Enhancing Fieldwork Learning

A site that I came across last week, but which has some useful resources for teachers looking to improve the fieldwork that they do with students, and the use that they make of technology.
Fits quite nicely with some of the work that I've been doing

Enhancing Fieldwork Learning is a 3 year project, involving people from the higher education sphere...


Will be interesting to see how it develops...

Thought for the Day

“it’s fine to have butterflies, but the most important thing is to make the butterflies fly in the same direction”

Oddizzi

Got an e-mail about this new-ish resource last week, and have signed up to follow on Twitter too...


It's a brand new online teaching resource that has been created by a former primary schoolteacher

Oddizzi (www.oddizzi.com) supports cross-curricular learning at stages EYFS, KS1 and KS2 and features a free child-friendly interactive map and news feed.

In addition, there are 500+ pages of interactive content, over 1000 images, online ‘ClassPals’ that enables classes to link with each other nationally and internationally, geography games that test global knowledge, and a bank of creative lesson ideas and activities for teachers to use that take geography across the curriculum.

Here's a launch video 

Will let you know how my trial account explorations work out...

Moo cards... now open for business

My new "business" cards arrived in the post a few days ago...
Always a nice moment when you open the little black MOO box for the first time.
Here's what they look like...

If you'd like to get in touch and invite me to do something with / for you, please do...

Fakebook

Over the years, I've met a few people who I really 'rate' and one of them is Russel Tarr. He has created a range of excellent tools which have found their way into many classrooms, probably not always fully acknowledged. He has also built an amazing resource for Historians which has a large number of subscribers.

One of Russel's latest projects is FAKEBOOK.


This is an online template which allows you to create a FAKEBOOK page for a fictional or historical person.
The webpage does all the formatting and layout, you just need to provide the creative input.
Part of the CLASS TOOLS kit...
There are some sample pages to show you what the finished product looks like...

This is why.... the Decemberists are cool...

Kate Humble

News story featuring Kate Humble last week (playing blog catch-up), related to the need for children to talk walks in the countryside as part of the school day...
Enjoyed watching the recent documentary on Spices that she made too...

This is, of course, exactly what Mission:Explore was designed for, so if you want to get in touch Kate, please do :)

Thought for the Day 2

"You can explore without moving, but you can't move without exploring." 

Daniel Raven Ellison

Dangerous places - perceptions of crime using Street View

Thanks to a regular 'contributor' of blog posts: Keir Clarke

The site is produced by Tom Scott which uses the Google API and the recently released Crime maps from Police.Gov
It goes by the name WHO WANTS TO NOT GET STABBED

You have 5 attempts to identify the "safest" place from the image and the information that you are provided with about the police area


One for the Geography of Crime unit ?

Portuguese link no. 2

You wait for ages for a blog post about Geography in Portuguese to come along, and then we have two on the same day...
Thanks to Eduardo Riffel, from Porto Alegre, in Brazil,  for getting in touch and telling me about his blog GEOGRAFOSS.

It includes a range of geographical postings in Portuguese.

Thought for the Day

"Looking back is for the birds"
Guy Garvey, Craig Potter, Mark Potter, Peter Turner & Richard Jupp (2011)

Elbow – the birds on Spotify...

Spicy geography

I don't bayleaf it...

Via the Daily Mail....
This is something I might have to try myself...
Special prize for the first person to send an image of a geographically-related image that has been done for real...

Warning: contains the word "boobs"...

David Rogers - litorally on the beach....

As David would say, "sweeeeeet"...
For more of David's work, check out his excellent blog....

Beermeet.... Guildford 15th April...

If you are reading this blog you may well be heading to the GA conference at the University of Surrey in Guildford.
It's next week, which is a bit scary as I still have a lot to organise, but cracking through it today.
Just been circling the sessions that I'm planning to attend in my conference booklet, and there are plenty of them... the variety of sessions means that there is definitely something for everyone...
One additional event that isn't on the programme is the chance to meet myself, Richard Allaway of "Geography all the Way" fame, and David Rogers: author, teacher and chair of the GA's Secondary Committee... We will be in a pub near the centre of Guildford at around 8.30pm...
The drinks won't be free... but they'll be reasonably priced...

