The 21st Century Classroom...

Came across this earlier today, when completing my GIS presentations for Manchester next week....

One of the slides says something very important: that introducing technology into the classroom doesn't require a skill set as much as it does a MIND SET.

The 21st Century Classroom

View more presentations from Kim Cofino.

Worth spending a few moments with...

Quality Geography Conferences

Work included in portfolio for Quality Mark submission...

There are two events planned for March. For more details see the GA WEBSITE.

Booking now available...

Leszek Iwaskow, Ofsted's National Adviser for Geography, will open these conferences with his view on quality geography that challenges and supports student learning. Quality geography aims for both excellence and enjoyment. These conferences provide the opportunity to discuss and develop what we mean by 'quality geography' in both the primary and secondary phases.

Central London - Tuesday 2 March 2010

Sheffield - Tuesday 9 March 2010

About the Conferences

The overarching strength of the Quality Mark is its capacity to act as an effective 'lever of change' for the development of geography in schools and these conferences for KS1, 2 and 3 will explore the nature, effects and impact of the Geography Quality Marks.The conferences will identify elements of quality geography exemplified through work from Quality Mark schools, and will look in detail at how schools can prepare for, work towards and achieve the Quality Marks.You will take away ideas and materials to use in your school, receive a certificate of attendance and if you use the ideas from the conference in your school you will be eligible to receive a Certificate recognising Professional Development. This can help you work towards a TLA stage 1 or Geography Quality Mark.
Aims and outcomes

The outcomes of the conferences include raised understanding of:what quality geography looks like in practicehow Ofsted arrive at an 'Outstanding' judgement when undertaking geography subject inspectionshow to achieve the top Quality Mark awards in your school

Presenters

Leszek Iwaskow - National Adviser for Geography, Ofsted

Wendy North and Paula Owens - GA Primary Curriculum Project Leaders

Justin Woolliscroft - GA Secondary Geography Quality Mark Co-ordinator

Teachers already participating in the Primary and Secondary Geography Quality Mark schemes will also lead workshops and share how they have supported and developed quality geography in their schools.

Programme

09:15-09:45 Coffee and registration

09:45-10:15 Keynote Address
Quality Geography: Challenging and supporting student learning
Leszek Iwaskow, Ofsted's National Adviser for Geography
10:15-10:30 Refreshment break

10:30-12:30 Phase-group workshop

12:30-13:15 Lunch

13:15-15:00 Phase-group workshop

15:00-15:30 Next steps

15:30 Close

Primary Resources collaboration

This is a collaborative document started by my Primary Colleague Wendy North.

Please contribute an idea so that the document continues to grow...

The end of 'The World' ?

Image by Flickr user twocentsworth under Creative Commons license

On the Geography Teaching Today website is a range of resources on IMPOSSIBLE PLACES.

One of the sections refers refers to DUBAI as "the impossible city"....

There is an excellent resource produced by Noel Jenkins as part of this package, which I have used on many occasions while teaching and since.

I am currently reading the second collection of Will Self's "Psychogeography" articles. The book starts with a walk across Dubai from the airport.

Now it seems that the financial difficulties that are threatening Dubai may affect financial markets in the UK.

Progress on some of the high profile building projects has stalled, including the offshore archipelago of artificial islands called "The World".

A final addition here, which I am going to use in a literacy session next week, was a fantastic piece by Charlie Brooker in 'The Guardian' on Monday of this week.

Would be really interested in comments from people who've been to Dubai giving their personal impressions of the place...

Friend or Foe

Ollie Bray has been getting a lot of "column inches" recently...

The latest article in this week's TES relates to his comments on the use of mobile phones by teachers.

What do you think ?

New GA Community Cohesion website section

A new section of the GA's website has now gone live.

It related to the area of COMMUNITY COHESION: something which has been in the news recently, and an area which geography should make a major contribution towards...

RGS-IBG

Image by Alan Parkinson

Down to London on the (very) early train this morning for an event at the Royal Geographical Society, which was based on GCSE and the new Polar resources that are now complete over at DISCOVERING THE ARCTIC.

