Mind's Wonderings: Education and Technology

A 30 Minute Overview - Web 2.0 in the Classroom

2011-11-16T15:04:00.012+11:00

Web 2.0 are tools that allow you to collaborate, share and create online. For educators, not only does it provide for interesting, engaging and collaborative projects in the classroom, it will also save you time in your teaching.

Today I will show you just a small portion of tools that you can use. There are many out there, and once you start looking, some will become invaluable. However, it is important to consider the following before you embark on your Web 2.0 journey.

1. What is the purpose of the activity/lesson/assessment?
2. Will it create an effective learning experiences for the students?
3. How do you know that this has worked?

What Do You Know About Web 2.0?

Replace audience response hardware with Poll Everywhere

Create your own sms poll at Poll Everywhere

Web 2.0 Tools for the Classroom

Poll Everywhere

This is a tool that allows you to create 'polls' for your classes. You can send through a link to the students or embed it into your blog, wiki or OneNote. Think creatively as to how you can use this tool - a discussion creator, a quiz for revision, a tool for formative assessment at the beginnin and end of a unit...

Wordle

This is a toy for generating 'word clouds' from text. Many people in this room have already used Wordle before in the classroom. However, its simple application can work beyond a brainstorming tool. Consider the use of Wordle in the drafting process of extended written pieces, so that students can establish if they have addressed the main themes or concepts in their writing. It is also a great tool to show learning from the beginning to the end of a unit of work.

Glogster

A Web 2.0 tool that allows students to create 'online' posters. Each student will need to sign in, however the education version is free. This is a great tool for single lesson activities, to create chapter summaries or as a smaller assessment task. An example of an interesting Glogster - The Moon.

Web 2.0 Tools That Save You Time

YouTube

Many of you already use YouTube to find videos and documentaries for your classroom. You can also subscribe to various channels and the most recent videos will be sent to your page. Use TubeChop to cut longer videos to the sections you want, and DragOnTape to create a mixed tape of YouTube videos.

Twitter

Twitter is not only a place to tell the world about your life. It is a great search engine and tool for professional development. Sign up and 'follow' various news groups and recognised tweeters and information will be sent to you.

RSS Feeds

The RSS Feed is a symbol that appears on most websites, news sources and blogs. You can sign up to a RSS Reader (such as Google Reader) and it will send any articles from these sources to your Reader. In your reader, you can categorise according to topics. This may also be useful for senior students to sign up to.

Other Resources

The 100 Best Web2.0 Tools For the Classroom 2011

TGTA - Using Web 2.0 in the Geography Classroom

2011-10-21T06:31:00.007+11:00

Today I have 90 minutes to show you some great tools that will enhance your teaching of Geography. These are all internet based and free. Some are focused on making your life easier in when searching for resources, the others are for use in the classroom.

Firstly, some inspiration...

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Twitter

Twitter can be used as both a search tool and also a tool in the classroom. An educational and more secure version of Twitter in the classroom is called Edmodo.

Twitter can also be used as a teaching tool in the classroom. Some examples on how to do this are found in the following slideshare presentation - Tweeting Geography.

Google Maps

Google Maps is a great tool in the Geography classroom. Below is a video that will explain how to create a 'Google Map' in the classroom.

Other Useful Videos on Google Maps

Google Maps Introduction

Get the Weather with Google Maps

I have used Google Maps with students in class for both class activities and assessment tasks. Here are two examples below:

Year 11 Geography Field Trip - Mornington Peninsula

Year 9 Geography - Natural Disasters

Other Resources

Google For Educators

Google Lat Long Blog

Gapminder

Gapminder is one of the best tools available to analyse demographic data and population statistics. This workshop will show you what Gapminder can do and provide you with some ideas on how to use this great website in your Geography classroom.

Hans Rosling stated that 'There is no such thing as a western world or a developing world’. He followed on to say that:

Geography teachers and pupils are familiar with the concepts of 'less' and 'more' developed countries (LEDCs and MEDCs), of 'developed' and 'developing' countries and a global 'North-South Divide'.

For many years these concepts have helped students learn about inequality, however in recent decades there has been significant global convergence between these 'developed' and 'developing worlds', so much so that these concepts and terms no longer fit. In fact, they are wrong and if we use them we risk leaving students with a flawed view of the world that ignores recent economic and social change that has affected billions of people.

There is a need for geography teachers to challenge our assumptions, to change mindset and use a different vocabulary to describe the world. Young people need modern understanding of their diverse and changing world that is drawn from the reliable data that actually exists; they need this to understand the real change that is happening in their places and lives, and in the lives of others.

Geography has a powerful role to play in allowing students to build a current and knowledge-based world view, and to develop their understanding of meaningful data that is distinct from political discourse and personal opinion.

To read the rest of this article go to the following link - Geographical Association - Gapminder and World Mapper.

Gapminder was founded in February 2005 with the aim of providing facts and statistics to debunk myths people had about the difference between developed and developing countries. Hans Rosling, one of the founding members spoke for the first time at a TED conference in 2006.

There are also links to a number of teaching resources. These include a lesson overview of 200 Years that changed the World, a great powerpoint presentation explaining Life Expectancy and various other resources.

