At the 2019 NACTA Conference in Idaho, participants expressed interest in learning more about teaching students how to use Microsoft Excel® to create maps from U.S.D.A. and U.S. Census public databases.  This workshop is a follow-up to that presentation with a guided “hands-on” application for this method of instruction.   The experiential workshop will demonstrate how to download data resources and convert the data into maps at county, state, regional, and world levels. Although use of the mapping tool is the primary focus of this workshop, the application of the teaching technique is transferrable into many other agricultural educational settings involving quantitative critical thinking.  Workshop participants will become familiar with a variety of agricultural data sources, use their personal computer to download a data set of interest, and generate maps following the presenters’ instructions.  The session will culminate with each participant creating a map using data from a geographic location of personal interest.  Hands-on assistance will be available throughout the session.  Helpful tips for using this pedagogical tool will be shared. Participants will be able to use the techniques applied in this workshop to deliver active learning assignments related to agricultural data applications.

*Note, the Excel mapping feature is available on Microsoft Excel® 2013 and later versions.