Mentoring gets good press, and for good reason: It works. Geomentors work with teachers or students, depending on the situation. They conduct quick presentations on up to full-day and even multi-day trainings, or provide custom 1:1 support. And it really helps.
Recently, I was at the annual conference for Minnesota’s professional GIS meeting, where a workshop was scheduled at the front end, mid-week. A two-track educator day (“intro” and “beyond intro”, led by both teachers and mentors) drew 50 educators from up to a 4-hour drive away; about 300 GIS professionals went through their own tracks. At lunch, the educators sat in a clump sharing experiences. Addressing the full group, I asked the educators to stand, then asked the GIS pros how many would be willing to help a school in their area. More than 50 hands shot up. At the end-of-day mixer, new relationships formed, and the entire day cemented a mission for the professional community.
Later in the week, I listened to educators who had led summer GIS workshops. One had brought in GIS pros as part of the event, taking time then to formalize relationships, which yielded extra support for the educators afterward. This matches what I’ve heard elsewhere: mentors and educators alike have benefitted from the experience.
Online GIS is becoming commonplace, and demographic and economic patterns mean huge opportunity for students with GIS knowledge and skills. Educators grappling with the bucking broncos of educational mandates, technological shifts, fiscal constraints, and societal expectations need a hand. Any US K12 school can have free access to powerful software and instructional materials for GIS, via Esri’s commitment to President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative. Expanded resources help educators begin. But geomentors make a difference between teachers who “would like to do some GIS someday” and those who “are helping kids and community already, which will pay off for years to come.”
Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri Education Manager
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Recently, I was at the annual conference for Minnesota’s professional GIS meeting, where a workshop was scheduled at the front end, mid-week. A two-track educator day (“intro” and “beyond intro”, led by both teachers and mentors) drew 50 educators from up to a 4-hour drive away; about 300 GIS professionals went through their own tracks. At lunch, the educators sat in a clump sharing experiences. Addressing the full group, I asked the educators to stand, then asked the GIS pros how many would be willing to help a school in their area. More than 50 hands shot up. At the end-of-day mixer, new relationships formed, and the entire day cemented a mission for the professional community.
Later in the week, I listened to educators who had led summer GIS workshops. One had brought in GIS pros as part of the event, taking time then to formalize relationships, which yielded extra support for the educators afterward. This matches what I’ve heard elsewhere: mentors and educators alike have benefitted from the experience.
Online GIS is becoming commonplace, and demographic and economic patterns mean huge opportunity for students with GIS knowledge and skills. Educators grappling with the bucking broncos of educational mandates, technological shifts, fiscal constraints, and societal expectations need a hand. Any US K12 school can have free access to powerful software and instructional materials for GIS, via Esri’s commitment to President Obama’s ConnectED Initiative. Expanded resources help educators begin. But geomentors make a difference between teachers who “would like to do some GIS someday” and those who “are helping kids and community already, which will pay off for years to come.”
Charlie Fitzpatrick, Esri Education Manager
أكثر...