GIS
Live an Interactive Online Conference
GIS Live is a dynamic, interactive
experience that can be shared by everyone in the world. Developed and
carried forth by Rita Hagevik and Cris Crissman, NC Department of Public
Instruction, GIS Live represents a new approach. Through the power of
the Web, ways to use GIS to improve our everyday lives can be discovered.
In 2002, the first GIS Live, exemplary GIS projects were showcased via
the Web on health, flood plain mapping, critical incident response,
NC State University science research, remote sensing and wildlife habitat
modeling, crime analysis, urban planning, meteorology and snow command,
Urban Ecological Analyses, and GIS in Marine Science. Students from
various North Carolina schools demonstrated how to collect and analyze
data using GIS with live reports on their progress throughout the day.
Other schools worked along with the Middle/High School Team and e-mailed
their results for analysis and display. The day closed with an electronic
forum for educators led by teachers and students. All sessions are archived
on the GIS Live website with pre and post activities so that anyone
can attend over and over again. This demonstration model reached 3 foreign
countries and over 20 states in 2002! What will happen in 2003? Join
the website on November 19, 2003 and celebrate GIS Day. For more information
on GIS Live and how
you can participate visit the website.
Experiences of a
College Student
by Bennett
Hawley, Freshman at NCSU
I had never heard of GIS or any of its relation to jobs in the world
until I worked with my former high school Chemistry teacher
DeeDee Whitaker. She introduced me to the effectiveness and versatility
of the programs involved in GIS. Her direction inspired
me to explore what GIS was all about. DeeDee and I used a classroom
of marine science students to participate
in the MOSS (Mapping Our School Site) program. With the experience gained
from DeeDee, GIS, and MOSS, I went
on to gain a scholarship in the forestry department of NC State University
and will pursue a degree in ecosystem assessment.
I have met many people in my field of work that have helped to further
my knowledge in GIS and its use. I hope to
gain more knowledge in this field and hopefully leave my own footprint
on GIS.
Summary
Many educators who have attended
the GIS workshops from 1996 to 2002 have continued their projects in
their home settings.Multiple projects in schools and in non-formal settings
are evolving, in which GIS is used to investigate a problem common to
many communities. Rivers and streams in watersheds common to different
schools, for example, are monitored by students of those schools (Centennial
Middle School and Southwest Guilford County High School, 2003). In 2002,
20 states and 3 foreign countries participated in GISLive (2002), an
interactive online conference; the program will expand in the future
to involve many additional states and foreign countries. GISLive 2003
will be held on November 20 and is the statewide celebration of GIS
Day (2003).
A collaborative network of
professionals has supported educators in the workshops and in their
home settings, providing essential expertise and professional advice
to “make the projects work.' A collaborative network of individuals
from K-12 schools, corporations, state government, universities, and
professional non-profit organizations has developed over a period of
years. We are at the beginning of an explosion and expansion of the
use of environmental data to help solve the problems of humankind. It
is important that all students learn how to use technology in their
everyday lives and to be technologically prepared for the jobs of the
future (Alibrandi, 2000). These methodologies integrate science, mathematics,
and the newest technologies (GPS, remote sensing and wireless hand held
devices) and will aide in preparing educators and students for the challenges
of the coming decades.
Support
has been received from the Waste Division, US Environmental Protection
Agency; Office of Environmental Education, and Office of Water Quality,
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources; College of Education,
NCSU; College of Natural Resources, NCSU; Environmental Education Fund,
319 fund from NC DENR, NC Department of Public Instruction, and others.
About
the Authors
Dr. Harriett S. Stubbs
is a member of the Department of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Education and the principal investigator for the SCI-LINK and GLOBE-NET
projects at North Carolina State University. These projects bring together
science teachers and research scientists for teacher enhancement and
the development of curriculum related to environmental change. She has
presented at local, national, and international meetings on topics dealing
with air quality issues of acid rain, air pollution and air pollutants'
effects on forests, global climate change, curriculum development, and
science education. She has focused on the professional development of
educators and dissemination of current research in the environmental
sciences.
Email: h_stubbs@ncsu.edu
Jessica Ball is the Program Coordinator
for the Centennial Campus Center for Wildlife Education of North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission. She has her BS in Environmental Biology
and Ecology from Appalachian State University and has an MS in Biology
from Appalachian State University. Jessica’s research interests
include wildlife biology and environmental programming using new technologies
such as GIS to formal and informal educators.
Email: jessica.ball@ncwildlife.org
Kris Fowler
is the Assistant to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College
of Natural Resources at NC State University. Her work focuses upon enrollment
management for the College of Natural Resources. She has a BS degree
in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from NC State University
and has an MS in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management from NC State
in May, 2003. Kris's research interests involve using Geographic Information
Systems software as a primary tool to engage and motivate young people
in the study of natural resources.
Email: kris_fowler@ncsu.edu
Bennett Hawley is
a student at NC State University pursuing a degree in Ecosystem Assessment
in the College of Natural Resources. His main interest is to learn more
about the technical side to natural resources by using tools such as
GIS. His past exposure to GIS has included work with Rita Hagevik, Kris
Fowler, and Jessica Ball with projects involving SPACE and the Boys
and Girls Club which forcused mainly on education others the applications
of GIS. His first introduction to GIS was under his high school teacher,
DeeDee Whitaker, by working on a web paged, technology centered MOSS
project using his school grounds.
Email: bshawley@unity.ncsu.edu
Dr. Nain Singh
teaches biotechnology courses at Carrington Middle School in Durham,
NC. He was born in the Caribbean and has a BSc. degree in Horticultural
Science. His advanced degrees are in Botany and Plant Pathology. Dr.
Singh spent over eighteen years in teaching and research at the University
of the West Indies and the Caribbean Research Institute. During this
period, he published over 47 research papers. He ended his career at
the Caribbean Institute when its mission changed and returned to the
United States to begin a new teaching career. Dr. Singh believes that
teaching is a field in which the primary objective is caring and kindness.
Email: singhnd@dpsnc.net
DeeDee Whitaker
is a chemistry teacher at Southwest Guilford High school where she has
been teaching for 16 years. Her interests include environmental chemistry
and GIS mapping. She was recently recognized by North Carolina Science
Teachers Association and the Guilford County Business Advisory Board
for outstanding science teaching. She is a graduate of the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a BS and MAT in science teaching.
Email: whitakd@guilford.k12.nc.us