I have used Gapminder with my classes in a number of ways.

Introducing Analysis of Statistics
When introducing scattergraphs, I use it to explain how a scattergraph is created and why we use it to look for relationships. I then also look for anomolies in the data.

Explaining Relationships Between Data
If you are in a 1:1 environment, ask the students to create a 'Hans' video of a set of data that they have chosen. They can use various programs to record a voice-over whilst playing the data, including Jing, or Adobe Screen Capture. Once you have captured this video, you could upload it to a website and create a collaborative Google Map of Levels of Development.

This really is one of the best Geography resources I have used. It is incredibly engaging for the students and they love to discuss, watch and ask questions of the data.....

Other Gapminder Resources

Gapminder for Teachers
Gapminder and 21st Century Teaching

An Entire School Course Designed on Gapminder

50 Sites Like Gapminder

The OECD Factbook in Gapminder Graphs

The Gapminder Blog

Some Other Web 2.0 Tools

Poll Everywhere
This tool allows you to create polls and post them on blogs, wikis or in learning spaces. The results can also be texted in via mobile phone. Great for quizzes, pre-tests on topics and when looking for opinions in the classroom.
A poll for today:

Create your own sms poll at Poll Everywhere

And the results...

Build television sms voting polls at Poll Everywhere

Glogster

This is a Web2.0 tool that enables the user to create an online, interactive poster. So, next time you have a class activity to create a poster, consider this online alternative.

Web2.0 Glogster

Wordle
Wordle is a tool to brainstorm or create an image of the main concepts in a text. Just for fun, I have created a wordle of the newly released rationale of the Australian Geography Curriculum.

Is this Geography?

GTAQ Facebook Page - Another interesting resource that you may find resources on (for those on Facebook).

Integration of 1:1 Technology in the Classroom

2011-09-27T20:00:00.015+10:00

various tools that can be used effectively in the classroom to enable students to think, create and collaborate.

Something to think about before we begin....

His previous talk - Do School's Kill Creativity? can be viewed by clicking on the link.

And something else...

Even if you have a 21st Century classroom, flexible and adaptable; even if you are a 21st Century teacher; An adaptor, a communicator, a leader and a learner, a visionary and a model, a collaborator and risk taker; even if your curriculum reflects the new paradigm and you have the facilities and resources that could enable 21st century learning - you will only be a 21st century teacher if how we teach changes as well. Our pedagogy must also change.

Collaboration is not a 21st century skill it is a 21st century essential.

This has been taken directly from Educational Origami - a great blogger regarding the research behind a 21st century pedagogy. Educational Origami - 21st Century Pedagogy. Also, when considering why and how to use Web 2.0, think about the application of Digital Blooms Taxonomy.

So, considering this, why would you, or do you, use Web 2.0 in the classroom. To begin with, lets do a poll.

Make your own poll voting question with Poll Everywhere

Build television sms voting polls at Poll Everywhere

What is Web 2.0 Technology?

What is Web 2.0? View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Web2.0 or social media provides educators with the opportunity to engage students in their own learning. Here are some examples of how.

Another excellent tool to create and present is using Prezi. Check out Web2.0 in the Classroom as an excellent example.

1. Creating Online Resources

Blogs

Bec's Classes 2010

Creating an blog is not difficult. The video below shows a step by step instruction on how to create a blog using Edublogs or Global Teacher.

And this shows you how to embed a Youtube video (or any video) into your blog.

New blogging sites are popping up every day. Another you can use with the advantage of not having an email to sign up with is 21 Classes.

Wikis

Unit 4 Geography Wiki

The following video provides a step-by-step guide on setting up your first wiki. This video uses wikispaces however there are other options, such as pbwiki.

Adding to Your Blog or Wiki

Slideshare allows you to upload powerpoint or keynote presentations and then embed them into a wiki or blog.

Presi - A site that allows you to create interesting presentation, either on or offline. These can be uploaded and then embedded in your blog or wiki.

Videos

Drag on Tape - This is a site that allows you to create mixtapes of your favourite Youtube videos. A demo is outlined below.

Dragontape Demo Video from Dragontape on Vimeo.

Xtranormal - This is a great site that allows students to make their own digital animations by typing in text.

Collaborating with Images

Fotobabble - This site provides the user with the tools to create a photo slideshow and add voiceover. This can then be embedded in wikis, blogs and other online collaborative sites.

Shwup - Allows students to collaborate and share photos and vidoes online in a secure environment. Educators could use this tool for students to categorise their own images for future tasks.

Jaycut - An online tool that allows students to create their own movies using images, video footage and sound. It is very similar to iMovie but you don't need the software...

Nings

Bec's Race Class
This is a great tool, similar to facebook, that allows students to collaborate online. The best way to use a ning is to ensure that you have a purpose and understand what you want out of the technology.

Glogster

Glogser provides an online poster creator, which enables video and audio to be added to the poster. There is a gallery of graphics available, but users can upload their own images and media. Users can record video and audio directly at the site. An example of a Glog - Web2.0 or a student example - Development

2. Tools to Collaborate in the Classroom

Twitter - providing information in 140 characters. Groups can establish their own Twitter channel and provide update information on what is happening around the world. Using the hashtag - # - as a search tool is also a great way to look at what is popular or 'trending'. An example is the Chile Volcano. Often links to images, twitpics, are linked to a tweet.

