Latest Contributions by JoleneKeen1

The October 2018 GeoMentors newsletter is out!  View the full issue here. ... View more

October 2018 GeoMentor Spotlight: Jessica Rosales, ESRI Technical Certification Program Coordinator &Adjunct Instructor, University of Redlands School of Business What was your favorite class in K-12? My high school participated with the Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program (CRY-ROP). This coursework allowed me to earn a medical front and back office certificate, participate as an intern at our local medical office, and earn a scholarship to continue my education at our local community college. Learning technical skills in high school gave me direction and confidence to enter the workforce while I continued my education. How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? While earning my bachelor’s degree at the University of Redlands, School of Business. I attended a Speaker Series presentation hosted by the School’s Center for Spatial Business (CSB). The ability to visualize demographic data by location was fascinating. I began volunteering at the CSB, where I learnt how to think spatially and use ArcGIS software to translate spatial thinking into maps. Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography (I know, just one!)  I love that geography allows us to understand our biosphere and the impact of human activities, while a GIS allows us to organize, store, and visualize all the data about this relationship. It’s like peanut butter and chocolate – they’re both great but together they are awesome! Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? As an adjunct instructor for the School of Business, I understand that it is often a struggle to navigate the complexities associated with providing students an opportunity to learn the functionality of ArcGIS, while teaching business theories, and soft-skills as one unified skill. I became a GeoMentor to support instructors as they navigate these complexities. I’ve always had a team of champions that mentored me, and I’d like to share that support with other instructors so that they can champion their student’s digital transformation. What kind of GeoMentor volunteer opportunity and experience are you looking for? It would be an honor to assist higher education institutions integrate ArcGIS tools and workflows into their curriculum to enhance the learning experience of their students. Most of my mentorship experiences have been centered around understanding the business value of GIS, but I’m open to new opportunities. If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? Students that use ArcGIS for their coursework can demonstrate their knowledge as a holistic project-based solution that better reflects workforce expectations. Regardless of industry, decision makers need to identify relationships and patterns within their data to determine if the results will support daily operations and competitive advantages.  Email address: JRosalesProductions@gmail.com Read my blog and chat about ArcGIS with me in GeoNet Share your GIS tidbits with me in Twitter View my professional accomplishments in LinkedIn    Read about our latest featured GeoMentor here! If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information.   Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

GeoMentor Case Study: Jack Nessen City/State of School, School District, or Group: Salem Public School District, Salem, Massachusetts. Grade level of students you or your educator collaborator work/worked with: High School, freshman to senior Subject/topic of class/group you assisted your collaborator with: Coastal marine debris tracking, marine debris mitigation, marine debris education and prevention Approximately how many students were engaged in GIS activities through this collaboration: 8 How did you connect with your collaborator? Collaborator (Katie Wilkins) is not only a fantastic mentor and community partner, but also my girlfriend. We strive to develop and implement spatially based science opportunities for low-income high school students that address relevant urban issues. Describe your collaboration process. We have been successfully collaborating on various programs for over 5 years. Describe the tasks you assisted your collaborator with. I did not assist my collaborator, but rather provided GIS education, opportunities and resources to high school students while my collaborator oversaw HR related issues, student recruitment and the marketing of the program among the student body of Salem High School What available resources, if any, did you use or help your collaborator use to implement GIS in K-12 education? ESRI GeoInquiries and specific curriculum and activities designed by myself while employed at Salem Sound Coastwatch which is not, unfortunately, publicly available. What did you gain from the experience? What do you think your educator collaborator and/or the students gained? Gained wonderful experiences with thoughtful, passionate and caring high school students. I also gained great experience as an educator and specific experience in geo-spatial education. Check out more case studies here! If you're interested in submitting your GeoMentor experience for a case study, we would appreciate you doing so through  this survey . The collected information will only be accessible to and used by AAG and Esri program staff and will not be further distributed or posted online unless you indicate your permission to do so. Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