It was also a chance to meet up with a whole host of familiar faces, some of whom I knew would be there, and others that I didn't.

The day began with a chance to network. Took along some GA materials, and good to talk to

some of the 80 delegates, plus exhibitors such as the Ordnance Survey, and the 'Approachable, Available & Accountable' Jon Wolton from Edexcel, plus Dave Holmes.

There was a keynote from David Gardner of QCDA, who talked about assessment, including a few nice ideas I hadn't considered before, but will make it into some forthcoming sessions I am preparing...

Also took the chance to pick up the latest issue of GEOGRAPHICAL MAGAZINE which had a good article by Dan Box on the Sinking Lands. I have blogged about Dan before, and am delighted that he is going to be speaking at the GA Conference 2010.

One slightly downbeat note was that one of the teachers walked off with a copy of my Toolkit book. If you find it in your pack when you get home, please let me have it back :)

GIS in the Classroom

Just working on a session for next week in Manchester. I've put together an activity which is my version of the GI Diet...

It's a range of activities to think about the use of GIS in the classroom. Colleagues attending will be spending some time looking at the ideas in the presentation.

GIS is a tool for teaching geographical enquiry.

I have also started a discussion on the SLN GEOGRAPHY FORUM.

If you have used GIS in your teaching recently, please tell me about it....

a) which software / website you used...
b) what data was used, and where it came from...
c) what the output was, and what questions it was used to answer...
d) year group

All resources will be shared after the event...

One of the tools I'll use is uMapper

This excellent map below shows what can be produced...

The work of Ty Smith

First GA Post-16 National Conference - June 2010

Image by Alan Parkinson - as seen in "Look at it this Way"...

Details of the Geographical Association's first Post 16 National Conference are now on the GA website.

This will take place in London on the 22nd of June 2010

This conference will discuss ways to enhance A-level teaching and learning through two major themes: rivers, floods and management and the impact of urban change. The workshops will include ideas for fieldwork and the use of ICT, and how to prepare students for the fieldwork examination questions.

Online booking already available...

There are large discounts for student GA members.

Grow your own

Several people I know, along with myself have "a bit of land"...

This land is virtual farmland, and is part of a game called FARMVILLE, which operates on Facebook as an application. There was a good article in the New York Times sampler which appears in "The Observer" a few weeks ago, which included a description of someone who set their alarm for 1.30am so they could get up and harvest their crops, and then go back to sleep.

This blog post describes it as possibly "the most popular game in the world".

There is a collaborative element to the game, by placing farms belonging to Facebook friends as your neighbours, the amount of money and 'experience points' that can be earned increases.

The game has also been successful in raising almost $ 500 000 for charities working in Haiti, when players spend real money to purchase virtual items to personalise their farms, or buy additional land.

An article by Jack Arnott on "boredom as a cash crop" provides more detail on the money-raising aspect of the site. This is something that is even more lucrative with some of the multi-player online games, where the virtual worlds have a GDP apparently equivalent to some small nations in the 'real world'

Any thoughts on the possible use of Farmville as a learning resource for geography students ?

Farmville currently has a nice 'autumnal look' to it...

Anyway, I have to go: got to scare the rooks off a neighbours farm...

ShelterBox

While looking at the latest information on the flooding in the North West of a few days ago, I came across a scheme which offers help for those who have been caught in some sort of natural disaster. It offers a very convenient solution to the primary demands that are likely to arise.

SHELTERBOX is an initiative of the Rotary Club
There is a range of educational material to accompany the site, which on first glance looks like it would be engaging for students.
Some pictures of the sort of location where the Shelterbox might arrive: in the aftermath of an earthquake which has destroyed the majority of housing, sets up the activities well.

Short video clips are also provided, including one which shows how the contents might be used.

ShelterBox updates can also be followed on Twitter, and of course, you could make a donation towards their work.

GA Consultants - a new area of the website...