WallWisher - This is a great site that allows you to post and brainstorm information. It is very handy when watching videos or discussing a topic. I used it specifically to diamond rank factors associated with issues.

EdModo - Like Twitter, but can be used in the classroom. Something to consider trialling as you watch a video or discussion in class.

Another example uses the same idea as Twitter - TodaysMeet

Wordle - A brainstorming tool that allows students and teachers to create and determine the importance of words associated with a concept. For example, below is a wordle created from the following blog post - 21st century Pedagogy.

Other Resources

Education Eye - A search engine that maps educational innovation and categorises news sites by research and practice. A great teacher resource to remain up-to-date.

We are Teachers - A collaborative site where teachers share innovative ideas and teaching practice.

Go2Web2.0 - A site that provides links to Web 2.0 tools for education.

Mashpedia, Boolify and Wolfram/Alpha - Great search engines.

Classroom 2.0 - Ideas on using Web 2.0 in the classroom.

Web2.0 in the classroom - Another great resource on using Web 2.0 in the classroom.

Creative Commons - Accessing non-copyright images for your classroom - a great resource.

An Interesting Infographic - How Students Spend their Time

2011-08-10T20:22:00.000+10:00

Via: OnlineEducation.net

2011 GTAQ Conference - Using Gapminder to Analyse Statistics

2011-07-30T01:16:00.003+10:00

Gapminder is one of the best tools available to analyse demographic data and population statistics. This workshop will show you what Gapminder can do and provide you with some ideas on how to use this great website in your Geography classroom.

To begin with, what is the answer to this question:

Which country has the highest fertility rate?

A. Saudi Arabia
B. Israel
C. Bangladesh

Hans Rosling stated that 'There is no such thing as a western world or a developing world’. He followed on to say that:

Geography teachers and pupils are familiar with the concepts of 'less' and 'more' developed countries (LEDCs and MEDCs), of 'developed' and 'developing' countries and a global 'North-South Divide'.

To read the rest of this article go to the following link - Geographical Association - Gapminder and World Mapper.

Gapminder was founded in February 2005 with the aim of providing facts and statistics to debunk myths people had about the difference between developed and developing countries. Hans Rosling, one of the founding members spoke for the first time at a TED conference in 2006. His video is below:

Before we look at Gapminder World, lets play a card game to look at our own perceptions of development.

Following this, Gapminder World was launched. The site also includes a number of great 10-15 minute videos that you can use to show your classes on various topics. Below is one of my favourites.

There are also links to a number of teaching resources. These include a lesson overview of 200 Years that changed the World, a great powerpoint presentation explaining Life Expectancy and various other resources.

I have used Gapminder with my classes in a number of ways.

Introducing Analysis of Statistics
When introducing scattergraphs, I use it to explain how a scattergraph is created and why we use it to look for relationships. I then also look for anomolies in the data.

Explaining Relationships Between Data
If you are in a 1:1 environment, ask the students to create a 'Hans' video of a set of data that they have chosen. They can use various programs to record a voice-over whilst playing the data, including Jing, or Adobe Screen Capture. Once you have captured this video, you could upload it to a website and create a collaborative Google Map of Levels of Development.

Here is an example taken from a Year 6 student in New York.

China vs US - Total Fertility Rate from Liz on Vimeo.

You could also create your own videos - such as those of Mr Barton in the UK.

This really is one of the best Geography resources I have used. It is incredibly engaging for the students and they love to discuss, watch and ask questions of the data.....

Other Gapminder Resources

Gapminder and 21st Century Teaching

An Entire School Course Designed on Gapminder

50 Sites Like Gapminder

The OECD Factbook in Gapminder Graphs

The Gapminder Blog

Web 2.0 Resources and Global Education

2011-06-15T21:00:00.006+10:00

Web 2.0 technology and social media are now a large part of our everyday lives. The challenge as educators is to use these tools effectively in the classroom, so that they enhance current digital pedagogy. In particular, global education could utilise these tools to promote global active citizenship, create collaborative online spaces and also provide another way of developing resources across the country.

How Does Web 2.0 fit into the Global Education Framework?

Twenty-first century Australians are members of a global community, connected to the whole world by ties of culture, economics and politics, enhanced communication and travel and a shared environment.

Enabling young people to participate in shaping a
better shared future for the world is at the heart of global education. It emphasises the unity and interdependence of human society, developing a sense of self and appreciation of cultural diversity, affirmation of social justice and human rights, building peace and actions for a sustainable future in different times and places.

Taken from Global Perspectives: A Framework for Global Education in Australian Schools

Something to think about before we begin....

His previous talk - Do School's Kill Creativity? can be viewed by clicking on the link.

What does Web 2.0 Mean for the Classroom?

Go to ericedvid2's Youtube channel for many more videos on Web 2.0 in the classroom.

Today's workshop will provide an overview of some of the many tools that are available online (and mostly for free) that can be used to in Global Education Projects.