GeoMentor Case Study: William Lyons City/State of School, School District, or Group: Frankfort, Kentucky Grade level of students you or your educator collaborator work/worked with: High School (juniors and seniors) Subject/topic of class/group you assisted your collaborator with: Summer Apprenticeship Program Approximately how many students were engaged in GIS activities through this collaboration: 20 How did you connect with your collaborator? Mr. Sandifer asked me to prepare a GIS lab activity and deliver a brief presentation on remote sensing and Landsat. Describe your collaboration process. I prepared a remote sensing lab and met with Mr. Sandifer to discuss content and what was he looking to target with my lab. Describe the tasks you assisted your collaborator with. Career-related information and I spoke about my experience as a recently graduated college student. What available resources, if any, did you use or help your collaborator use to implement GIS in K-12 education? I developed a Landsat based off of prior experience. Did you develop any new educational material or GIS activities through your collaboration? Yes, I would be more than happy to email the material. What did you gain from the experience? What do you think your educator collaborator and/or the students gained? By participating in SAP I was ale to demonstrate my GIS skills and learn how to teach children my passion. Powerpoint Presentation GeoDay 2018 Itinerary Check out more case studies here! If you're interested in submitting your GeoMentor experience for a case study, we would appreciate you doing so through  this survey . The collected information will only be accessible to and used by AAG and Esri program staff and will not be further distributed or posted  unless you indicate your permission to do so. Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

