Field Notes

iGIS cohort 2 - Off and running

Twenty middle and high school teachers from Pennsylvania and West Virginia joined the iGIS Project, as its second cohort. They gathered at the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg MD on May 19 and 20 for the introductory workshop, traveling from nearby towns including Ridgeley WV and Bedford PA and as far north as Duke Center PA and as far south as Charmco WV. They bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to the project team, both in education and stream explorations.

Guided by our enthusiastic iGIS team leaders, they dove into the first three lessons of the multi-week iGIS curriculum. They used the new GIS skills and regional maps to examine elevation and stream flow patterns, map watersheds, determine if pollution spill will impact area cities, and predict health of streams in the Central Appalachians. All enjoyed their explorations and good food! They are off to work through the next couple of lessons on their own and will meet again July 10 to finish the curriculum, work on implementation plans, and prepare for upcoming student institutes.

PA participants' schools: Freedom Area HS, Galeton Area SD, Otto-Eldred HS, Yough Sr HS, Steelton-Highspire HS, East Pennsboro HS, Bloomsburg Area HS, and Bedford HS

WV participants' schools: Bridgeport HS, Spring Mills MS, Fairmont Sr HS, Weir HS, Frankfort MS, Woodrow Wilson HS, Warm Springs MS, Greenbrier West HS, and Musselman HS

iGIS at these conferences

2008 American Educational Research Association Conference
New York NY

2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 NSF ITEST Summit
Arlington VA

2007 North American Association of Environmental Education Conference
Virginia Beach VA

2007 Ecological Society of America Conference
San Jose CA

2006 NSTA Regional Convention
Baltimore MD

2006 American Educational Research Association Conference
San Francisco CA

2006 NSTA National Convention
Anaheim CA

2005, 2006, 2007 Pennsylvania Science Teachers Conference
Hershey PA

2005, 2006, 2007 West Virgina Science Teachers Association
(various) WV

GIS Day at AL

The Appalachian Laboratory observed GIS Day in November 2005. Participants learned how we use GIS in our research and K-12 education programs. They tried their hands at GIS analysis, exploring western Maryland maps, identifying local watersheds, and examining land use patterns in our region.

The first summer of the iGIS Project was a great success! After completing a spring workshop and online activities, 19 middle and high school teachers from West Virginia and western Maryland gathered for a weeklong workshop at the Appalachian Laboratory in Frostburg MD. They explored and adapted the iGIS curriculum and test-drove the My World GIS software, a computer program designed specifically for the classroom. Their comfort with the materials grew with their new knowledge and skills during 4-day student institutes at Westwood Middle School, Hedgesville High School, and Keyser High School. Guided by these iGIS teachers, forty-two West Virginia youth found locations using global positioning system units, collected invertebrates and sampled water chemistry in local streams, and analyzed digital maps using My World GIS. On the last day of the institutes, one student summed it up this way: "GIS is freakin awesome!" We couldn't have said it better.

These iGIS teachers are now using the iGIS curriculum in their classrooms, while the iGIS staff begins recruiting a second cohort of middle and high school teachers. Click here if you are interested in joining our team!