What is Web 2.0 Technology?

What is Web 2.0? View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Web2.0 or social media provides educators with the opportunity to engage students in their own learning. Here are some examples of how.

1. Creating Online Resources

Facebook

GTAV Facebook Page

Blogs
Bec's Classes 2010

Creating an blog is not difficult. The video below shows a step by step instruction on how to create a blog using Edublogs or Global Teacher.

And this shows you how to embed a Youtube video (or any video) into your blog.

New blogging sites are popping up every day. Another you can use with the advantage of not having an email to sign up with is 21 Classes.

Wikis

Global Education Project - Mock Wiki

The following video provides a step-by-step guide on setting up your first wiki. This video uses wikispaces however there are other options

, such as pbwiki.

Adding to Your Blog or Wiki

Slideshare allows you to upload powerpoint or keynote presentations and then embed them into a wiki or blog.

Presi - A site that allows you to create interesting presentation, either on or offline. These can be uploaded and then embedded in your blog or wiki.

Videos

Drag on Tape - This is a site that allows you to create mixtapes of your favourite Youtube videos. A demo is outlined below.

Dragontape Demo Video from Dragontape on Vimeo.

Xtranormal - This is a great site that allows students to make their own digital animations by typing in text.

Collaborating with Images

Fotobabble - This site provides the user with the tools to create a photo slideshow and add voiceover. This can then be embedded in wikis, blogs and other online collaborative sites.

Shwup - Allows students to collaborate and share photos and vidoes online in a secure environment. Educators could use this tool for students to categorise their own images for future tasks.

Jaycut - An online tool that allows students to create their own movies using images, video footage and sound. It is very similar to iMovie but you don't need the software...

Nings

Bec's Race Class

This is a great tool, similar to facebook, that allows students to collaborate online. The best way to use a ning is to ensure that you have a purpose and understand what you want out of the technology.

2. Tools to Collaborate in the Classroom

WallWisher - This is a great site that allows you to post and brainstorm information. It is very handy when watching videos or discussing a topic. I used it specifically to diamond rank factors associated with issues.

EdModo - Like Twitter, but can be used in the classroom. Something to consider trialling as you watch a video or discussion in class.

Another example uses the same idea as Twitter - TodaysMeet

Wordle - A brainstorming tool that allows students and teachers to create and determine the importance of words associated with a concept. For example, below is the section 'What is Global Education' taken from Global Perspectives: A Framework for Global Education in Australian Schools.

3. Excellent Links to Provide the Content and Activities on Blogs and Wikis

Gapminder

One of my favourite sites as a Geography teacher. The best tool to compare data on most gobal topics - more than just population and development.

Mapping - Google Earth, Google Maps and Others

Google Maps and Google Earth are amazing tools for Geography teachers. Both mapping tools are updated frequently. There is not enough time today to show you everything that Google Earth and Maps can do.... but below are some examples of how to use Google Maps and Earth in the classroom.

View Numinbah Catchment Field Trip in a larger map

CIA Factbook in Google Earth

Show@World

BBC Dimensions - How Big Is It Really?

Scribble Maps - A site that allows the user to create, write on, sketch around and make notes on a map. This map can be saved as an image and saved as a link for the future.

Simple Guide Tool - A site that incorporates Google Street View, Google Maps and live video chat. A user can speak to someone else online and provide a 'guided tour' of the location. Wonderful for fieldwork, and particularly for schools that speak to other schools overseas.

MappyFriends - How Big is Your World - A site that allows you to provide reviews and information on places you have visited.

TripLine - Allows the user to make shareable, animated maps with photos, music and stories.

Other Resources

Education Eye - A search engine that maps educational innovation and categorises news sites by research and practice. A great teacher resource to remain up-to-date.

We are Teachers - A collaborative site where teachers share innovative ideas and teaching practice.

Geography 2.0: A Juicy Way to Mash Up Learning

Web 2.0 Tools from Mr Smith's World Geography at Room203

Interesting!

National Geographic Tropical Island Infinite Photo

Geography 2.0: The Future of Geography in the Classroom - QSA Conference 2011

2011-04-26T20:19:00.004+10:00

Web 2.0 technology and social media are now a large part of our everyday lives. The challenge as educators is to use these tools effectively in the classroom, so that they enhance current teaching practice. This is particularly the case in Geography. The development of Web 2.0, if anything, has promoted the importance of Geography as a way of organising information.

"There has been an increased awareness by numerous Web 2.0 technologists of the importance of geography and location as a means to index and access information over the Internet. As a result, over the last few years, geographic information could be argued to have firmly entered the mainstream information economy." Geography Compass 2008

So, what does this mean for Geography in the classroom?

In the words of Ken Robinson....

His previous talk - Do School's Kill Creativity? can be viewed by clicking on the link.

Today's workshop will provide a very very quick overview of some of the many tools that are available online (and mostly for free) to use in the classroom. Before we start, we should consider the impact that Web2.0 technology and social media have had on the way we live.

What is Web 2.0 Technology?

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Web2.0 or social media will allow you to innovate in your teaching practice. Here are some examples of how.

