Trendsetters Network & Communities in Schools Team-Up to Create Career-Focused Community Mapping Projects with New York City Schools
Mapping New Career Paths At Transit Tech High School
What’s GIS and why should you know about it?
Geographic Information Systems software is used to develop local to global data and visual maps that can help any organization make more informed decisions through access to highly organized intelligence.
The U.S. Department of Labor has identified GIS as a key emerging and evolving industry with plenty of opportunities for careers. Following are a few examples of sectors that utilize GIS: Agriculture, Architecture including Urban, Environmental, and Landscape Design, Business - from Real Estate to Research, Marketing, and Retail Management, Engineering from Aerospace to Chemical, Electrical, Transportation and Civil Engineering, Humanities, Law, Library Science, Military Science, Natural Resource Management, Public Health & Medicine, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences Political Science, Economics, Archaeology and Journalism… and these represent only a partial list of possible options where GIS is a critical asset to keeping competitive.
GIS in the classroom helps foster critical thinking and problem solving, 21st century workforce skills, and citizenship and community participation among young people.
Transit Tech and GIS
Resources provided to Transit Tech High School for the program were a laptop computer, digital camera and printer, software from ESRI, the world leader in Geographic Information Systems, and a Mapping Our World, book with a software package and lesson plans.
The all girls team will be part of a research project on cross sector collaborations for school-community projects designed to cultivate a range of skills, including those that can provide an entry level pathway directly into GIS careers, or lay a foundation for other kinds of careers in a range of areas. Equally important for the girls future, is their mastery of team-based working formats and cross-sector communications skills, an asset to success in any 21st century job.
Mr. Pariss, technology instructor at Transit Tech and Janice Jones, program coordinator, are pictured above with students all involved in the program.
When the team took their first training session at Hunter College, the girls took to the GIS program like pros. Carol Gersmehl, their GIS instructor remarked "It won’t take very long for these young women to master the basics of GIS." We think the person to thank for this high energy motivation is Mr. Moskowitiz, Transit Tech’s principal, a great promoter of innovation at the school.
Hunter College Provides Training
Hunter College’s Department of Geography develops data maps for NYC. The College is planning to create a Geography Lab for NYC K-12 schools as well. Professors Philip & Carol Gersmehl are currently working with high schools as part of this education initiative. Trendsetters’ and Communities in Schools NY are pleased to work with these dedicated educators on mapping projects. They are an inspiration and an encouragement to students to learn the many ways they can benefit from working with GIS data and maps.
Trendsetters and Communities in Schools are delighted to work with these dedicated educators who are so passionate about the subject and the many ways students can benefit from working with GIS data and maps.
The Green Map System
Youth have been an important part of the Green Map System since the beginning of the program. Green Maps give us a fresh perspective of our cities and towns. Youth take on tough environmental challenges to community health, such as charting pollution. Youth Maps are highly creative murals, posters or even postcards. Green Maps can also be used by young people and their teachers in school or after school programs on environmental education and community building.
The program is using ESRI GIS software for data analysis and mapping for decision-making. For more information call Joyce Freeling at 212-407-6264.
About Trendsetters
Trendsetters’ hosts an annual citywide Women’s History Month Conference for Girls on Nontraditional Careers. In 2006 over 50 mothers joined their daughters for the day-long program along with the men and women from across all sectors of New York City who participate in the workshops and panels that introduce girls to careers via both Alternative Career Paths and College Bound Career Paths. One of the workshops featured community mapping projects led by Meredith Taylor, Friends of the High-Line, see their story at www.thehighline.org and Wendy Brawer, Director, the Green Map System, see their youth mapping programs at www.greenmap.com.