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The
Educational Sector
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Every summer since 2001, the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) and Cayuga Community College have hosted the Teaching with Spatial Technology (TwiST) workshop to train educators how to use Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT). This workshop was formerly known as the Conference on Remote Sensing Education (CORSE). In 2008, the name “TwiST” replaced “CORSE” to more accurately reflect the workshop’s mission, which covers a broad range of technologies beyond simply remote sensing. Co-sponsors have included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Mid-Hudson Service Learning Institute, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, New York State Education Department, and Lower Esophus River Watch.
TwiST is designed to promote the use of Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT) in the classrooms of K-12 teachers, as well as two-year and four-year college educators. With an attendance of 50-100 participants each year traveling from 23 states and two foreign countries, in addition to New York State, TwiST provides hands-on experience in several aspects of GIT, including the global positioning system (GPS), and learning ArcGIS software. TwiST emphasizes service learning, and guides participants through ways in which they can apply these new technologies to locally-based issues that can be explored through computer-based mapping. During the workshop, participants spend time designing lesson plans and service learning projects on topics of their choice so they can jump right into their projects when they return home. The daily agenda of TwiST is intensive, involving hours of hands-on training, but instructors also include fun and creative ways to use these technologies. In addition to the focused instruction, time is also devoted to shorter seminars by an array of speakers.
More info on TwiST can be found at www.iagt.org/twist.
GIS Summer Camp
For a week during the summer, the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies (IAGT) and Cayuga Community College will host a GIS Summer Camp devoted to 6-9th grade students. This camp, held concurrently with the Teaching with Spatial Technology (TwiST) workshop for teachers, will provide students with hands-on experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), the global positioning system (GPS), and remote sensing (aerial and satellite imagery). Camp participants will apply technology to real-world issues while working with a professional staff. Students will explore the outdoors, collecting data with GPS units and return the college’s computer lab to map their data and look at environmental factors with GIS software that may have an impact on the field site.
More info on GIS Summer Camp can be found at www.iagt.org/twist/students.
GIS Associate's Degree Program at Cayuga Community College
In fall 2000, with IAGT's support, Cayuga Community College launched an associate's degree program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With continued support from IAGT, and with the conscientious commitment of Dr. Abu Badruddin who, along with Dr. Lee Herrington of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, developed the program's curriculum, Cayuga's GIS program continues to grow. The program offers students hands-on training in GIS, the Global Positioning System (GPS), and in Remote Sensing (RS). Upon successful completion, students are qualified to pursue careers at companies using these technologies, or can opt to transfer directly to four year colleges. For more information about Cayuga Community College's GIS program, visit www.cayuga-cc.edu.
Student Internships – Opportunities for Students to Experience Jobs in Geospatial Information Technology
An internship in IAGT’s Work Cooperative Program is a part-time paid position available to qualified students who seek to supplement their educational programs with practical work experience. Interns work side-by-side with experts who use geospatial technologies to help solve real world problems. IAGT's internships relate directly to specific projects on which IAGT professional staff members are working, such as the Finger Lakes Decision Support System project involving groundwater investigation, viewshed analysis, and digitization of land use and land cover data. Some internships are off-site. For example, recent "EarthScope" internships have been conducted in Boulder, Colorado and Washington, D.C. Another intern worked in the Cayuga County Real Property Services Office in Auburn, New York. To be considered for an internship, students must have a basic understanding of computer applications and have an interest in geographic information technologies. During spring and fall semesters, preference is given to students enrolled in the GIS program at Cayuga Community College. During the summer months, in addition to Cayuga student candidates, internships may be awarded to high school through post-graduate level students seeking to gain practical experience in applying geographic information technologies.
Conference on Remote Sensing Education
Since 2001, during the last week of June, IAGT and Cayuga Community College have been hosts to the national Conference on Remote Sensing Education, or CORSE. Co-sponsors have included the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Mid-Hudson Service Learning Institute, and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
CORSE is designed to promote the use of Geospatial Information Technologies (GIT) in the classrooms of K-12 teachers, as well as two-year-college educators. With an attendance of 60-80 participants each year, CORSE provides hands-on experience in several aspects of GIT, including the global positioning system (GPS), and learning ArcView GIS software. CORSE emphasizes service learning, and guides participants through ways in which they can apply these new technologies to locally-based issues that can be explored through computer-based mapping. During the conference, participants spend time designing lesson plans and service learning projects on topics of their choice so they can jump right into their projects when they return home. The daily agenda of CORSE is intensive, involving hours of hands-on training, but instructors also include fun and creative ways to use these technologies. In addition to the focused instruction time, one afternoon is also devoted to shorter seminars by a diverse array of speakers.
Although originally CORSE was intended for educators, the demographics of conference participants have broadened over the past years, much to the benefit of the program. High school students, local decision makers, and public officials, participating as teams, together with local teachers, have been encouraged to attend. Scholarship incentives are available to teams from New York State through IAGT'’s collaborative relationship with the Mid-Hudson Service Learning Institute. For those participants who choose to receive a credit hour for their participation in CORSE, arrangements are in place for them to do so through Cayuga Community College (undergraduate) and through the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse (graduate).
More info on CORSE can be found at www.iagt.org/corse.
GIS Day
Each year in mid-November, IAGT and Cayuga Community College are hosts to an annual open house in celebration of GIS Day. GIS day is a part of the National Geographic Society’s "Geography Awareness Week" (see www.gisday.com). Students, teachers, and members of the local community have opportunities to view map and poster displays, explore their neighborhoods using geographic information technologies, and hear presentations given by experts in the field. These events are taped and broadcast over a local public access cable television station.
Summer Career Camps and BOCES Mini-Courses
Not long after the Conference on Remote Sensing each summer, IAGT educators shift gears to promote GIT to a younger audience of approximately a dozen 11-14 year-olds who take part in a four-day-long "GIS Career Connections Camp." The Camp is sponsored by the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, and draws youth from the two-county area. During the week, "campers" learn about new technologies involving remote sensing, satellite imagery, hand-held global positioning systems, and GIS mapping. The six-hour per day schedule is full of fun activities that help the youth learn by doing, as they create maps of their home towns, and explore the area surrounding Cayuga Community College using geospatial information technologies. Because technology is increasingly more integrated to student learning in public schools, the Career Connections Camp is an excellent opportunity to show youth new directions they can explore.IAGT also traditionally hosts educational programs for students in BOCES gifted and talented program during winter breaks.
K-12 Lesson Plans:
IAGT contracted with two local teachers to write lesson plans that fit Geographic Information Technologies into the curriculum while adhering to NYS Education Standards. The lesson plans cover subject areas such as general science, social studies and technology. There are also lesson plans for several grade levels ranging from late elementary through senior year in high school. All the lesson plans follow the same format. Each lesson has teacher pages, student pages, an ArcView 3.x project file, and all the data required to complete the lesson. IAGT is currently going through the lessons for quality assurance and working out the details on how to distribute these lesson plans to interested teachers. Other GIT lesson plans, including samples of lessons developed during Conferences on Remote Sensing can be found here. |