Abstract

Enabling K12 Geospatial Education with Virtualization
Track: Education
Authors: Joel Miller, Lance Hundt

The National GeoTech Center (http://geotechcenter.org/) and the Institute for Environmental and Spatial Analysis at Gainesville State College (http://www.gsc.edu/academics/iesa/Pages/default.aspx) are partnering with educators and school districts to expand geospatial education in the K-12 classroom. Through the use of virtual desktop technology students are given access to hands on training and experience with geospatial technology and ESRI's ArcMap. The technical barrier to getting GIS software more widely adopted into classrooms that lack sufficient technical support can now be overcome using remote desktop connectivity. This session will discuss GSC's implementation of virtual desktop technology that enables 24/7 remote access to advanced geospatial education for K-12 students and faculty. Creation and delivery of training content using the virtual environment will also be discussed. We will be sure to share our real-world classroom experiences and potential issues to lookout for along with a brief overview of how our efforts are impacting geospatial education in Georgia.