Check this page regularly for the latest news and announcements of interest to the
Esri Canada K-12 education community.

To receive updates in a more timely fashion,
subscribe the K-12 Teacher Listserv and follow the @GIS4Teachers Twitter feed.


2020-09-25:

Esri Canada Blog: September’s GIS Ambassador: Anne Mansfield

Meet Anne Mansfield, September’s GIS Ambassador of the month! Anne is a passionate geographer from Kingston, Ontario. In her roles as a high school teacher, a lecturer at the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, and as a member of the Canadian Geographic Education Executive, she has been engaged in keeping the subject of geography relevant in Ontario and across Canada throughout her professional career. Find out how this passionate educator has been working to keep geography relevant in Ontario and across Canada!


2020-09-08:

Esri Canada Blog: Back to School with resources and inspiration for K-12 Education!

It’s that time of year when teachers and students are heading back to school, whether it’s in person or virtually. We have put together a list of resources to support educators who are planning to integrate GIS into their teaching. We have also included inspirational stories and work teachers and GIS Ambassadors have done with GIS. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-09-04:

Explore and measure how kid-friendly your community is with Maximum City’s KidScore/YouthScore

Are you looking for engaging activities for your students? Check out the KidScore and YouthScore developed by Maximum City! The KidScore/ YouthScore let kids (12 and under) and youth (13 and up) explore and measure how kid-friendly or youth-friendly an urban area is. Kids and youth can do the survey and activities alone, with parents, friends, teachers, or other allies. Go for a walk in a neighbourhood, take the KidScore/YouthScore online survey, look at your results with the interactive KidScore/YouthScore map, complete the Data Challenge and Design Challenge activities. If you have any questions about these activities, contact us at k12@esri.ca or Maximum City at info@maximumcity.ca.


2020-08-20:

Webinar: Empower Students to Explore their World

Missed the webinar? Watch the recording here and view the StoryMap to access all the free resources and materials discussed! Learn how to access ArcGIS Online and the support available to educators, discover curriculum-specific resources, and understand how students can use GIS in various curriculum areas.


2020-07-09:

Esri Canada Blog: Engage kids in learning with fun activities using ArcGIS

ArcGIS can be used to create fun and interactive activities with your kids and students! A GIS Ambassador and teacher have shared with us their most recent projects. Discover what they did to keep their kids engaged before the school year ended. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-06-23:

Esri Canada Blog: June’s GIS Ambassador: Paul Hackl

Paul Hackl, a teacher from Riverdale Collegiate in Toronto, is this month’s honorary GIS Ambassador. Find out how’s he’s inspired former students to study GIS in their post-secondary studies!


2020-06-18:

New Resource: ArcGIS Online 6x6 Tips & Tricks

In this new resource created by Esri Canada K-12 Education, you will learn the basics of ArcGIS Online by completing six activities you can do in six minutes each (36 minutes of in-class time). If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-06-12:

Esri Canada Blog: Geography teachers use ArcGIS to engage students in at-home learning

ArcGIS consists of tools that can be used to explore, analyze and present data in an effective way to a larger audience. Two Ontario teachers have shared what they and their students have done using ArcGIS while learning at home to explore and understand more about COVID-19 and topics in physical geography. If you would like to do the same, but do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-06-10:

Esri Canada Blog: Cool ArcGIS Online basemaps to use in your next web map

Basemaps provide context to your web maps. No matter what you are trying to present on a map, you will want to explore the basemaps that are available in ArcGIS Online. We have put together a group of cool ArcGIS Online basemaps that you can use in creating your next web map!


2020-06-02:

New French Resources: Ressources pédagogiques pour le primaire et le secondaire

Esri Canada K-12 Education has a bunch of new resources en français: Cartes narratives – StoryMaps, Qu’est-ce qu’un SIG?, Découvrir les données, Découvrir ArcGIS Online, Galerie de cartes narratives. You can find the resources here: Ressources pédagogiques pour le primaire et le secondaire. Stay up to date by following @SIG_a_lecole!


