November 10th 2015 at 11:30
“Going Places with Geospatial Technologies in The Urban Geospatial STEM Academy with Community GIS”
The Urban Geospatial STEM Academy seeks to transform geospatial technology learning in high school students by placing emphasis on fieldwork and collaboration with partnering organizations utilizing the principles of community GIS, a framework designed to explore important social and environmental issues through collaborative partnerships between educators, non-profits, governments, youth, and community members. Academy students use ArcGIS Online and the ArcGIS Collector application to examine prominent urban issues, including social service accessibility and sidewalk quality; green space restoration and tree species; and youth emotions as they explore the built environment. Here, we report on the key learning outcomes of the Academy, present results of the community-based analyses, and reflect on how our high school community GIS educational experiences may be replicated in other urban settings across the United States.
Presenter: Tara Mitchell – Cobb County
Tara Mitchell is The Lead Education Coordinator of the Urban Geospatial STEM Academy. She is a 2014 graduate of Georgia State University with a BA in Psychology and a BA in Sociology with emphasis in Race and Urbanization. She is currently working on a Masters degree in Geosciences at Georgia State University with a concentration in Geography. Tara has worked with several non-profit organizations within the city of Atlanta focusing on homelessness and affordable housing. She has also worked as a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist in a Dekalb County mental health clinic, assisting former homeless individuals with mental illness and those recovering from drug abuse learn social and vocational skills. In her spare time, Tara enjoys working within her community as an advocate for the Washington High School cluster and spending time with her family.
