GeoPolaris Education Publications (GeoPolaris, LLC) was established in the fall of 2016 with the mission of providing high quality, low cost, geographic education materials for use in all types of classrooms. The goal of our materials is to make geographic education accessible to all students without reducing the rigor. We do this by building in supports throughout the texts to aid students, and providing supplemental materials to teachers to encourage best practices for geographic education based on years of research. The authors have combined over 30 years of experience teaching High School geography in diverse public and private schools, using that experience to develop materials that work for students and teachers. Through self-publishing our books we work to provide materials that can be personalized to a school's needs, at a fraction of the cost of publishers.
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Kyle Tredinnick (MA Geography)
Kyle's involvement with geographic education goes back to the very beginning of his student teaching in 2008. After completing a Social Studies Secondary Education Bachelors at Saint Cloud State University in Saint Cloud, Minnesota Kyle has gone on to teach at public, private, and charter schools in Minnesota and China, and currently works as a social studies teacher in Omaha Public Schools. Along with teaching, Kyle has been heavily involved with educational initiatives of the state geographic alliances of Minnesota and Nebraska, as well as the National Geographic Society, Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium, the Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri), the National Math+Science Initiative, the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence, and the University of Minnesota’s Learning Technologies Media Lab. In the spring of 2019 he completed a Masters Degree in Human Geography with a focus in geographic education at the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) and is currently in the doctoral program with a research focus in geographic education. Outside of work, Kyle stays active playing hockey, and with his wife Jill enjoys traveling and working on projects around their home. |
Dr. Kelly Swanson (PhD Geographic Assessment)
Dr. Swanson has been involved in geography education for over 20 years. He has authored the Kaplan AP Human Geography Guide since 2008. Kelly’s advisory work has included being a geographic consultant for the Onion’s Our Dumb World. Kelly assisted in rewriting the Minnesota State Geography Standards in 2012 and has served on the National Assessment in Educational Progress Geography (NAEP) standing committee. Dr. Swanson has traveled the world working on geography projects with teachers on several continents. In addition, he was on the Praxis Geography Standing Committee, and is currently the co-coordinator for the Minnesota Alliance for Geography Education (MAGE) which seeks to expand the quality and quantity of geography education around the state of Minnesota. Kelly completed his PhD at the University of Minnesota with an emphasis on geography assessment. He currently teaches university courses at the University of Minnesota and Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. Kelly is also Dean of Academics at Mt. Paran Christian School in Kennesaw, GA. Kelly enjoys spending time with his wife Jolaine, and children Rebecca, Jake, and Zach. |