2020-05-28:

New Resource: ArcGIS Scene Six by Six

In this new resource created by Esri Canada K-12 Education, you will learn the basics of the 3D Scene viewer in ArcGIS Online by completing six activities you can do in six minutes each (36 minutes of in-class time). If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-05-19:

Esri Canada Blog: May’s GIS Ambassador: Karen Parker

Karen Parker, a Business Analytics Program Manager at City of Edmonton, Alberta is this month’s GIS Ambassador. Find out what she did while working from home to get kids engaged in a mapping activity through discovering window art in their community. Share your ArcGIS activities and projects and you could be featured in an upcoming blog post! Email us at k12@esri.ca


2020-05-12:

New Career Path Series: GIS in Health

In this Career Path Series on GIS in Health, you will get a snapshot of how GIS is used to make informed decisions about our health and how these decisions can affect us at local, regional, national, and global scales. Explore GIS careers in the health industry, ArcGIS tutorials, and a spotlight on Dr. Jason Gilliland, Professor in the Department of Geography at Western University and a scientist with the Children’s Health Research Foundation.


2020-05-08:

New Resources: Introduction to Arcade and Fieldwork Learning Path

In these new resources created by Esri Canada K-12 Education, you will learn how to use Arcade, an easy-to-use expression-based scripting language, to create new information from real-time COVID-19 data in a web map and pop-ups. You will also learn how you can create your own fieldwork project using ArcGIS tools available to K-12 schools across Canada. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-05-06:

Esri Canada Blog: GIS Ambassadors supporting their kids’ learning at home with ArcGIS

With many of us working from home these days, some GIS Ambassadors are taking this opportunity to engage their kids in fun activities that teach life skills, like map reading and other spatial concepts using ArcGIS. Discover how two GIS Ambassadors are supporting their kids’ learning at home with ArcGIS during this COVID-19 lockdown. Share your ArcGIS activities and projects and you could be featured in an upcoming blog post! Email us at k12@esri.ca


2020-04-29:

Week 4 episodes of Mapping Hour released

Esri Inc has now released all 20 episodes of Mapping Hour. Week 4 covers how to use story maps for learning, deep dives into a few sample projects, as well as introductions to Arcade scripting, ArcGIS Earth, and mapping geotagged images. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-04-24:

New Resources: Discover ArcGIS Pro and Configure Pop-Ups in ArcGIS Online

In these new resources created by Esri Canada K-12 Education, you will get an introduction to ArcGIS Pro and learn how to search for, add, query, and symbolize data on your map. You will also learn how to create a web map and configure pop-ups in ArcGIS Online using data about the COVID-19 pandemic. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-04-20:

Week 3 episodes of Mapping Hour released!

Esri Inc has released 5 episodes for Week 3 of Mapping Hour. This week’s set of informal one-hour instructional videos go through data collection tools, dashboards, and more, and are geared towards parents and teachers. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-04-17:

Mappy 50th Earth Day! Share your favourite place in Canada

In these days of self-isolation and physical distancing, it’s important for us to continue to connect with one another is some way. With this in mind and in honour of Earth Day’s 50th year, we have put together the Canada Shares app where you can share your favourite place in Canada with others. Share your love for the earth and Canada by adding your favourite Canadian place to the Canada Shares map. Read our blog post to find out how!


2020-04-16:

New Resource: Fieldwork Learning Path

In this Learning Path created by Esri Canada K-12 Education, you will learn how you can create your own fieldwork project using ArcGIS tools freely available to K-12 schools across Canada. Learn how to create a survey using Survey123, highlight your results in a Dashboard, and put it all together in a StoryMap. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here.


2020-04-15:

Participate in Esri’s Earth Day Poster Challenge!

Did you know that April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day? Celebrate with your kids or students by participating in Esri’s Earth Day Poster Challenge! Having your kids or students create a poster for Earth Day is the perfect indoor activity. The poster could communicate a message to local and global leaders about why climate action matters, or it could highlight how you can help our planet from home, like recycling, composting, or gardening. For more information on how to enter, click here! To see a map of Digital Earth Day events near you, click here!


