ArcSchool Reader

Welcome to ArcSchool Reader, a periodic e-newsletter from the ESRI education team. Each issue provides a quick glimpse of software news; user stories; reminders; and hints about tools, data, and support covering the use of GIS technology in elementary and secondary schools (K-12 education).

In This Issue

• Software News
• Data News
• Support News
• User News

Software News

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5—Includes Support for Vista
Service packs are collections of tweaks, enhancements, and little fixes that improve stability and performance. ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5 is now available and, similar to Service Pack 4, includes support for running ArcGIS 9.2 products on Windows Vista. Users of ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo) should install the service packs for both the core desktop product and the help file, which includes a number of new videos. Service packs are cumulative, so you only need to install the latest one rather than each one consecutively.

ArcGIS 9.3 Is Coming!
ESRI continues to improve the ArcGIS software family, and the new version of software, 9.3, is coming soon! Significant improvements in ArcGIS Desktop (ArcInfo, ArcEditor, and ArcView) include easy-to-use bookmarks, easy conversion of graphics to features, and geographically weighted regression. Users with current maintenance will receive their updates automatically. Users whose maintenance needs updating can visit ESRI Customer Service or call 800-447-9778.

Learn more about what's coming in ArcGIS 9.3.

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Data News

ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a data resource for users of ArcGIS desktop tools ArcMap, ArcGlobe, ArcReader, and ArcGIS Explorer. It provides a series of 2D map and 3D globe services that you can use to support your GIS work. This includes seamless high-resolution imagery at approximately 1-meter resolution for the conterminous United States and 500- and 15-meter resolution for the world. These ready-to-use services can also be accessed by Web mapping applications created with ArcGIS Server.

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Support News

Download Education Best Practices Booklet "Best practices" help people see what is possible. In the Education Best Practices booklet [PDF], composed of collected stories from ESRI publications, you will see how young people taking part in hands-on programs in schools, Scouts, and 4-H learned to use GIS. They helped their community solve problems and were even able to solve mysteries that had stumped adults for decades. To find this and other booklets, visit the GIS Best Practices showcase.

Our World GIS Education
Our World GIS Education, the new book series by ESRI Press, helps educators introduce and extend GIS education into primary, secondary, and postsecondary curricula while providing students with the tools to build spatial thinking, analysis, and decision-making skills. Each book includes ESRI software, GIS data, exercises, lessons, and more. The books are arranged by levels (1-4), for basic to more advanced instruction. See which book will fit best with your curriculum.

EdCommunity Blog
Are you reading the ESRI EdCommunity Blog? Several times a week, members of the education team post software tips and tricks, important announcements about upcoming events, or observations on the state of GIS in education. You can find numerous tips about ArcView, ArcGIS Explorer, and ArcExplorer - Java Edition for Education. You can subscribe to the blog to get the latest posts delivered to your RSS reader.

Mapping and Modeling Using ESRI Software
The January-March 2008 issue of ArcUser Online provides links to a set of seven tutorials that demonstrate mapping and modeling data in ArcGIS 9.x. The tutorials are from different issues of ArcUser but are collected on a single page that is worth bookmarking for advanced students. Check out the tutorials.

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User News

ESRI Education User Conference
Make your plans now to attend the ESRI Education User Conference (EdUC), being held August 2-5, in San Diego. The keynote speaker will be Anne Knowles, editor of the popular volume Past Time, Past Place and coeditor of the new book Placing History. The EdUC overlaps the ESRI International User Conference (ESRI UC), August 4-8, so there will be plenty of competition for hotel rooms. Make your plans early!

Exhibit Your Best Maps at ESRI UC
Share your best GIS work with others in the Map Gallery at the 2008 ESRI UC. Submit your entries by July 7, 2008. Some maps will also be published in the annual ESRI Map Book. Listen to tips on how to make an effective map [MP3] provided by ESRI UC Map Gallery judges Jonathon Corbridge and Ian Sims.

Geospatial Summer Camp
A summer camp program for children in Massachusetts has combined geospatial technologies with its aquatic science education and environmental stewardship activities. These activities are centered on the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, a U.S. national park that encompasses 34 islands that have a rich history and diverse wildlife population. See this story in ArcUser Online.

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