1. Providing an Online Resource for your Class

Blogs

Bec's Classes 2010

Creating an blog is not difficult. The video below shows a step by step instruction on how to create a blog using Edublogs or Global Teacher.

And this shows you how to embed a Youtube video (or any video) into your blog.

New blogging sites are popping up every day. Another you can use with the advantage of not having an email to sign up with is 21 Classes.

Wikis

Unit Four Geography Climate Change Wiki

The following video provides a step-by-step guide on setting up your first wiki. This video uses wikispaces however there are other options, such as pbwiki.

Adding to Your Blog or Wiki

Slideshare allows you to upload powerpoint or keynote presentations and then embed them into a wiki or blog.

Presi - A site that allows you to create interesting presentation, either on or offline. These can be uploaded and then embedded in your blog or wiki.

Videos

Drag on Tape - This is a site that allows you to create mixtapes of your favourite Youtube videos. A demo is outlined below...

Dragontape Demo Video from Dragontape on Vimeo.

Xtranormal - This is a great site that allows students to make their own digital animations by typing in text.

Collaborating with Images

Fotobabble

Shwup - Allows students to collaborate and share photos and vidoes online in a secure environment. The answer to the problems associated with different students taking photos on a fieldtrip.

Jaycut - An online tool that allows students to create their own movies using images, video footage and sound. It is very similar to iMovie but you don't need the software...

Nings

Bec's Race Class

This is a great tool, similar to facebook, that allows students to collaborate online. The best way to use a ning is to ensure that you have a purpose and understand what you want out of the technology.

2. Tools to Collaborate in the Classroom

WallWisher

This is a great site that allows you to post and brainstorm information. It is very handy when watching videos or discussing a topic. I used it specifically to diamond rank factors associated with issues.

EdModo - Like Twitter, but can be used in the classroom. Something to consider trialling as you watch a video or discussion in class.

Another example uses the same idea as Twitter - TodaysMeet

Wordle - A brainstorming tool that allows students to create and determine the importance of words associated with a concept. For example, an article from the New Scientist on the Cancun Climate Change talks can be converted to something like this for discussion.

3. Excellent Links to Provide the Content and Activities on Blogs and Wikis

Geography Animated - is a geography teacher's internet site with all things Geography. In particular, the site has links to animations on everything that you can think of. Here is just one example on the formation of meanders and ox-bow lakes.

Gapminder - One of my favourite sites for the year. The best tool to compare data on most gobal topics - more than just population and development.

Mapping - Google Earth, Google Maps and Others

Google Maps and Google Earth are amazing tools for Geography teachers. Both mapping tools are updated frequently. There is not enough time today to show you everything that Google Earth and Maps can do.... but below are some examples of how to use Google Maps and Earth in the classroom.

View Numinbah Catchment Field Trip in a larger map

CIA Factbook in Google Earth

Show@World

BBC Dimensions - How Big Is It Really?

Scribble Maps

Simple Guide Tool - A site that incorporates Google Street View, Google Maps and live video chat. A user can speak to someone else online and provide a 'guided tour' of the location. Wonderful for fieldwork, and particularly for schools that speak to other schools overseas.

MappyFriends - How Big is Your World - A site that allows you to provide reviews and information on places you have visited.

TripLine - Allows the user to make shareable, animated maps with photos, music and stories.

Other Resources

Education Eye - A search engine that maps educational innovation and categorises news sites by research and practice. A great teacher resource to remain up-to-date.

We are Teachers - A collaborative site where teachers share innovative ideas and teaching practice.

Geography 2.0: A Juicy Way to Mash Up Learning

Web 2.0 Tools from Mr Smith's World Geography at Room203

Contour Education - This is a great resource for spatial technologies and any new Web 2.0 tools associated with maps.

Interesting!

National Geographic Tropical Island Infinite Photo

AGTA Conference - Using Web 2.0 Technology in the Geography Classroom

2011-01-08T20:00:00.006+11:00

Web 2.0 technology and social media are now a large part of our everyday lives. The challenge as educators is to use these tools effectively in the classroom, so that they enhance current teaching practice.

In the words of Ken Robinson....

His previous talk - Do School's Kill Creativity? can be viewed by clicking on the link.

Today's workshop will provide a very very quick overview of some of the many tools that are available online (and mostly for free) to use in the classroom. Before we start, we should consider the impact that Web2.0 technology and social media have had on the way we live.

What is Web 2.0 Technology?

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Web2.0 or social media will allow you to innovate in your teaching practice. Here are some examples of how.

1. Providing an Online Resource for your Class

Blogs

Bec's Classes 2010

Creating an blog is not difficult. The video below shows a step by step instruction on how to create a blog using Edublogs or Global Teacher.

And this shows you how to embed a Youtube video (or any video) into your blog.

New blogging sites are popping up every day. Another you can use with the advantage of not having an email to sign up with is 21 Classes.

Wikis

Unit Four Geography Climate Change Wiki

The following video provides a step-by-step guide on setting up your first wiki. This video uses wikispaces however there are other options, such as pbwiki.

Adding to Your Blog or Wiki

Slideshare

Slideshare allows you to upload powerpoint or keynote presentations and then embed them into a wiki or blog.

