Iowa K-12 GIS Educator Resources

Are you ready to begin using Geographic Information Systems in your classroom? Or do you want to take GIS to the next level or find some new resources?

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a tool for making maps and organizing, managing, and analyzing the spatial data in those maps. Most of us are more reliant on geospatial technology than we realize for daily tasks such as wayfinding, weather radar, COVID-19 updates, and package tracking. GIS is a powerful way to visualize complex data beyond spreadsheets and tables. It allows users to analyze and problem solve in new and innovative ways.

GIS in K-12 Education - A Story Map By Debbie Stevens, Career Service Coordinator, William Penn University (Click on the gray box to read the story.)

• ArcGIS Online is an online map. You can use it to explore data, create and share maps. Test it out with five short exercises in ArcGIS Online (No login required, just click on the gray box to begin.)

• GeoInquiries are activities for teaching map-based content aligning with the common core. Each activity is designed using a common inquiry model and can be presented quickly from a single computer and projector or modified for students’ hands-on engagement.

• Story Maps allow users to create a multi-media map experience to tell stories and convey messages. Below is an example of a StoryMap produced by students who won the 2021 Iowa Map Contest ( https://sites.google.com/site/iowamapcontest/) , a statewide contest for 4th through 12th graders across Iowa.

Geographical Features of Iowa was created by 7th graders, Bo Bechler and Lavanya Prem of Waukee Middle School in Waukee, Iowa (click the white box in the right hand corner to expand)

• Simple 15-Minute GeoInquiries are available on the Esri website. These include content for elementary and secondary students in American Literature, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Government, Human Geography, Mathematics, Upper Elementary, US History, World Geography, and World History. The lessons in these collections can be tailored for more advanced learners at the college level. See Additional Resources at the end of this Story Map.
• Share maps with your students. Check out the Map Galleries on the Esri website for maps like those in the slide shows above, or explore the Story Map Gallery for more extensive maps which can include images, text, videos, and more, like this Story Map. They are easily shared with students of all ages and can support many topics in the classroom. See Additional Resources for a link to the Map Gallery.
• Some favorite mapping sites might be of interest or spark ideas for adding geospatial thinking to your curriculum. See Additional Resources for some links to unusual and fun mapping resources.

Here are a series of videos of teachers telling how they are using GIS in their classrooms.

Esri offers a free K-12 Schools software program:  https://www.esri.com/en-us/industries/education/schools/schools-mapping-software-bundle 

The ArcGIS for Schools Bundle is available at no cost for instructional use to individual US K–12 schools, school districts, and states direct from Esri. Beyond the United States, the bundle is available to schools worldwide through Esri's network of international distributors. Every public, private, home school, and youth-serving club is eligible.

 Esri Getting Started with GIS for Educators Guide  - a series of links, videos, and tutorials to encourage further GIS professional development related to education.

 ArcGIS Online SkillBuilder Activities for Education  - Skills, activities, resources, and challenges to help teachers and students build capacity in GIS to explore the world, understand the community, and solve problems by using ArcGIS Online.

 Teach with GIS  - Designed for educators with little-to-no GIS experience who want to add interactive tools to enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum.

 Teachers Teaching Teachers GIS (T3G) Hub Site  - A community of educators committed to helping other educators use GIS.

•  AmericaView Website  - empowering earth observation education through remote sensing science, applied research, workforce development, technology transfer, and community outreach.
•  GeoInquiries Hub Page  - activities for teaching map-based content found in commonly used textbooks. Each activity is designed using a common inquiry model and can be presented quickly from a single computer and projector or modified for students’ hands-on engagement.
•  The GeoInquiries Classroom Atlas V.1  - a searchable story map of GeoInquiries by Subject
•  IowaView Website  - An Iowa-based program dedicated to research, education, and outreach in the areas of GIS and remote sensing.
•  Iowa Geographic Map Server  - A free online map collection includes statewide aerial imagery from 1930s to present, LiDAR maps, elevation, land use, and historical maps.
•  Map Gallery  - A searchable collection of more than 4,000 maps; search by Industry/Theme, Type of Map, Most Popular Maps.
•  Mappy Hour Videos  - a set of 20 informal one-hour instructional videos about ArcGIS Online for parents and teachers, with chunks that scaffold concepts and skills for using ArcGIS Online in K12 instruction. The videos take users from an initial experience with GIS to integrating tools for an involved project.
•  NASA Earth Observatory  - a NASA website that helps make satellite imagery relevant to the general public and it is a great place to find images for presentations or use in the classroom.
•  Story Map Gallery  - Scroll down and browse the story albums by topic.