Towson University’s Outreach Blog

Jeremy

Last month my blog focused on Towson University’s CGIS plans for November’s Geography Awareness Week. On November 18^th, several CGIS employees and Dr. Todd Kenreich, Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Secondary Education at Towson University, hosted a GIS Day event on Towson University’s campus for a seventh grade class from The Crossroads School in Baltimore City.  On November 19^th, several CGIS employees participated in an information session focused on informing Towson University faculty and staff members how GIS can be applied in their own work or research.

Recently I caught up with Kierran Sutherland, a GIS Specialist at CGIS and the primary coordinator of CGIS’ GIS Day activities, to discuss how the events went.

View more pictures from GIS Day!

What was the general “lesson plan” for CGIS’ GIS Day event with The Crossroads School class?

Our goal was to teach the students what GIS means and how it can be applied to work they are doing.  We did this by demonstrating to them how to create an online map, and then they got the chance to actually get some hands on experience doing it themselves.

Did you get any feedback from the students regarding the event?

There was a definite level of excitement in the students, more so than I would generally expect from seventh graders.  They seemed to really enjoy being able to come to a college campus and participate in our GIS Day mapping activity.  The most rewarding thing for the students was the final product, an online map that they will be able to update in the future as well as show off to their peers back at school.

How did this CGIS GIS Day event compare with past CGIS GIS Day events?

I think this was our most successful event.  Partly because we were able to tie our work in with what the students were doing in class.  A lot of the credit has to go to Jake Fishbein, the teacher we were working with from The Crossroads School.  Having studied here at Towson University, and earning a minor in geography, not only did he understand GIS, but also helped CGIS plan an engaging activity that would make sense to the students.

As the coordinator of the event, what did you enjoy most about your experience?

I always enjoy myself at GIS Day, but I think what stood out this year was getting a partial understanding of how the students viewed their community.  Some of the students had a few extra minutes and were pointing out what they recognized around the city, especially around their school.  It was interesting to see what they found important compared to the places I would first think to look for.

How did the information session go on November 19^th?

The information session went quite well.  We had about 10 members of the Towson community stop by to learn a little about GIS and what CGIS is working on.  I was most impressed by the wide range of interests we had, from our new neighbors RESI just wanting to see what we do to a professor from the Astronomy department who was interested in how GIS can be used in outer space.

To view all pictures from the event, click here.

Jeremy

Last Thursday, the first hour of WYPR’s Midday with Dan Rodricks program explored the question–How Do Innovations in Technology Affect Education?.  If you listened to the program, you heard Dr. Todd Kenreich, Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Secondary Education at Towson University, speak about the use of technology in Maryland classrooms.  Dr. Kenreich stressed the importance of geographic education in developing students that have a grasp on contemporary issues facing our increasingly interconnected world.  During the interview, Dr. Kenreich argued that GIS can be an effective educational tool that can be used to develop a deeper understanding in geography.

Towson University’s CGIS is working with Dr. Kenreich to incorporate GIS into a seventh grade class exercise at The Crossroads School, a public charter school in Baltimore City, for GIS Day in November.  Kierran Sutherland, a GIS Specialist at CGIS, has been responsible for coordinating CGIS’ involvement in this exercise.  I sat down with Kierran to ask him a few questions regarding GIS Day and CGIS’ involvement with the Crossroads school.

CGIS’ involvement with The Crossroads School stems from CGIS’ interest in doing something for GIS Day this year.  What is GIS Day?

GIS Day is a worldwide day of education about GIS.  Thousands of people and organizations around the world participate in a variety of ways such as: open houses, workshops and school projects.  GIS Day occurs this year on Wednesday, November 18th during National Geography Awareness week.

How did CGIS get involved with The Crossroads School for GIS Day?

Dr. Kenreich has worked with us during past CGIS GIS Day outreach efforts, including GIS Day events at Ellicott Mills Middle School in 2007 and Dulaney Valley High School in 2008.  So when we were looking for GIS Day event ideas this year, we approached him for input.  Dr. Kenreich suggested The Crossroads School in Baltimore City, and since one of his former students now teaches at the school it was an easy partnership for us to form.  Everyone involved is excited about partnering with The Crossroads School.

What does CGIS plan to do for GIS Day at The Crossroads School?

One of the great things about working with The Crossroads School is that the teacher we are working with, Jake Fishbein, already had an idea of how to incorporate GIS into what the students are learning.  The students we will be working with are working on an interdisciplinary project that focuses on what they see as important about Baltimore.  They are putting together a tourist guide which will include locations around Baltimore that are important to Baltimore residents, rather than just places that are set up as tourist destinations.  Our part of the project will be working with the students to collect data about a number of monuments around Baltimore, and then creating a map using Google Earth which the students will then be able to add to in the future.

Is CGIS planning any other activities for GIS Day this year?

Along with our project with The Crossroads School, CGIS is also running an information session to reach out to Towson University faculty and staff so they can learn what GIS is and how it can be applied to their own work or research.  This will give them a chance to learn a little bit about what CGIS does and also learn how GIS can be used as a tool to answer various questions.  This event is being held here at CGIS on Thursday November 19^th.

Check out Towson University’s Outreach blog in a few weeks to read Sharyn Kuczka’s blog recounting CGIS’ GIS Day events.