New York State Office of Cyber Security
Geographic Information Systems Clearinghouse
GIS Partnership Summary
Geospatial Information Technology (GIT) Education
Partnership Purpose and Goal:
The GIT Ahead project focuses on workforce preparation in Geospatial
Information Technology (GIT) fields through teacher professional development,
educational software development, and provision of internships, job
shadowing, and career preparation experiences for high school students
in urban and rural schools. Our country's workforce lacks the
expertise needed to take advantage of new technologies that enable
businesses, government agencies and private individuals to make informed,
data-driven decisions about regional issues. GIT represents a broad
category of tools that are becoming increasingly available to help
with regional problem-solving, but there is a shortage of technicians
trained to apply these tools.
The goals of the GIT Ahead Project are to:
- Provide teachers with ongoing professional development focused on science teaching and learning and Geospatial Information Technology (GIT)
- Engage teachers in interdisciplinary teams to develop project-based lessons and units that focus on significant environmental issues in the Finger Lakes region
- Create the Internet-based Finger Lakes GIS Explorer software based on existing professionally-used technologies at the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT)
- Engage high school science students in Finger Lakes watershed-focused inquiry projects using the Finger Lakes GIS Explorer software and desktop-based GIS
- Provide high school students with visions of career possibilities through participation in GIT lessons and units, summer internships, and job shadowing opportunities
- Provide pathways for rural and urban high school students to enter the GIS Associate’s Degree program at Cayuga Community College and/or see geospatial technology as a viable career option
- Develop collaborative relationships among organizations, institutions, and businesses in the Finger Lakes Region who have a vested interest in the regional GIT workforce and its capacity
The ultimate goals of the GIT Ahead project are a) to help rural and urban high school students envision careers using geospatial technologies, and b) to create higher education pathways for students who might not otherwise pursue such goals, especially those in lower track science courses. These goals will be accomplished through teacher professional development and a series of student learning opportunities focusing on GIT as outlined above.
Participants and Resource Contributions:
Finger Lakes Institute - FLI is a regional center dedicated to the promotion of environmental research and education about the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. James G. MaKinster will facilitate the overall management of GIT Ahead, provide oversight at the Finger Lakes Institute, and focus on teacher professional development. The GIT Ahead Project Manager Karen Edelstein serves as the central contact person for this project in addition to facilitating the summer institute, school-year workshops, and ongoing professional development needs of participating teachers. The GIS Specialist at the Finger Lakes Institute and will provide ongoing support for this project. Marion Balyszak will provide regional content, and logistical expertise and oversee relevant activities that occur within the Finger Lakes Institute. Geoscientist John D. Halfman will provide scientific expertise and will direct the field-based, inquiry-driven portion of the summer institute. New York State Data Sharing Cooperative Member
Cayuga Community College - Dr. Abu Badruddin at CCC teaches portions of the GIT Ahead summer institute, coordinate CCC's summer GIS program to incorporate area teachers and students, and facilitate the progression of interested high school students from area schools to CCC and subsequently into higher institutions that have articulation agreements with CCC’s GIS program.
Cornell University - Nancy Trautmann collaborates on the project design and management, directs the curriculum development aspects of the project, and is responsible for leading internal evaluation and facilitating collaboration with the external evaluator. As Director of Cornell University's Environmental Inquiry (EI) and Cornell Science Inquiry Partnerships (CSIP) programs, Ms. Trautmann has over 15 years experience conducting and evaluating science outreach programs for high school teachers.
Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology at Cayuga Community College - Dana Piwinski at IAGT will oversee the development of the Finger Lakes Explorer and IAGT's summer internship program, and he will work with other lead personnel to identify and address opportunities and challenges as they arise. IAGT also employs: a Curriculum Extension Specialist who provides professional development support and serves as a project liaison to the GIT Ahead staff, a Technical Assistant who supervises the high school student summer internships, and two Software Development Specialists who are doing the computer programming necessary for the Finger Lakes GIS Explorer. New York State Data Sharing Cooperative Member.
New York State GIS Association - The New York State Geographical Information Systems Association has agreed to identify potential internship and job shadowing sites in specific towns, cities, and other areas when needed. Students and teachers will have specific mechanisms they can use to request job shadowing or internship placements through the GIT Ahead website and project manager. We are also working to partner with other regional associations with similar capacities and interests. New York State Data Sharing Cooperative Member.
Date Partnership Began: June 2006
Completed: No
Deliverables:
This project will establish relationships among a network of partners
poised to provide training and opportunities to teachers and students
throughout the Finger Lakes Region. The Educational Division of the
Finger Lakes Institute will build on these relationships and sustain
them by offering similar professional development opportunities after
the life of the proposed project. The FLI will be able to provide one
or two day and in-school workshops for teachers interested in GIT within
its current operating budget and will seek to expand these opportunities
with additional permanent staff in the future.
Materials produced by this project will include a series of stand-alone tutorials for use of GIS in the classroom, the curriculum modules designed by participating teachers and project staff, case studies highlighting the results of student projects, and the Finger Lakes GIS Explorer software. These materials will be made available through the project website and on CD. The resources developed through this project will be entered into DLESE and NSDL databases, making them broadly available to the STEM education and GIS communities. Curricular materials also will be disseminated via professional meetings of NSTA, NYS GIS, ESRI, GSA, and similar organizations, and through various publications.
The Finger Lakes GIS Explorer will be made available to teachers throughout the region at low cost. The best way to encourage large numbers of teachers to adopt and use technological tools is to make these tools inexpensive, easy to access, simple to use, and curricularly supported.
Brief Summary of Partnership:
The GIT Ahead project has established collaborative relationships among
these organizations, institutions, and businesses in the Finger Lakes
Region with vested interests in the regional GIT workforce and capacity.
These relationships will be sustained and built upon throughout and
beyond the three year length of this project because of the vital role
they will play in helping the collaborating organizations to fulfill
their workforce development goals. The mission of the Finger Lakes
Institute entails collaborating with colleges, universities, governmental
bodies, and community groups throughout the region to promote interdisciplinary
research and education about the Finger Lakes and surrounding watersheds.
Thus FLI is well poised to foster and continue building GIT Ahead collaborations
during and beyond the life of the proposed project.
Additional Information Available On-line:
http://fli.hws.edu/gitahead
Primary Contact Information:
Name: Jim MaKinster - Assistant Professor of Education
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
300 Pulteney St., Geneva, NY 14456
Phone: 315-781-3141
Fax: 315-781-4401
E-mail: makinster@hws.edu
Secondary Contact Information:
Nancy Trautmann
Senior Extension Associate
Cornell University
100 Rice Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607-255-9257
E-mail: nmt2@cornell.eduKaren Edelstein - Project Manager
Finger Lakes Institute
601 S. Main St., Geneva, NY 14456
Phone: 315-781-4385
E-mail: edelstein@hws.edu