Geographical Association

GA website

• Sarah Bednarz discusses spatial thinking and arguments for using GIS in schools
• 'Train the trainers' project to support GIS for teacher educators
• Diana Freeman's Think Piece about why and how to use GIS in school

RGS website

• Getting started with GIS website
• Advice on GIS in school including evaluations of which software to use, and GIS lesson plans from 'local learning' project

ESRI

• Videos introducing how and why GIS is used in the workplace, from GIS users here and here.
• ESRI's education program.
• Lesson materials and advice for use with ESRI compatible software
• The teaching resources that are currently available

ESRI have released a new free download called AEJEE (Arc Explorer Java Edition for Education). You can read more about it and download it on the ESRI.com website.

This is a great freebie and you can add data to it just like ArcView or link into web services. So for example, the data available in ESRI teaching resources can be opened up in it. Note the map documents will not open. There are query tools but obviously these are not as extensive as those available in ArcView.

There is another free viewer which is called ArcGIS Explorer and is a 3D viewer. It can be downloaded here. Different globes can be viewed within this software are available here or here.

Again you can add in data to this to create more meaningful information.

Moving on from the free viewers, ESRI software is available through the routes noted below (prices are approximate and not quotes):

• Student 1 year license - available to staff or students for education / research - £100
• Educational license - permanent license but upgrades not included - £250
• Digital Worlds 2 product (due to be released) - £500 from Sept
• Schools Site license - for 500 seats; maintenance to be purchased separately if required - £435

It is also possible to buy Mapping Our World which comes with a six months license for ArcGIS – find out more.


Joseph Kerski's materials and the US Geological Survey materials

• Article by Joseph Kerski, explaining why he believes GIS is so important for education
• Lessons online with data from the US Geological Survey
• A library of at least 150 lessons for use with ESRI software
• Edition of the eSchoolNews dedicated to spatial technologies (USA)

Joseph has authored or co-authored 13 lessons added summer 2007 covering a wide range of topics from hurricanes to migration.


Digital Worlds

• Product website
• Video of how one Kent school introduced Digital Worlds software to the curriculum

GA Members received a free pullout supplement in the Spring 2007 issue of GA Magazine entitled 'Get started with GIS... on the internet... for free'. Written by Spatially Speaking Project Leader David Mitchell, the supplement goes through the basics of GIS, suggests ten easy ways to get started with GIS for free, and offers some tips on taking it further. Download an extract below, or if you're a GA member login to the GA Magazine page to download the whole supplement.

On Tuesday 19 December 2006, the Yorkshire Post ran an article on Leeds Grammar School which has received support from ESRI(UK) and the GA's Spatially Speaking project to develop GIS usage within school. Our thanks to the Yorkshire Post for permission to reproduce this article. www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk

This template helps you to identify and evaluate how GIS is supporting pupils' learning.

Ryan Metters shows how a web-based GIS can be used as an earthquakes learning activity.

Steve Kitson shares how he found the best way to get pupils using Google Earth. (You might also be interested in Noel Jenkins' excellent guides for getting the most from Google Earth.

Nic Whitmore has planned a scheme of work for GIS in the Pilot GCSE. His approach looks at the big picture of GIS and its place in the information revolution, the world of work and the techniques applied through it.