GeoMentor Case Study: Nettie Ginocchetti& Daniel Yelito City/State of School, School District, or Group: The SHINE After School Program is home to 8 schools within 5 school districts located in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Grade level of students you or your educator collaborator work/worked with: K-8 Subject/topic of class/group you assisted your collaborator with: The SHINE program, geared to grades K-8, focuses on a project-based STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) curriculum. SHINE links schools to homes to help children build a stronger academic and social foundation. The topics of discussion were Groundtruthing, Mobile Mapping, GIS, Drones, Esri Story Maps, Careers in GeoTechnologies and various disciplines within Geography. Approximately how many students were engaged in GIS activities through this collaboration: Approximately 25 students were engaged in GIS activities across 8 different schools located in 5 school districts were visited by NEPA GeoMentors as we introduced over 150 students to ArcGIS mapping technology. How did you connect with your collaborator? This collaboration is an ongoing effort. We are in our second year of GeoMentoring with the SHINE Program. We met in the summer of 2016 through a PennDOT Transportation Improvement Program Public Outreach Meeting where a representative for Senator John Yudichak was present. When I explained that I was a GeoMentor and we were in search of schools, students and teachers to partner with. The representative asked that I contact to Carol Nicholas Executive Director of the SHINE Program and since 2016 our collaboration has been monumental. Describe your collaboration process. Throughout the 2017-2018 we communicated with SHINE representatives primarily through email on a monthly basis setting up dates and schools to visit in the SHINE Program. Depending on the time of year, technology available to us, the age of students and the school we planned to visit were factors in deciding which story maps we would review. This collaboration was ongoing throughout the 2017 - 2018 school year beginning in the fall and wrapping up in the spring. In addition to reviewing story maps, as we visited each SHINE location we printed out an aerial wall map of the campus which was studied by the students in order for them to gain a spatial understanding of their surroundings. Student's also received an 8.x11 map of their campus or them to take home as a souvenir. Describe the tasks you assisted your collaborator with. Our situation is a bit unique where we have the opportunity to visit schools in the SHINE After School Program as guest speakers. Our collaboration with the after school teachers happens on the set and we essentially freestyle our GeMentoring tasks depending on the age of the class, technology that is available to us and the time of year. What available resources, if any, did you use or help your collaborator use to implement GIS in K-12 education? We printed out the GeoMentor flyers an handed them to the students and teachers at each SHINE location we visited. We refereed to the Amazon HQ2 US Finalists story map on a number of occasions for students to review http://mediamaps.esri.com/AmazonHQ2_USFinalists/index.html Did you develop any new educational material or GIS activities through your collaboration? We developed a SHINE GIS Gallery that is home to some of the maps we demo in class. We review these maps with students to teach them basic mapping tools. SHINE GIS Gallery: https://wbctcshine.maps.arcgis.com/home/index.html SHINE Centers Locator: https://arcg.is/0fnGea Find A Food Pantry: https://arcg.is/vXKbS Adventures in GeoMentoring: https://arcg.is/0XKyrP National Donut Day Dunkin Donuts in NEPA: https://arcg.is/0841Dz Lights On After School: https://arcg.is/bW80u Crowdsource map examples include: NEPA Pizza Review https://arcg.is/1LD5OD Doodle Dogs Around the World: https://arcg.is/1e1rKL What did you gain from the experience? What do you think your educator collaborator and/or the students gained? NEPA GeoMentors gained a new understanding to the the challenges we face in the education industry when it comes to Geography as priority. In Northeastern Pennsylvania it seems the Geography curriculum is becoming extinct. We feel that as GeoMentors it is our mission to shed light on the GIS industry by introducing students and teachers with next gen mapping tools that will be prepare a workforce of the future. There is always something to gain when instructing, teaching or coaching children. We have always taken tons of knowledge with us when engaged with any student. One thing we’ve taken away, as all teachers do, is how difficult teaching really is. We always mention and talk about how exhausted we are after instructing young students. The students and educators gained the knowledge and the many uses of the GIS tool. The ESRI GIS software has endless educational applications and all the students and faculty have gained that understanding. We hope the teachers and students have found a new way to learn and a new way to teach by means of Esri story maps. If your GeoMentoring engagement activities were documented through a classroom blog, school website, group’s social media post, newspaper or other media, please provide the websites of those posts. 2017-2018 NEPA SHINE Story Map https://arcg.is/iyPK8 that documents each school visit with a description and picture gallery link. 2017 - 2018 SHINE Photo Gallery www.nettiequette.com/folder/24714k Any additional comments about your experience? We are thankful for the opportunity to be GeoMentors and pray that one day we will make a difference in the lives of these students giving them a career option they didn't know existed.   Check out more case studies here! If you're interested in submitting your GeoMentor experience for a case study, we would appreciate you doing so through  this survey . The collected information will only be accessible to and used by AAG and Esri program staff and will not be further distributed or posted  unless you indicate your permission to do so. ... View more

