ESRI K-12 Software
In partnership with ESRI, Washington College provides ArcGIS software to Maryland public and private K-12 schools at no charge. If you or an educator you know are interested in providing students access to valuable technology skills that will expand their career opportunities in the future, this page will show you how to take advantage of this opportunity.
ESRI Conference Opportunity!
The ESRI Education GIS Conference is the world’s premier gathering of GIS educators, researchers, and administrators. Through technical sessions, hands-on workshops, and user presentations, the conference provides unique learning opportunities to help you and your educational institution maximize your investment in GIS.
If you would like to attend the ESRI Conference and are a Maryland School associate, you should submit your request to Emily Aiken at eaiken2@washcoll.edu no later than April 7th. If we receive more than ten request we will chose at random from several schools. Those not selected this year will have priority next year. The conference is July 6-9, 2013 and will be held at the Marriott Marquis and Marina in San Diego, California. All attendants will be responsible for their own travel, lodging, and meal expenses.
How to Request Software
Requesting software is easy! Just follow these simple steps:
1. Fill out a User Agreement Form and e-mail it as a signed PDF to Emily Aiken (eaiken2@washcoll.edu).
2. Create an ESRI Global Account. This will be the account you use to download the software.
3. Once your User Agreement Form has been received and approved, fill out a Software Request Form and send it to Emily Aiken (eaiken2@washcoll.edu). You will receive a file with the license keys you need to activate the software.
4. Using your ESRI Global Account, log in to http://customers.esri.com, click on Software Download, then select your products from the list provided and click Download.
ArcGIS Online
If you are interested in trying out an online version of ArcGIS software before downloading the desktop version, you might consider trying ArcGIS Online. This online mapping platform allows you to create and share interactive maps without installing anything on your computer. If you are interested in learning more about how to use ArcGIS Online, ESRI provides a series of introductory tutorial videos, which can be found here. Information on how to use an ArcGIS Online subscription account in your K12 classroom can be found here.
ESRI Virtual Campus
As part of the Enterprise License Agreement, ESRI is also providing an unlimited Virtual Campus Annual User License (AUL), which gives access to online self-paced Virtual Campus courses. These are primarily technology courses in ESRI Software.
To view a full list of ESRI Virtual Campus courses, click here.
Geoworkshops
Interested in ESRI software, but not sure where to start? If you would like to bring this exciting technology into your classroom, but have no experience with GIS or ESRI software, the Washington College GIS Lab is here to help. We offer a range of training courses via Geoworkshops, starting with What is GIS and Intro to ArcMap for beginners and ranging upwards to advanced ArcGIS skills. Any K-12 teacher may register for a course for only $50. All materials may be used without restriction for in-school use.
We are also in the process of developing an Elementary STEM course, which integrates GIS with science, math, engineering, and technology core curriculum, specifically for the elementary classroom. This course will include the same introduction to GIS skills as our standard course, but will also contain valuable tips on lesson planning and applying GIS in a multidisciplinary approach.




