SAGT - Lectures and Sessions

After the excitement of the awards, I had a chat with various folks on the stands. Because of my various work with publishers and other organisations over the years, I knew a fair few of them. It was good to see the Digimap for Schools crew as well as Ken Lacey, Steve Brace and colleague from the RGS-IBG were there too, as was Jamie Buchanan Dunlop from Digital Explorer.

I also met with Anne from Collins, and we talked about the excellent new Atlas by Collins app which is now available for the iPad and iPhone.

After chatting, I went for lunch, which was very nice, and then went to set up for my two seminars. Duncan McLean from Kindrogan Field Study Centre had some good ideas for Google Earth, which I learnt a few things from. Thanks to those folks who came to my seminars....

A version of my presentation (without a whole host of images which are copyright Disney / Pixar) are not included in this version...

Brave Geography Edited from GeoBlogs

Thanks to Edina for the excellent freebies for delegates...

UPDATE
Thanks to Sharon Somerville for lead to the National Trust for Scotland page for the film...

SAGT 2012 - Arrival and Awards

The first of a number of posts relating to the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers' Conference which I visited for the 7th time last weekend.
It was a long way from home - drove to Peterborough, train to Edinburgh then change at Waverley for Glasgow. Sounds straight forward, and would have been if not for delayed train to Edinburgh, the usual chaos at Waverley, and then a train failure followed by being packed on the slow train to Glasgow.

Arrived later than planned, which meant no sight-seeing, and met up with Ken Lacey from the Ordnance Survey, and popped out into town for food and Arran ale.

The following morning, the train to Crossmyloof followed by a short walk into Hutcheson's Grammar school. After saying hello to a fair few familiar faces, it was time to set up the room for my session.
Before that though, there was the SAGT awards.
There was good news here as two books that I edited for the GA, written by Bob Lang and Paul Cornish picked up an award from SAGT.

Bob Digby (current GA President) and myself with prize certificates - picture by David Rogers

National 5 Geography - new Twitter feed

Up to Scotland in two weeks time for the SAGT Conference. I'm doing a session using Digimap for Schools.
The context is the Disney Pixar film BRAVE.
The following monday I'm doing some INSET for teachers in Aberdeen.
This is on free GIS and related matters.
The context is the arrival of a new qualification for Scottish teachers, administered by SQA. It's the NATIONAL 5 GEOGRAPHY qualification, which is an examination course.

I've gone through all the resources which have so far been produced, and started a new TWITTER feed that I'll keep up during the next year, to support Scottish colleagues preparing to teach the new course. I believe some schools are already underway with it, and will keep an eye out for what has been produced.

The feed so far has links to all the supporting materials, and a few things that I have produced and put on Slideshare. I have also started three twitter LISTS to link to related accounts based on the information that SQA have provided about supportive sources of additional information for teachers planning resources.
There will also be some further materials added as I become aware of them...
Please sign up if you're going to be teaching this course, and let other colleagues know about it whether you're teaching the course or not...

SAGT - book early

SAGT Conference this year will be held at Hutcheson's School, Glasgow.

My good friend Val Vannet is President of the SAGT for the next three years.
I will be presenting a workshop in association with EDINA on the work that I did for Digimap for Schools.
Here's the description in the programme.

Writing on the Map Alan Parkinson 

Using OS Digimap for Schools to help guide global citizens.

This hands-on session will make use of materials produced in 2012 for subscribers to the Ordnance Survey’s map service, operated by EDINA at the University of Edinburgh. Digimap for Schools won the Geographical Association’s Gold Award in 2011.Alan was the author of a major Secondary resource pack for Digimap for Schools, and will investigate ways to use OS mapping of Scotland to encourage an enquiry approach to teaching about the landscape, and students’ place within it. Understanding the earth starts by understanding our own place. There will also be an opportunity to learn about other GIS-style activities to bring maps to life.

If Geography means ‘writing the earth’ then a lot of that writing should be done on maps…Delegates will leave with a pack of ready-to-use materials and plenty of ideas and tools to take this type of work further.

Download the programme and booking form from the SAGT website. It's only £60 for non-SAGT members and £35 for members (membership for a year costs £35)

Will also be good to catch up with Bob Digby (President of the GA from September), Steve Brace (RGS), Jamie Buchanan Dunlop (Digital Explorer) and Iain Stewart (off the telly) who are among the presenters, and of course plenty of Scottish teacher friends...

I will then be moving up via Dundee to Aberdeen to lead a day's CPD the following Monday...