GeoMentor Case Study: Lauren Sinclair By Lauren Sinclair; GeoMentor/Educator in Portland, Oregon How might your career or understanding of the world be different if you had learned GIS skills in middle school? Thanks to support from PSU professors David Banis and Dr. Hunter Shobe, an International Baccalaureate middle school in Portland’s west hills is being given the chance to find out. The French American International School is nestled on the western edge of Forest Park, just below the crest of iconic Skyline Boulevard. Visit campus on a Wednesday and you’ll likely see 6th or 8th graders wandering around in small groups with smartphones in hand. They’re using ESRI’s Collector app to create novel maps of their school campus that contribute to their school’s community. “I decided to make an accessibility map displaying the easy, medium, and hard routes getting from place to place when being on a wheelchair on campus,” says Sofia, an 8th grader in the school’s new GIS Design class. This map was inspired by analyzing several maps in Banis’ and Shobe’s book Portlandness. The students working on this map project will present their final interactive Web App (made using ArcGIS ) to the professors for analysis, as well as to the school’s administration as a bid for more accessible campus design in upcoming construction projects. "Let's say we add this map in every [student] planner in addition to the [existing] campus map,” says Coco, another 8th grader working on the project. “I think that could be really helpful for students to think from that point of view and learn about how difficult [traveling via wheelchair] is." This student-led initiative could change this school for the better. Every semester, students in two GIS Design classes learn about how GIS works, how to make their own GIS maps of campus using a free AGO Enterprise account (thank you, ESRI!), how to analyze maps effectively, basic principles of map design, and how to lie with maps. As students at an international school, they’re able to apply their learning to geography-based inquiry in other classes as well. All 6th graders this year “discovered” the Ring of Fire through a GIS inquiry hosted in their Science classes, for example. More connections are being planned for the future, as GIS Design teacher Lauren Sinclair envisions “foundational GIS experience for every student” in coming years. These new GIS connections were made possible because of Sinclair’s GIS training in PSU’s Geography Department. Sinclair was a public school teacher and environmental educator before coming to PSU to study glacial geomorphology, GIS, and geography in general. After taking Cartographic Applications of GIS with David Banis, Sinclair was inspired to pitch the idea of a middle school curriculum that would teach GIS basics to kids using free software like AGO. It took years of convincing to persuade school administrators to support the idea, but Sinclair was finally cleared to add two GIS classes to a list of electives for the 2017-2018 school year, and they’ve been a hit. GIS Design is now cemented into the school’s schedule. “The success of these new classes is directly linked to our partnership with David and Hunter,” Sinclair reports. “I take exit surveys of my students, and they cite our GeoMentors as a huge motivating factor in their design process.” “I think it was useful because we were hearing from a professor that has been teaching about GIS and is very experienced with it,” said one 6th grader. “It also gave insight on how designers use the design process in real life.” Would YOU consider acting as a GeoMentor for local middle school students? Professionals and students alike are needed in schools across the Portland area. Only a handful of middle schools in the country are teaching GIS, mostly because teachers aren’t familiar with it. YOU can help bridge that experience gap. To learn more, email geomentors@aag.org or contact Lauren Sinclair at the French American International School to learn more about how GIS education is working in her classroom: lsinclair@faispdx.org A work in progress: “Pokemon Go” from scratch by 8th grade enthusiasts   Check out more case studies here! If you're interested in submitting your GeoMentor experience for a case study, we would appreciate you doing so through  this survey . The collected information will only be accessible to and used by AAG and Esri program staff and will not be further distributed or posted  unless you indicate your permission to do so. Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

GeoMentor Case Study: Patrick J. Phillips, GISP In conjunction with National Surveyors Week, Southeastern Surveying & Mapping Corp., Inc. (SSMC) participated in presenting Surveying & Mapping as a career to Lockhart Middle School on March 27th & Rock Lake Middle school on March 28th. James Mazurak and Patrick Phillips from the Orlando office of SSMC along with Lenora Spence, Outreach Coordinator from Florida Department of Agriculture visited the two schools. At Lockhart Middle school the presentations were made to about 50 students (30 6th graders, and 20 7th graders). At Rock Lake Middle school, three or four classes of mixed grades and ages met in the schools media center as one big group of about 60 students. James explained about Surveying & Mapping using videos, slides and personal experiences, while Patrick physically demonstrated his drone skills in the school yards. This was part of the ongoing community involvement & education that SSMC is involved with throughout the year with students ranging from Elementary School to College. Beyond the math, science and technology involved; James explained that what draws him to the surveying profession is the time spent in the field. Most geographers, regardless of specialty, are drawn to the outdoors and all that nature has to offer. Much of surveying & mapping is following in the footsteps of those who came before us. Consequently; many practitioners are also historians and conservationists. I have to admit, though, the technology is pretty cool and that is what drew me to the profession. I studied computer science in college but like many mappers, followed my family into the profession. So I am now applying my computer skills to surveying and mapping. The UAS portion of SSMC’s presentation primarily explained the technology behind the aerodynamic capabilities of the UAS; GPS, IMUs, accelerometers and counter rotating propellers. The students asked questions like “how high can it go?” And “can you make it flip?” Far fewer students were interested in the photogrammetry and math required to process the data. Check out more case studies here! ... View more

