GIS Education Weekly: GeoMentor Program Launches, Open Educational Resources

Esri and AAG Launch GeoMentor Program at AAG Conference

Esri and  the Association of American Geographers formally launched their GeoMentor program at last week's annual meeting. The current goal is support for the growth of Esri's ConnectED promise of ArcGIS Online for K-12 and informal schooling in the U.S. I first wrote about the Esri/AAG collaboration back in February.

I saw very little on Twitter about the program, but did learn that organizers promise GeoInquiries 
"won't take any more time for teachers." I wrote about GeoInquiries in February, too.

I dug into the GeoMentors website. I could not identify any new content, but can confirm that existing Esri materials are well organized. The site identifies two different support communities for GeoMentors: AAG GeoMentors Knowledge Community (a Google Group) and an Esri GeoNet Group. When I signed into the AAG group, there were two members, neither of whom is me.

This statement on the GeoMentors site makes clear who is ultimately responsible for the Esri ConnectED program's success:

With the goal of ArcGIS Online usage in 25,000 US K-12 schools by 2017, the success of this program ultimately depends on people like you, volunteering your expertise as a GeoMentor and proactively seeking opportunities to bring GIS into new schools across the country.

While AAG promotes acting as a Geomentor as "giving back," there are no details on exactly what participants might gain. Does participating earn GISP points (this PR suggests yes)? Can participation be considered professional development for educators? Is serving as a GeoMentor good for one's career? Do participants get a badge they can put on LinkedIn? A page with answers to questions like these could be valuable marketing collateral.

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