Full details, including maps and everything, are on Richard Allaway's GEOGALOT blog...

What are you most looking forward to at the GA Conference this year ?

Don't forget the hashtag... #gaconf11

New Ordnance Survey Leisure Portal...

A new Ordnance Survey Leisure Portal has been published....
This includes a range of new resources which combine previous

Part of the changes is a new look GET A MAP.

You can, of course, click the EDUCATION tab as usual if you prefer...
This will give you access to a range of resources, including MAPPING NEWS.

Worldmapper again...

Another excellent Worldmapper map...
This one has connections to much of the recent tectonic activity that has been in the news, and adds in the vulnerability of major cities...

PORDATA

Thanks to Pedro Damiao for passing through a range of information over the years relating to European school geography: I also wrote an article for a Portuguese geography journal a while back.
The latest contribution is a link to a database on contemporary Portugal.
For students studying the country this would be a really useful resource.

Desert Island Geography

The BBC has launched an archive of recordings of the classic Radio 4 series: "DESERT ISLAND DISCS", with thanks to Theo K for the tipoff.

This is an amazing cultural archive as it allows you to see the songs that were chosen (and armed with Spotify you can then cue them up and listen to them... in most cases) and the items chosen...

So what about doing a desert island geography lesson...
Students would need to choose a range of things for the programme (which could be adapted to suit...)

8 songs... or.... [ INSERT IDEA HERE...]


1 book.... can also be taken


1 luxury item...

Might be a good thing to ask some colleagues to provide you with their desert island discs, and items.... Students might even be asked to guess which colleague chose which items...

Or you can see what geographical items people chose to take, for example the late Mo Mowlam chose a globe, Mike Harding was among the people who wanted Ordnance Survey maps. I was also impressed by Polar explorer Pen Hadow's choice of "Ommadawn"...and Raymond Briggs who chose Jan Garbarek.

Quite a few people chose to take an Atlas with them as their luxury item...

A bit of work needed on the idea perhaps... Over to you...

Digital Explorer heads for the Arctic

Jamie Buchanan Dunlop is off on his travels again.
This time, he's off to the Arctic.
If you'd like to get involved, Jamie is offering to speak to groups....
Check the blog for his contact details...

James Reynolds - Typhoon Fury...

I hope that everyone uses Twitter.
If not, you are missing the chance to follow fascinating folk and interesting organisations.

James Reynolds - Typhoon Fury... @TyphoonFury on Twitter has recently visited the disaster scene of the Japanese tsunami, and has been posting affecting images and video of the relief and recovery efforts...
Amazing classroom resources with no distracting graphics, music and commentary...
Such as the example below...

South Downs National Park

The April Fool's Day stories over the last few days overshadowed the 1st of April announcement of the official 'birth' of the South Downs National Park

Keep an eye out for a new education pack coming soon !!
The Geographical Association might have had something to do with it :)

The Geographical Association has been involved in producing the

Posterous Blogging

Last year, I was able to sit in on a session by Noel Jenkins of Juicy and Digital Geography fame, and one of my geography heroes...
He was showing the power of Posterous: a blog which I use for my 365 image project.

Joe Dale has now produced an excellent summary of a session that he did on BLOGGING USING POSTEROUS - this post has been updated several times already and provides a lot of ideas.

There are links through to the work of  other colleagues, but it demonstrates the power of the immediacy and simplicity of this free tool....
Over to you to come up with your own variation on how to use it...

A day at the coast...

Nice sunny morning so off to the coast for a meander...

Cley Windmill...

Fault lines...

An interesting story in the TES yesterday related to a proposed joint Geography-History GCSE. Plans for this have been discussed for a while now, but have now been made public.

History and Geography are part of the new EBac. The idea is to offer a joint GCSE. This has polarised opinion, as one might expect....

Here's a taster from the article:

Fearing that schools will force students to choose between the humanities subjects and not give them the opportunity to take both, the Geographical Association (GA) and the Better History Group think-tank have joined forces to propose the combined GCSE.

But the Royal Geographical Society (RGS), the professional body for geographers, believes the joint GCSE amounts to "substantially watering down" both subjects.