The August 2018 GeoMentors newsletter is out!  View the full issue here. ... View more

August 2018 GeoMentor Spotlight Amy Lilienfeld - Freelance adjunct geography instructor (university-level) What was your favorite class in K-12? Although I don’t remember a particular class that was my favorite I remember having a very strong interest in other countries and cultures from the time I was very young. In addition to having pen pals in Norway and England for many years I voraciously read a multi-volume series entitled “The Land and People of ________ (country name)” and was especially fascinated by different environments and resources around the world. How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? When I started my Ph.D. at the University of Kansas and got to take it with Dr. Terry Slocum. Although I liked it a lot when I took it at KU when I transferred to Indiana University-Bloomington where I finished my degree I developed a pretty strong dislike for it. This was because oftentimes things didn’t work the way you wanted them to and it was extremely difficult to figure out why but my teacher was a “tough love” type of guy… Through taking GIS at these two different institutions, however, it made me realize how very difficult it is to teach GIS well: it can either be very cookbook or you can be thrown in as described above and let “sink or swim”. Since I didn’t particularly like either approach whenever I have taught GIS I tried to make it somewhere in between! Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: In addition to its interdisciplinarity what I love the most about geography is the concept of the “cultural landscape”. This is probably because I was a landscape photographer for many years with emphasis on the cultural landscape (see photo below). It was, therefore, actually the writings of scholars like John Fraser Hart, John Hudson and Pierce Lewis that were extremely influential in drawing me to geography. I also really love choropleth maps because of the questions that they generate such as Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s “County Health Rankings”. Cornfield. From the “Iowa Series”, Johnson County, Iowa. 1984. Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I am very passionate in my love for geography and how extremely important it is to understand it. In my experience substitute teaching in the past few years in public schools in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area I have become very concerned that there are many missed opportunities to incorporate geography to a greater extent into teaching. This is particularly true in elementary schools where both social studies and science are marginalized because of the greater emphasis on math and reading. In addition to what I have already been doing in my capacity as a sub—and hope to scale up even more in the near future - I love the idea of getting into schools through the Geomentor program to explicitly improve geographic literacy. Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amylilienfeld/   Read about our latest featured GeoMentor here! If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information. ... View more

July 2018 GeoMentor Spotlight Jack Nessen - GIS Coordinator at Salem Sound Coastwatch What was your favorite class in K-12? Science! How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? Conducting Natural Resource Inventories in the Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire with Aubson Sargent Land Trust. Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: The fact that there are some many GIS applications across the fields of natural resource sciences and management and that everything you can map is REAL! Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? To promote GIS content throughout elementary, middle and high school science curriculum. If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? Going to answer with a GIS pun here: Because GIS "relates" us to and "joins" us with the world around us! Ouch that was corny.... Email: basemapsalem@gmail.com Instagram: basemap_geospatial   Read about our latest featured GeoMentor here! If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information.   Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

New Government Geoinquiries from Esri! Looking for a way to integrate geography into your civics, history, or government class? Esri has a new collection of GeoInquiries for Government available for beta testing. Explore topics including foreign aid, voting models, and the death penalty through online mapping exercises http://education.maps.arcgis.com/home/group.html?id=b62ef965e0ec4c86b4dbec53480f60c8#overview ... View more

GeoMentor Area & Meetup at the 2018 Esri User Conference GeoMentors, Teachers, and Geo-nerds, will you be at the upcoming Esri User Conference in San Diego? If so, come to our GeoMentoring Meetup! It will be on Tuesday, July 10th, 11:30 - 12:30 PM in SDCC Room 28D. We'll have a brief overview of the GeoMentoring program and resources available, show some examples of the great work of our GeoMentors, and then have time for attendees to mingle and network. We want to bring together GIS professionals and educators, current and prospective GeoMentors -- really we want to bring together everyone with an interest in supporting GIS in K-12 education! We hope to see you there! p.s. We will have some snacks and swag as well - so now will you come?   The AAG will also be in the exhibit hall (Booth #234) promoting the GeoMentors program. Come by to get your GeoMentors name badge ribbon, GeoMentors button, and/or just to say hi and talk with program staff! Have geo-friends who aren't yet GeoMentors? Encourage them to come by to learn more, ask questions, and maybe even register as a new GeoMentor right on the spot! ... View more