The GA has a register of consultants. They used to be called 'teacher consultants' but many of them aren't teachers, or perhaps have moved into a different educational role. Their aim is to support the GA by offering advice when we are asked for a person with particular skills.

There is now a new area of the GA website which features details of the GA CONSULTANTS

There is also a Google Map for you to find your nearest consultant.

Many Eyes

Many Eyes is a visualisation tool developed by several people working in association with IBM.

It is a very useful FREE online GIS tool which can be used to generate maps and answer questions. If fulfils the 3 key reasons for using GIS in the geography classroom, as far as I am concerned, which can be seen on the image below.

Many Eyes will form a major part of a GIS session that I am delivering next week....

Innovative Colleagues

One of the great things about my involvement with the GA even when I was still teaching was the chance to meet up with other colleagues who shared a passion for the subject.

One opportunity for teachers to share their practice is through the Microsoft Innovative Teacher Network.

David Rogers is a member of the GA's Secondary Phase Committee. He is also part of the new team that will be editing the GA MAGAZINE.

I heard earlier today that he will be receiving an award at the event detailed above for his work on Pirates and Social Networking, which was featured in a Teachers TV resource.

The work is blogged here...

Nice work Mr. Rogers

Memoov

Another Twitter find via Danny Nicholson

One group of tools that can be used to help support literacy is the COMIC CREATOR.

There are a host of these tools which range from online tools to software downloads.

I have a programme called COMIC LIFE on my laptop, and tend to forget about it until it's too late...

A new discovery is MEMOOV.

This is web based, and produces animated comic-strip style resources.

The nice touch in Memoov is that the voices of the characters are recorded using the microphone on the laptop and put into people's mouths, which move as the sound file plays.

Need to spend a little time working this out further....

BECTa Digital Technology Report

Earlier this week, a report by BECTa was published, which explores "The impact of digital technology"....

I'll have a look at the report when I get a chance and post more...

Literacy in Geography

Have just been planning some materials for an event in Suffolk in a couple of week's time.

This will involve a range of strategies for exploring literacy in geography.

I have taken quite a lot of inspiration from the Scottish literacy outcomes, and the work of Bill Boyd and other colleagues in Scotland.

Embedded below is a presentation by Ollie Bray which was used at a CPD event in Edinburgh recently, and kindly shared via Slideshare.

Literacy, CfE and ICT

View more presentations from Ollie Bray.

It refers to the Scottish literacy outcomes, which are worth looking at, as they have quite a wide definition of what a "text" that students engage with might be....

A key idea for me is that geography literally means "writing the earth", and students should be given a range of opportunities for sharing their ideas about the world, both individually and in collaboration with other learners.

As Ollie's presentation suggests, there is a range of web based tools that can be used for supporting students with some creative literacy tasks....

Will share more once my session has been used with Suffolk colleagues...

Here is an excellent piece of literacy work on the theme of limestone landscapes which has been shared by Kenny O' Donnell, and was produced by Emma.

This was shared using a website called POSTEROUS: if you can send an e-mail, you can add materials to Posterous....

What I like about this piece is that the geography content isn't forced, and the narrative draws you in.

As teachers we can do a lot to set the scene, introduce the characters and suggest the motivation for some literacy work. What follows can then be produced in association with the learners...

United Steaks of America

A picture from a series of photographs produced by Dominic Episcopo

Possible student homework ???

The EU in vegetables....

Africa in pulses...

New on the GA Ning

The GA Ning is a place for you to find out more about the Action Plan for Geography.

Alistair Hamill of Lurgan College has posted a great video which shows the relevance of geography for learners at the college where he teaches...

If you haven't already joined, go along to the GA NING and join.

Don't follow your sat nav...

"Don't follow your sat nav" was the advice from a spokesperson for one of the major automotive breakdown companies. He was standing next to Calva bridge in Cumbria, which had been damaged by the recent flooding in the county.

There is also, on the BBC Magazine website, a useful article on the reasons why the heavy rains happened.

HOW THE HEAVY RAIN HAPPENED....