RGS director Rita Gardner said the proposal was "untested, likely to restrict rather broaden opportunities and have the potential to undermine the positive impact of the EBac on geography and history".

She added: "A combined, single GCSE can only be achieved by substantially watering down the range and depth of content, neither allowing pupils to get to grips with the subject nor preparing them for separate study at A-level."

The GA, however, is keen to pursue the joint qualification as an alternative to the existing humanities GCSE, which it says is "lacking rigour".

It proposes that all students take a history module - Parliament and democracy - and a geography module - people and environment - in Year 9, and then decide whether to "major" in one of the subjects or "minor" in both.

GA chief executive David Lambert said: "Realistically, most students will have to choose between the two subjects. Very few schools can offer both, which is a shame.

"We are being bold and opening up a discussion on whether there's an alternative. The outcome we want is to have more children studying both history and geography."

The GA described the humanities GCSE as the "worst solution", characterised by "poor" teaching and with "the level of intellectual challenge diluted".

Read the whole article, and let me know what you think.

Rex Walford

Was privileged to be at Wolfson College, Cambridge in the Old Library last night, representing the Geographical Association at a remembrance party for Rex Walford.
MikeYounger, the retiring Head of Education faculty spoke about Rex and his many achievements. In particular, the need for geography to be engaging, critical and enquiring.

I was particularly struck with the words of Rex's widow Wendy, who spoke about the 'tyranny of the question': the way that Rex really did seize every moment, with his boundless energy and inquisitiveness and would always ask "what have you achieved today", which seems like a reasonable question to ask at the end of each day, and to have in mind as the day progresses....

So, what have you achieved today ?

Tony Cassidy...

Tony Cassidy has shared his latest creative offering. It was used at a Leicester City Council event that I was invited to as well, but unfortunately couldn't make... means I missed out on the chance to work with Tony, which is always a pleasure...

Take a look and see which of these ideas you can squeeze into your classroom:

25 Creaitvely simple Ideas for teaching geography

View more presentations from TonyCassidy

Nice work :)

2 new Mission:Explore books - launching today !!

Get yourself to Amazon or a local bookshop and get/order copies of our two new books, published in association with Can of Worms press...
They are out today, and would make a great gift for the child in your life, from 8 to 88 and beyond...

Amazon link

Amazon link


The official 'launch' will be in London tomorrow - we've already used a catapult and a rocket to 'launch' our books, and at the weekend, we'll be using balloons...


If you're going to be in London at the weekend, get involved... (see this Time Out link)


Don't just take my word for how these books are, check out these other reviews:

Mission:Explore is bold, cool, exciting, innovative, geographic, educational…and just plain fun! Every curious kid, budding geographer, and responsible parent should have a copy!” – National Geographic“

Designed to be read, scribbled on, illustrated, smeared, scratched and sniffed, it may just be the most revolutionary geography-related book ever published” – Geographical Magazine

“This young explorers’ kit is endlessly adventurous – a journey in itself. An utter delight – full of surpises and things to make you look at the world afresh. Can’t wait for my toddlers to be equipped with a copy each, so that they too can set out to be explorers…” Benedict Allen, Explorer

“The more removed we become from nature and wild places the harder it will be to inspire people to tackle the worlds environmental issues. Whats great about this book is that its so positive, enthusiastic and creative that it would make anyone want to turn off the Xbox for a few hours and explore the world around them” WWF

“This new book offers a great introduction to camping for children. With a range of fun and practical advice and ideas, ‘Mission: Explore Camping’ is an exciting addition to any family camping trip.” Vango

“I really love these super books by Mission Explore. They are fun to read, great to look at and are bursting with lots of exciting and challenging activities. They are a brilliant way to get kids and adults outside exploring and having fun! Go and get inspired today !” Sue Atkins, author of “Raising Happy Children for Dummies”

“Mission: Explore on the Road is funny, clever and important. How many books do all that? And its dangerous stuff too – explorers will be changed by the nicely weighted and well thought out missions. They leave young people better prepared to go out into the world and make their own sense of it” Dr Joe Smith, The Open University

“And the best thing: the kids run off exploring and entertaining themselves for hours, leaving you to kick back and relax with a cheeky beer in the peaceful afternoon sun!” FestivalKidz.com