June 2018 GeoMentor Spotlight Kushendra N. Shah, GISP - GIS Programmer/Analyst at Noble Research Institute What was your favorite class in K-12? Growing up in mountainous country –Nepal, I was always interested to know how land and mountains were formed; what would it look in bird’s eye view; how far was I from the world’s tallest mountain. I was intrigued by the geographic and geologic phenomena. The Geoscience course was my favorite class during my high school years. How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? In 2008, I got opportunity to take introductory course of GIS during my undergraduate degree in Environmental Science at Kathmandu University, Nepal. During that time, I used ESRI GIS software to perform mapping and identifying potential places for developing community based tourism maps. Those maps helped many local people and tourists who came for visit to find better information of about the communities and villages. Since then I came to know that GIS is a great tool that allows us to make an informed decision in wide areas. Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography: GIS is gravitated by the principle of geography which is attributed to the things and places. I would like to recall Tobler’s first law of geography “everything related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things. In fact, GIS helps to understand the world in analytical way. Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I want to share my ideas and skills to the Future generations beyond what they learnt in schools. I have participated in extension and outreach activities through Noble Academy from last two years and it gave me immense pleasure to teach K-12 community about importance of GIS, maps and drone technology in Agriculture research. For instance, Kids were able to identify waterlogged spots or disease crops in the agricultural field from heatmaps. With GeoMentor opportunity, I believe I will get chance to learn student’s areas of interest and how they want to shape their career in future. In addition, I would like to encourage youths to pursue career in Geospatial Technology as it is evolving. What kind of GeoMentor volunteer opportunity and experience are you looking for? I have continued interest in sharing and mentoring K-12 and/or youths who are interested to learn GIS technology and applications to understand the world. Given the opportunity type, I am available to share my expertise remotely or in personal training through local organizations or school and universities. If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond in one sentence? GIS and geography helps to address real-world challenges and problems and make informed decisions. Email: knshah@noble.org Websites: https://www.noble.org/education/   Read about our latest featured GeoMentor here! If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information.   Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

  May2018 GeoMentor Spotlight Erin Silva - Project Manager at the Eastern Shore Regional GIS Cooperative What was your favorite class in K-12? English. I love to read!. How did you first learn about and/or use GIS? I was introduced to GIS through a roommate while attending the University of MD College Park. She was a geography graduate student and I was always really interested in the courses she was taking and the projects she was working on. Name one thing you love about GIS and/or geography (I know, just one!): I love that geography explores important questions about humans interaction with nature and the environment. Geography is universal and spans so many disciplines. Having a solid understanding and background in geography is important for everyone. Why did you want to volunteer as a GeoMentor? I wish I had been exposed to geography and all the possible geography related career paths at a younger age. As a GeoMentor, I hope to inspire other young people and show them how fun and interesting geography can be. What kind of GeoMentor volunteer opportunity and experience are you looking for? I am open to any experiences in the GeoMentor program. I would love meet with teachers to provide GIS training, help plan and/or lead geography related events or activities. If someone asked you why they should learn about GIS and/or geography, how would you respond to them in one sentence? I answer with another question - What is more interesting and important than learning about the world we live in?! Email address: elsilva@salisbury.edu Websites: www.esrgc.org Read about our latest featured GeoMentor here! If you are interested in being featured, visit here for more information.   Questions? Email geomentors@aag.org . ... View more

The April 2018 GeoMentors newsletter is out!  View the full issue online. ... View more