Springfield (Springfield SD 186), with teaching assignments in the two general content treads of the workshop: 1) Geography (includes Human Geography, AP Human Geography, and World Geography) and 2) Earth/Environmental Science (includes biology).
Workshop Instructors
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Ms. Judith Bock (Lead Instructor):
A former Illinois middle school teacher with 33 years of classroom experience, Bock currently serves as Director of Online Geospatial Programs for the School for Professional Studies at Elmhurst College as well as an Adjunct Instructor for Northeastern Illinois University and Esri GeoMentor. She is a trained facilitator for geography education and geospatial technology including: Esri T3G (2010 and 2014), Trainer of Trainers for NGS Kids Network and Gifted Education in Illinois, National Geographic Society and IBM: Educational Leadership Technology Institute - staff facilitator in 1991 and 1992, and National Geographic Society: Summer Geography Institute 1988 and staff facilitator in 1989 and 1990. Bock has authored curriculum, a geography course lab manual, geography/geospatial lessons, an article in the Journal of Geography, and has served on writing committees for the 1994 and 2012 revision of Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, Newberry Library’s Historic Maps in the K-12 Classroom, and NASA’s Mission Geography. -
Ms. Jenni Dahl (Lead Instructor):
Dahl has been active in GIS education for 14 years. She was the Technology Facilitator at Springfield High School (Springfield, Illinois) from 1998 to 2008, during which time she developed and facilitated a GIS course using the Mapping Our World curriculum. From 2008 until 2014 Dahl was the Technology Coordinator for the Sangamon County Regional Office of Education. One of her job responsibilities was to provide instructional technology professional development, including GIS workshops, to teachers. Dahl attended Esri’s T3G in 2012; is an Esri GeoMentor; and is a GIS K-12 education presenter. In 2014, she developed the website, Think Geospatial, Tools and Resources for Geospatial Education (http://thinkgeospatial.education) for classroom teachers, students, informal educators, and after-school enrichment programs. She currently serves as a Technology Consultant at the Sangamon County Regional Office of Education. -
Mr. Jason LaBrosse (Teaching Assistant, Chicago Workshop):
LaBrosse is currently a graduate student in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) with interests in the use of GIS in urban and human geography, animal geography, and sustainable urban planning. He currently serves as a graduate technical assistant for the GIS program at Northeastern Illinois University where his duties include supervising the student GIS lab and serving as a teaching assistant for the Introduction to GIS course. His prior education includes an associate’s degree from Harry S. Truman City College of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in Geography with certification in GIS from Northeastern Illinois University. He has worked as a GIS Analyst through internships with the Chicago Park District, Morton Arboretum, and the Field Museum of Natural History. -
Mr. Adam Wallace (Teaching Assistant, Springfield Workshop):
Wallace currently serves as the Technology/Math/Science Coordinator for the Sangamon County Regional Office of Education. His duties include providing technical assistance for workshops granting professional development hours to teachers. He has a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Springfield and a bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
Workshop Format and Schedule
The Introduction to ArcGIS Online and GIS Resources for Illinois Teachers Workshop project is structured as a 2-day (consecutive days) introductory level face-to-face workshop at two locations in June for two different cohorts of 12 teachers, plus two 1-hour webinars (July and August) for all 24 participants. The first workshop will be offered for 12 Sangamon County teachers (includes Springfield SD 186) June 17-18, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Lincoln Land Community College (Springfield). An identical workshop will be offered on the campus of Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) June 29-30, 2015, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., for 12 Chicago teachers (including City of Chicago SD 299).
Participants will receive materials (USB flash drive, binder, handouts) on workshop Day 1 and a $150 stipend after active participation in the entire 2-day workshop and completion of the online Esri survey. After the June face-to-face workshops, participants will be asked to create a lesson plan using ArcGIS Online that will be posted on the Illinois Geographic Alliance Lesson Plan webpage. Upon submission of the lesson plan participants will receive an additional $50 stipend. Participants will be encouraged to submit their lesson to the Esri ArcLesson website (http://edcommunity.esri.com/ Resources/ArcLessons).
In order to provide additional information, answer questions, and support workshop participants during lesson plan development, 1-hour webinars for all 24 workshop participants and project staff are scheduled for the evenings of Wednesday July 15 and August 12. All webinars will be recorded and posted on the project webpage (hosted by the Illinois Geographic Alliance) to allow participants unable to attend the webinar the ability to view the webinars. Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs), also known as Professional Development Clock Hours, will be available for participants of the face-to-face workshops and webinars. A general timeline is shown in the table below.
| June 1 | Workshop application deadline (late applications accepted if seats still available) |
| June 5 | Applicants notified of acceptance or if waitlisted |
| June 10 | Accepted applicants must confirm their participation, applicants on waiting list contacted |
| June 17 & 18 | Face-to-face workshop at Lincoln Land Community College (Springfield) (13 PD hours) |
| June 29 & 30 | Face-to-face workshop at Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago) (13 PD hours) |
| July 15 | Webinar #1 (1 PD hour), lesson plan draft due for peer review |
| August 12 | Webinar #2 (1 PD hour), lesson plan due, lesson plan stipend form due, workshop reflection form due |
| August - October |
Participants pilot their new lesson in their classroom, follow-up phone/email contact with participants by workshop staff, and, if requested, classroom visits by workshop staff |
| October 14 | Follow-up webinar (Webinar #3) (1 PD hour), revised lesson plan (based on experiences piloting lesson in classroom) due |
For more information about GIS, please visit: http://www.esri.com/what-is-gis/. For a recent article about using GIS in the classroom, please visit: http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech186.shtml.
All questions about the workshop and application process should be directed to:
Amy Bloom, Illinois Geographic Alliance Co-Coordinator
(309) 438-8115
ambloom@illinoisstate.edu