Fixing Geography in Education

An Ignite Spatial talk from FOSS4G-NA on fixing how we teach geo technology in college and higher ed.

Transcript

1. fixing geography in education from a practicing geographer & cartographer FOSS4G-NA 2012
2. hi. @colemanm Bachelor of Science Geography
3. What did I learn? so... I spent 4 years in a geography program.
4. “GIS”
6. Mapping tech is more than just ArcGIS.
7. Don't need: More ArcMap and desktop GIS users. Need: People that also know software, databases, design.
8. ArcGIS is fine. But a student’s toolbox shouldn’t end there.
9. Geographers Developers ??? DBAs Designers
10. What’s needed in the workforce is a much wider range of skill sets.
11. STUFF PEOPLE SHOULD USE / LEARN / KNOW ABOUT
12. open source things exist
13. Inspires making new things. Expose students to open source. http://flic.kr/p/okaQ
14. The web is now the destination for your work. Static files and PDFs are history.
15. Web maps
16. OpenStreetMap An enormous open dataset. Should be a go-to resource for educational institutions.
17. “Had I known about OpenStreetMap in high school or college, it would’ve absorbed all my time.” –me
18. School teaches us lots about geographic science and theory. But not enough about mapping technology. http://flic.kr/p/5fKy45
19. Branch out!
20. Thanks! @colemanm FOSS4G-NA 2012 @spatialnetworks Coleman McCormick