I was approached by a teacher in our science department who is interested in starting a partnership with our drafting department. She wants to do a Geology class one period and have the students use/learn GIS software through our department in another period. Target students would be "top" 9th grade students enrolled in Geometry with a possible career goal in the Earth Sciences. Frankly, I am a bit apprehensive. The two of us (drafting teachers) currently teach AutoCAD, Revit, Inventor, and 3D Studio Max. The students pick up those softwares well. Neither of us are familiar with GIS software or have a Geography background. We wonder if the learning curve would be too much for a 14-15 year old student. We both liked the idea of the class and are both not afraid of tackling new software. I guess I am looking for some suggestions/comments as to what I am getting myself/our department into. My gut tell me it is a bit ambitious to teach GIS to high school students....
Input please!
Thanks
Bill Brown
Santiago High School
Corona, CA