Videos

Drag on Tape - This is a site that allows you to create mixtapes of your favourite Youtube videos. A demo is outlined below...

Dragontape Demo Video from Dragontape on Vimeo.

Xtranormal - This is a great site that allows students to make their own digital animations by typing in text.

Collaborating with Images

Shwup - Allows students to collaborate and share photos and vidoes online in a secure environment. The answer to the problems associated with different students taking photos on a fieldtrip.

Jaycut - An online tool that allows students to create their own movies using images, video footage and sound. It is very similar to iMovie but you don't need the software...

Nings

Bec's Race Class

This is a great tool, similar to facebook, that allows students to collaborate online. The best way to use a ning is to ensure that you have a purpose and understand what you want out of the technology.

2. Tools to Collaborate in the Classroom

WallWisher

This is a great site that allows you to post and brainstorm information. It is very handy when watching videos or discussing a topic. I used it specifically to diamond rank factors associated with issues.

EdModo - Like Twitter, but can be used in the classroom. Something to consider trialling as you watch a video or discussion in class.

Another example uses the same idea as Twitter - TodaysMeet.
TodaysMeet - Here is an example I put together for the AGTA conference.

Wordle - A brainstorming tool that allows students to create and determine the importance of words associated with a concept. For example, an article from the New Scientist on the Cancun Climate Change talks can be converted to something like this for discussion.

3. Excellent Links to Provide the Content and Activities on Blogs and Wikis

Geography Animated - is a geography teacher's internet site with all things Geography. In particular, the site has links to animations on everything that you can think of. Here is just one example on the formation of meanders and ox-bow lakes.

BBC Dimensions - How Big Is It Really?

Scribble Maps

Gapminder - One of my favourite sites for the year. The best tool to compare data on most gobal topics - more than just population and development.

CIA Factbook in Google Earth

Population and Migration - Flight and Expulsion

Show@World

Other Resources

Education Eye - A search engine that maps educational innovation and categorises news sites by research and practice. A great teacher resource to remain up-to-date.

We are Teachers - A collaborative site where teachers share innovative ideas and teaching practice.

A Textbook Free VCE Geography - Some Tips

2010-11-28T19:25:00.005+11:00

Teaching VCE without a textbook is possible. Unit 3 and 4 was a little more difficult and I did rely on the students purchasing the 'Supplement' to help them get through. However, with the availability of online resources it is not impossible to supplement what you are already doing with excellent links to the internet.

So, what does a textbook give you. A textbook gives you:

Content
Questions that generally range from knowledge and understanding to analysis and evaluation
Diagrams to explain processes
Images and maps
Extra information on specific topics

Technology will now allow us to teach in this way, as long as you know where to look and how to set up your information so that the students can access it. This workshop will focus on these two areas, with information on Web 2.0 technology, as well as excellent links to sites that will enhance the teaching of geography in the classroom.

1. Providing an Online Resource for your class

Web2.0 technology has provided the ability for teachers to create their own links to specific information. This can be done through the creation of blogs or wikis.

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

Blogs

Bec's Classes 2010

Creating an blog is not difficult. The video below shows a step by step instruction on how to create a blog using Edublogs or Global Teacher.

And this shows you how to embed a Youtube video (or any video) into your blog.

Wikis

Unit Four Geography Climate Change Wiki

The following video provides a step-by-step guide on setting up your first wiki. This video uses wikispaces however there are other options, such as pbwiki.

Slideshare

Slideshare allows you to upload powerpoint or keynote presentations and then embed them into a wiki or blog.

WallWisher

This is a great site that allows you to post and brainstorm information. It is very handy when watching videos or discussing a topic. I used it specifically to diamond rank factors associated with issues.

EdModo - Like Twitter, but can be used in the classroom. Something to consider trialling as you watch a video or discussion in class.

Excellent Links to Provide the Content

Geography Animated - is a geography teacher's internet site with all things Geography. In particular, the site has links to animations on everything that you can think of. Here is just one example on the formation of meanders and ox-bow lakes.

BBC Dimensions - How Big Is It Really?

Scribble Maps

Gapminder - One of my favourite sites for the year. The best tool to compare data on most gobal topics - more than just population and development.

CIA Factbook in Google Earth

Population and Migration - Flight and Expulsion

Show@World

Australian Natural Resource Atas

The image below can be found by selecting the following link: Infographic - Tallest Mountain Deepest Trench.

Source OurAmazingPlanet.com, Exploring the wonder and beauty of planet Earth through exclusive news, features and images.

Using Technology in the Humanities Classroom

2010-08-28T20:47:00.003+10:00

In today's schooling environment, using ICT in the classroom is not necessarily a difficult task. It is not a question of using technology in your lessons, but how effective is the technology you are using? It is useful? Is it integral or an add on? Is it enhancing student learning? You will also need to consider why you need to use technology in the first place. Is it because the curriculum dictates it, or is it an important part of the development of student learning.

The following you tube provides an overview on some of the reasons for the inclusion and effective use of technology in the classroom.... It really does get you thinking...

A Vision of Students Today

The You-Tube above was put together by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor of Digital Ethnography, Kansas State University. Go to mwesch's Channel to access other great videos on the implications of the use of technology in education.

