I am hoping that talking with you all will lead to some long-term collaborative efforts in the area of GIS and education / spatial thinking. (Recent correspondence from Dr. Kerski)
Dr. Joseph J. Kerski will give the annual Reginald G. and Allison L. Golledge Distinguished Lecture in Geography this coming Thursday. Kerski is the Education Industry Curriculum Development Manager for ESRI, and, among his other distinctions, he serves on the Executive Planning Board of the National Council for Geographic Education and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. “Sleepwalking Into the Future: Society without Spatial Thinking” is the title of the lecture, and the Abstract comments: “Climate change, biodiversity loss, energy, water quality and availability, human health, sustainable agriculture, urban sprawl, transportation, and natural hazards are global issues that increasingly affect our everyday lives. Central to grappling with each of these and other key issues of the 21st Century is the ability to think spatially and to use geospatial technologies.” Join Geographer Joseph Kerski as he discusses the challenges of embedding spatial thinking and technologies in education and the societal implications of failing to do so.
The Golledge Distinguished Lecture will be held on Thursday April 3, 3:30 – 5:00 pm, in Buchanan 1930. Kerski will give a brown bag lunchtime talk the following day in EH 3621 titled “Isn’t That Spatial? GIS in Education and Society”; Abstract: Why should GIS and spatial thinking be taught in formal and informal education? How can these concepts and skills be taught? In what contexts should they be taught? What value do they bring to educators and students?” Join Geographer Joseph Kerski as he discusses progress in teaching spatial concepts and skills over the past two decades and what remains to be done to effect systemic change in education.
To quote his AAG Profile: Kerski’s “work focuses on the creation and nurturing of educational partnerships among government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private industry, professional societies, universities, community colleges, and K-12 schools for the enhancement of geography and science teaching and learning. He teaches frequently at schools and Colleges. Joseph conducts approximately forty GIS and geography workshops annually for educators, the general public, government, news media, scientists, nonprofit organizations, and private industry…Joseph lives in Denver, Colorado with his wife and two children, who were featured last year in The Boulder Daily Camera with Joseph as the “World’s Nerdiest Dad” for roaming the countryside with a GPS receiver.”
