Schools urged to teach 'spatial literacy'
Wed, Apr 12, 2006 Primary Topic Channel: Curriculum
The National Research Council, which advises the federal government on critical issues in science and technology, has issued a report calling on schools to incorporate "spatial literacy" into their curricula. Spatialthinking is an increasingly important skill for living and working in the 21st century, the council said, and geographic information system (GIS) technology can help schools teach this skill to their students. [ Read More ]

Geography studies flying high in Montana schools
Thu, Nov 01, 2001 Primary Topic Channel: School Administration ,Curriculum,Legislation,Litigation,Research
Students in Montana soon will have free access to the same space-based tools professional foresters, engineers, and mapmakers use to explore and study the world, thanks to a geography initiative called GIS-4-Montana. [ Read More ]

Students create 'biomaps' using sophisticated GIS software
Tue, Feb 01, 2000 Primary Topic Channel: School Administration ,Curriculum,Funding
Students at Hopkinton High School in New Hampshire are taking a hands-on approach to learning about their local flora and fauna, with the help of very sophisticated mapping software. Hpkinton geography and science students have been using high-tech geographic information system (GIS) software called ArcView to create complex, multi-dimensional maps of the environment in and around their hometown. [ Read More ]

Students use computers to design real-world service projects
Wed, Jun 01, 2005 Primary Topic Channel: Curriculum
The term "spatial technology" refers to the function of any number of different hardware and software tools that help students engage with the physical world. In a spatial technology lab, students use technologies that teach them computer-aided design, engineering design, visualization, database design, web page design, programming, office automation, global positioning systems, and geographic information systems. [ Read More ]

Teachers take summer-school lessons in geography at NASA
Fri, Aug 10, 2001 Primary Topic Channel: School Administration ,Curriculum,Funding
One hundred twenty geography, science, and social studies teachers from around the nation spent a week in June attending the "Mission Geography" workshop in Texas. [ Read More ]

NASA school could put 'geospatial technology' on the map
Tue, Aug 01, 2000 Primary Topic Channel: Curriculum
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) hopes to give a boost to an emerging technical specialty by launching a model high-tech school in rural Georgia. [ Read More ]

Technology: Charlotte-Mecklenburg uses technology to match schools with donors
Thu, Jun 01, 2000 Primary Topic Channel: Funding
Matching potential business partners with schools that need their help has always been a challenge for large school systems. Businesses want to contribute and schools need assistance, but plugging the right resource into the need often is difficult. It's a challenge Deborah Antshel faced when she became partnerships director for North Carolina's Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) in 1997. With the help of geographic information systems (GIS) and database software, however, the district has hit upon a unique solution. [ Read More ]

Chart the past--and present--of geographic exploration with this site commemorating Lewis and Clark
Wed, Nov 19, 2003 -- Commemorating 200 years since Meriwether Lewis and William Clark embarked on their pioneering expedition throughout North America, ESRI, a maker of geographic information systems (GIS) software, has developed a new web site called "Lewis and Clark 200." The site provides an introduction to modern techniques of exploration, as well as a detailed history of mapmaking--from the tools first used by the famous pair's Corps of Discovery to more recent cartographic methods such as GIS, a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing places and events. [ Read More ]

National Geographic hosts fun-filled explorations
Wed, Mar 01, 2000 Primary Topic Channel: Curriculum
The National Geographic site is an incredibly extensive and well-thought out site for kids and educators alike. [ Read More ]

Chart a course for learning with this historical map collection
Mon, May 13, 2002 Primary Topic Channel:
A new web site now gives teachers the ability to instill a love of maps—and the history they represent—in their students, while teaching them valuable geography and cartography skills. [ Read More ]

Royalty-free video: Geography
Tue, Nov 30, 2004 Primary Topic Channel: Curriculum
Discovery Education is offering its united streaming video-on-demand service subscribers access to more than 1,000 video clips that have been copyright-cleared by their producers for editing or reproduction by teachers and students in class projects. [ Read More ]