At the recent ESRI Education User Conference, some folks asked where to learn about using ArcExplorer Java Edition for Education (AEJEE), ESRI's free, downloadable, dual platform (WinXP/MacOSX), lightweight GIS tool. With the traditional school year getting underway, this seems like a perfect time to mention these sources.

The best place to get started learning to use AEJEE is its on-board tutorial. Yup, built right into AEJEE is a 58-page PDF instruction booklet that walks you thru all the basics. After firing up AEJEE, click the "Help" menu and hit "Help Contents".

The next great place to find instruction is within a brand new book from ESRI Press, Book#1 of the new "Our World GIS Education" series. "Thinking Spatially Using GIS" walks young students and technologically timid users thru some great exercises where they see the power of GIS while learning how to do things in AEJEE.

A number of excellent individual lessons await users at the ArcLessons website also. Choose "By Software - ArcExplorer" and see what strikes your fancy.

The final great way to learn new tricks in AEJEE is to browse the old entries in the EdCommunity Blog. Click the "AEJEE" tag option and scroll all the titles! Very easy!

- Charlie Fitzpatrick, ESRI Education Manager