Geospatial Tools & Social Studies Workshop

25 May 2016

Google Earth (overview page)

• What is it?
• Why might you use it?
• How to...
  • Create markup
  • Edit markup
  • Organize & save 
• Where to find other files?

GIS (geographic information systems)

• (Any prior experience?)
• How is this different from Google Earth?
  • Illustrative example: Start by looking at this Google Earth file: http://www.cwoodcock.com/Civil_War_by_Campaign.kmz
  • ...and now see this dataset again in a GIS: http://arcg.is/1CPHCyY
• Simple example of GIS in action
  • Again, I have an illustrative example I like to use, starting from two web pages I happened across one day: http://www.yadvashem.org/IMAGE_TYPE/8381.jpg and http://www.yadvashem.org/IMAGE_TYPE/8380.jpg
  • ...I then organized this data into one, unified spreadsheet: Jewish demographics circa Holocaust -sheet 2.csv
  • ...and then merged this data into a GIS: Jewish populations circa Holocaust ver01a.m3vz
• Slightly more complex example, with more purposeful origin story
  • Driving question I pose to students: "Would slavery have ended on its own?"
  • Historical Census Browser from the University of Virginia
  • And now several layers merged into a GIS: Af-Am_pop_1790-1870_ver02.m3vz
• And a super-complex example: Great Migration
• Stop and consider: Why might you want to use this software? 
  • Connection to existing curricular content?
  • Teaching strategy with this content: Same or different?
  • But how can you get your hands on this software? On this data?
• ArcGIS.com
  • Get to know your provider: Esri, and specifically see their support for the ConnectED Initiative
  • Going hands-on
    • Log into your account
    • Make a new map
      • Select base layer
      • Add data by browsing what they already have
      • Add data by uploading a file or linking to a web-based file
  • Questions? Desired follow-ups?

(More geospatial tools: GPS units, augmented reality...I even sneak in some uses of interactive whiteboards) 

Follow-ups

• Watch this space? https://confluence3.cc.lehigh.edu/display/~tch207/Geospatial+Social+Studies
• Email
• Take Lehigh class: summer session, can also run winter session
• Go to an Esri summer institute (http://edcommunity.esri.com/educational-roles/t3g-educators)
• Arrange workshop?
• Grant money from Esri: Can pay up to $250 for completing training