Plenty of potential here for careers / vocational links: the major automobile breakdown firms have sent teams of people to help in the area.

Hilary Benn recently stood up in the House of Commons and thanked a whole list of people.

Guardian Digital Archive

The Guardian Digital Archive is now available for subscription.

The Guardian and Observer Digital Archive makes available online every page of the Guardian since 1821 and the Observer - the oldest Sunday paper in the world - since 1791. Previously only available on microfiche or in fragile bound copies, you can now take a journey through time from the execution of Marie Antoinette to the first man on the moon at the click of a mouse.

The Digital Archive includes over 1.2 million pages of articles, photographs, cartoons, illustrations and advertisements up to the year 2000. Searching the archive is free of charge. However, if you want to view in full or print out material, you will need to subscribe. We offer 24 hours, three days or a month. During the purchased time periods you will be able to search and print as much as you like – there are no restrictions on downloads.

Searches can be done for free, but you need to subscribe to view the articles in detail and print them off.

A day pass is £ 7.95

A monthly subscription is £ 49.95

Schools and other similar institutions can obtain a pass for £ 125 or less.

I attended an event at 'The Guardian' headquarters earlier in the month, and as a result have a free months trial.

The first thing I did was to search for the newspaper on the day I was born, which turned out to be a SUNDAY, so there was a copy of the OBSERVER REVIEW for that day, which had a completely appropriate headline, which is shown above.

Later in the same issue was another fascinating piece on the development of tourism in the UK...

Interestingly there was a graphic showing the percentages of British holidaymakers going to European countries which I think was still being used in certain geography textbooks thirty years later...

Finally got round to doing a few searches today...

Will let you know how I get on.

Gloucester bound...

Braved the wind and rain to head for Gloucester today, via Stratford upon Avon. Had a bit of an evening wander in the old part of town: a pity I didn't get the chance to see it in daylight: it must be about 30 years since I last visited...

Below is the presentation I plan to use with Gloucester colleagues at the Hucclecote Centre...

Gloucester Living Geography

View more presentations from GeoBlogs.

David Wright

I had some sad news earlier today that David R Wright had died on Friday. David had been ill for some time, but I last saw him at a GA Norfolk branch a few months ago: he was a passionate supporter of Geography in Norfolk, and also of the work of the Geographical Association. An article of his was featured in the most recent issue of GA Magazine.

David worked at the University of East Anglia for many years, and also attended numerous geography network meetings that I attended from the late 1980s onwards. He produced a facsimile version of a book on Norfolk's geography that I used recently to prepare some materials. We also shared billing a few times when running sessions for new PGCE colleagues at the University.
David was also present at the RGS-IBG AGM in 2008 when I was one of the award winners. He was receiving the prestigious RGS-IBG "Ness" award for "popularising geography among young people", and he will perhaps be best remembered for his work in mapping and atlases, particularly the production of a range of atlases and other books related to mapping.

He was well travelled, visiting over 100 countries, and will be sadly missed....

For some of David's work on MAPPING, see this section of the GA WEBSITE.

This is a personal remembrance, and there will be further comments from the GA at a later date....

Bridges

One of the impacts of the Cumbrian floods has been the damage to bridges.
One particular location where this is having an impact is in Workington, where all the bridges across the river have been damaged, and are impassable.

Calva Bridge is likely to collapse and has been cordoned off...

The floods are being called a "one in a thousand year" event.

The rainfall that fell was a record for a 24 hour period in the UK.

Record rainfall from Met Office website

BBC: Cumbrian flood victims have lives on hold

If we are looking for "living geography" context, one idea would be to take a local settlement to you that has a river and bridges, and imagine that all the bridges have been damaged or become unusable.

What impacts would this have on the community ?

Students research and report the impacts...

This also relates to an idea in my Toolkit book "Look at it this Way" based on the closure of the road below Mam Tor in Castleton...

Mark Ollis has shared 2 presentations on his Slideshare page which contain images that he took in the area over the weekend.

More to come on this in future blog posts as I have some presentations on flooding to prepare for in 2010...