2020-04-14:

StoryMaps Live April 2020: Highlighting the work of educator, Kathy Carroll

StoryMaps Live is a webinar series to keep you up to date on all things ArcGIS StoryMaps. This month, the featured storyteller was Kathy Carroll—an educator for over twenty-five years—currently teaching world history and serves as the social studies vertical team chair at St. John’s Episcopal School in Dallas, Texas. Kathy adapted the work of Dr. Samir Meghelli to build an interdisciplinary digital exhibit for the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum using ArcGIS StoryMaps. In response to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, Kathy is using ArcGIS StoryMaps and her new storytelling skills to package a meaningful digital learning experience for her online classroom. View the recording and access the materials here.


2020-04-08:

2019-20 OAGEE Spatial Technology Mapping Contest

Spend the next few weeks preparing your entry for the competition! This year’s competition (sponsored by OAGEE, Canadian Geographic Education, and Esri Canada) is about explaining the story behind a local or world issue; What is where? Why there? Why care? and to develop an action plan. Students will use ArcGIS Desktop/ArcGIS Online and StoryMaps to analyze and communicate a possible solution to a Geographic Issue. For more information and eligibility criteria, click here. Submission deadline is April 30th, 2020.


2020-04-06:

First 5 episodes of Mapping Hour released

Esri Inc has released the first 5 episodes of Mapping Hour, the first in a set of 20 informal one-hour instructional videos about ArcGIS Online for parents and teachers. Learn about ArcGIS Online, GeoInquiries, 3D Scenes, and sharing your work. If you would like to take part but do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here!


2020-04-03:

Esri Canada Blog: Educators, Students and Parents: Share your ArcGIS activities and projects

Are you a parent who’s now working from home and supporting your child’s learning during this challenging time? Are you an educator who continues to send work to your students online? We are looking for ArcGIS activities and projects that we can highlight. Share your ArcGIS activities and projects that focus on spatial thinking, inquiry, collaboration, or project-based learning and you could be featured in an upcoming blog post! Email us at k12@esri.ca


2020-04-02:

Esri Canada Blog: Teacher Tony Cushman taking field work to the next level with ArcGIS

Tony Cushman is an elementary teacher from Toronto, Ontario who recently completed a school-wide project with his grade three students using ArcGIS. Find out what the project was about and how he incorporated cross-curricular learning using some of the most popular ArcGIS tools available to K-12 schools in Canada.


2020-04-01:

Esri Inc hosting “Mapping Hour”

“Mapping Hour” is a collection of 20 informal one-hour instructional videos about ArcGIS Online for parents and teachers, with chunks that scaffold concepts and skills. They cover desires from the basic “I need a map my class can see” to the lofty “How do I help my child use these final weeks of high school to do something powerful?”. Videos will be posted starting Monday April 6, with access remaining open to all, for free. Tune in to learn more about ArcGIS Online, Survey123, Dashboards, Business Analyst, and StoryMaps. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here.


2020-03-27:

New Resource: Create a COVID-19 Dashboard

In this tutorial created by Esri Canada Education & Research, you will use ArcGIS Online to explore real-time data on the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada. You will learn how to create a web map with layers that automatically update with the most up-to-date information, and how to use ArcGIS Dashboards to create your own dashboard to track changes in the level of COVID-19 incidence across Canada. If you do not have an ArcGIS Online account, you can request a teacher account here and/or a student account here.


2020-03-26:

Webinar: Learn How to Teach with GIS When School is Disrupted

Each day, more schools are shifting to remote or online instruction. Join this webinar (or watch the recording) hosted by Esri Inc. for an exploration of tools and materials that teachers can use remotely with GIS – including instructional activities, online courses, pre-built maps and data, and tools for collecting data from remote students. You can also view the recording of Session 1: GIS for Classrooms: World Geography GeoInquiries and Surveys to Story Maps.


2020-03-24:

Esri Canada Blog: Resources for online learning at home with ArcGIS

As schools are closed across the country, find out how you can continue to foster learning at home for your students and your own family. This blog includes resources that can be used for at home learning for K-12 students, educators and parents.


2020-03-19:

At-Home Learning

Educators, parents and students across Canada can access ArcGIS Online to support teaching and learning. Visit this story map to find out how to access ArcGIS Online so that K-12 learners can continue to ask, analyse, and act on their learning from home.