Another great video that provides a similar message is that from Sugata Mitra: Can Kids Teach Themselves. He presented at the TED conference in 2008. Another video that provides insight into the power of technology in education.

Each subject you will teach will have specific technology tools that will be so useful. However, the delivery of your lesson, and the capabilities that technology provides that enable students to collaborate and develop projects is the key. This is why I am a fan of Web 2.0 technology in the classroom. When developing my units of work, and how I will use technology, I consider the following questions:

What impact will it have on what is learnt?
What impact will it have on how students learn?
What impact will it have on where students learn?

I have also found that setting tasks for students that involve the creation and presentation of work using technology has enhanced their learning. You do need to consider the time given to the students to create these tasks, and the outcomes you would like to come from the task. Creating a video, podcast, audio file, music file, comic life, website or a simple powerpoint presentation in one lesson is possible and often consolidates student learning.

What is Web 2.0?

The following You Tube provides an overview of how Web 2.0 has changed the internet.

What is Web 2.0?

View more documents from becnic

The presentation above was something that I created. You can then embed this in your blog using a program called Slideshare. Become a member and then upload your powerpoints. This then allows you to clearly display the content on your blog.

There are new Web 2.0 Tools and Applications popping up everyday. It does become quite daunting trying to keep up with what could be useful to use in applying Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. One site, GO2Web2.0 provides a link to all types of tools and applications. You can search these via category or purpose.

Google Maps and Google Earth

Google Maps and Google Earth allow teachers to link important places and locations with information. I have used Google Maps as an assessment task for Geography students (Steph's Google Map of the Coastal Field Trip). However, history, politics and economics teachers will also find this Web 2.0 tool very useful. Below are some sites which promote the use of Google Maps and Google Earth in the humanities.

Turing's Tape: Google Earth for Humanities
Google Maps for your History Class
Bringing History Alive - Google Earth

ICT Tools to Use in Your Lessons

Wordle

A wordle is a toy that allows you to create word clouds from the text that you provide. They are a great brainstorming tool and allow students to gather their ideas on a topic. Instructions on how to create a wordle can be found by clicking on here. An example of a lesson where I used a wordle can be found here.

Newsmap

Newsmap is a great site that provides a spatial overview of the national or world news. It can be used to look at what the major news events are, but also allows for an anlysis of which news events have not featured, and begin to get the students to think about why.

Searching the Internet

We all know that Google and now Bing are not the only options for searching for information on the internet. Our task as teachers of 21st century students is to develop 'information literacy'. This can be defined as 'the capacity to identify an issue and then to identify, locate and evaluate relevant information in order to engage with it or to solve a problem arising'.

Some really good examples include Tag Galaxy, Arc, Kartoo, Flickr, News Spectrum, Bigspy, Stack, Swarm, Think Map Visual Thesaurus, Google News Cloud and Searchme Visual Search. These are all great sites so take the time to check them out.

YouTube and Online Videos

The popularity of you tube and other video sharing sites has made our life as teachers so much easier. There are issues with these videos, such as who has put them together, the advertisements and the content. However, it means that there are a number of ways that you can display information to your students (think multiple intelligences!) The list below are some sites that I have used to search for videos for my students.

The other issue is finding a video and only taking out the useful sections to embed on your blog. The following application - TubeChop - allows you to chop a funny or interesting section of a You Tube movie and embed it on your blog.

You can also create your own videos using a great program called Xtranormal, which uses the text you input and turns it into a movie. This is a great tool to use to present content or create discussion among students.

Games as an Education Tool

There are so many games, animations and online tools to enhance your lessons in humanities. Simply searching your subject and topic studied will provide a number of links. Once you have found a game, you then need to determine if it will be useful and how you will get your students thinking. Sometimes just playing the game is enough. However, you will need to consider the pre and post game activities in some cases. Some examples of games I have played include:

Darfur is Dying - A game designed to display the desperate and complex situation in Sudan.
BBC History - Viking Quest - Viking Quest takes you back to AD 793. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize? Your chief has set the challenge, it's up to you to respond.
Urban Planning Game - A very very simple game in which students need to design a city. Based on Sim City but the graphics are not as good. Great to get the students thinking about urban planning issues in Geography.

Blogs

I have found blogging to be one of the best Web 2.0 tools available to me in the classroom. As a beginner, this was the easiest way to embed and link files, as well as provide instant access for my students. A blog also allows students to comment. There are a number of options available if you are interested in creating a blog for you class. Possible sites that I know teachers use are Edublogs or Global Teacher.

What is a Blog?

The following is a link to my class blog - Bec's Classes 2010 or RATW. This is my main teaching tool and I usually put together a new post for each lesson.

Video Tutorials for Edublogs are found here

Embedding a Video in Your Blog

The ability to embed movies into a blog is one of the main reasons that blogging is so useful. In my experience You Tube does have the best videos available. I suggest that you subscribe to You Tube, so that you can save favourite videos, as well as upload your own videos to embed on your blog. One issue is that many schools do block access to You Tube. One option is to see if teachers only have access to You Tube so that you can show the video files on your blog.

