Abstract

ArcMap and GISTutorial 1: Teaching Social Activism in Middle School
Track: Learning and Research Lightning Talk
Authors: Glenn Ponas

What happens when 60 gifted middle school students are immersed in a graduate-level GIS course based on the GISTutorial 1 textbook? For the past eight years, 7th and 8th grade students at the Pittsburgh Gifted Center have challenged themselves to learn GIS in the context of social justice at the local, state, and national level. Specific topics include fundamentals of map making (chapters 1-3 of GISTutorial 1) and how to harness the power of geospatial information to inform public policy debate.