Great Teacher Blogs

Jess McCulloch - Notes to Self

Mr Robbo - The P.E Geek

Nings
Ning - An online social network that could work like a blog in your classroom. I have used a Ning in my Yr 10 Humanities class to enable students to provide an in-depth look at a leader. This ning was called 'Bec's Race Class - Leaders'

Some examples to have a look at in the education context include:
Ning in Education - Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
The Global Education Collaborative
David Rayner's Page Key Stage 3 Geography Ning

Wikis

I have to admit that I am still not an expert on the use of the wiki. It is a wonderful collaboration tool for students when they are working on a project. It is also particularly useful as we do not have a textbook, and over time it allows both the students and myself to create the content and knowledge needed for senior subjects. The settings on a wiki can also be changed so that they are more private than a blog. This allows the only selected students from selected classes to add to them. Wikis are also great tools to use for professional learning teams. Some wiki platforms that you could use are PB Wiki or Wikispaces.

What is a Wiki?

The following powerpoint provides an overview on how to create your wiki.

Getting Started on Wikispaces

View more presentations from Jess Mcculloch.

Other Resources

The following resources may be useful when putting together your blogs or wikis, or discovering new Web 2.0 technologies for the classroom.

Web2.0 for the Classroom Teacher
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Web 2.0 Tools
Directory of Educational Resources on the Web

Other Technologies to Consider

Podcasts are gradually becoming replaced by videos or vodcasts. However, there are still opportunities for you to subscribe to podcasts or vodcasts via an RSS feed. It is best to link to a Feed such as Google Reader so that you can subscribe to various podcasts and vodcasts. A lesson showing students how to subscribe to RSS Feeds can be found here - Getting Your News Online by Jess McCulloch.

Podcasts can also be recorded by you and uploaded to your blog. This can be done using programs such as Garageband and recorded on your computer. You can also use other applications that link recordings from your mobile phone directly to your blog. One example of this is a application called Utterli.

Mobile Phones and QR Codes

Mobile phones are great tools to use in the classroom. They can make videos, they can take images, they often have GPS locaters, they are calculators and they can record voice. The bluetooth and messaging applications of mobile phones can also be used. I have not used phones too much in the class, other than for basic image, voice and video recording. However, many teachers do. Mr Robbo - The PE Geek is an excellent example. A video that he has posted to You Tube from one of his lessons is below.

Using Web 2.0 Technology in the Geography Classroom

2010-08-14T22:40:00.002+10:00

Today's workshop at GTAV will look specifically at Web 2.0 technology and how this could be used in your Geography classroom.

Overview of the Workshop

What is Web 2.0 Technology?
Web 2.0 Technology to Brainstorm, Create Maps and Share Images
Specific Geography Sites (Google Maps)
Web 2.0 Tools to Collaborate (Blogs and Nings)

So, what is Web 2.0 and why should I want to use it in my classroom?

There needs to be a move towards the use of Web 2.0 technology in the classroom. Studies have shown that students can spend, on average, 31 hours online each week. With current trends, this is set to increase. From my own experience at Coburg Senior High School, benefits of increased student engagement, as well as well developed thinking and questioning due to collaboration online have been obvious amongst the students.

An overview of Web2.0 Technology - What Do You Know?

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

The you tube link below is quite long but provides a great overview of what this Web 2.0 technology actually is. It has been put together by Michael Wesch, lecturer in Digital Ethnography from Kansas University. This particular video focuses on the development of you tube as a way in which people can collaborate and share ideas online.

The Machine is Using Us - An Explanation of Web 2.0 Technology

Finding Web 2.0 tools to use in education can be quite daunting, simply because there are so many. The following site - Go2Web20 (use the e-learning tag) is one example of a site that provides access to various programs and tools that you can use to collaborate online.

Tools to Brainstorm

Wordle - One of my favourite tools to brainstorm or show knowledge of a concept. Students can change the colour and style, as well as categorise the importance of words according to a concept.

Tools to Look at and Share Images or Video

Images
Flickr
Photobucket
Rivers of Ice - Images of the Vanishing Glaciers

Videos

You Tube
Vimeo
Geography Teachers TV

Tools to Create Maps

Scribble Maps - A great tool to create your own maps and then save them....

Google Maps

The following sites provide access to ideas, tools and resources on how to use Google Maps and Google Earth in the classroom.

Google For Educators - The official Google Educators site with information on Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Sky and Google Sketchup

Free Geography Tools - This site is a little more high tech and complicated - for advanced users.

Web 2.0 Sites for Geography

Australian Renewable Energy Atlas - A GIS interactive map with differing layers and particularly renewable energy sources and locations in Australia.

Show/World - A mapping site showing the quantity and consumption of resource. Great animations!

Electrocity - A great game comparing the positives and negatives of renewable energy vs fossil fuels.

Footprint Calculator - The best footprint calculator I have found.

Gapminder - A great site for social sustainability. So much information is available in terms of development indicators and explanations of these. A great geography source in general.

Google Sketchup - This is a program that allows students to design their own buildings and then locate these on Google Maps or Google Earth. A great tool to use if you are considering a task that involves designing a 'Sustainable' building.

Collaborating Online

Blogs

A blog allows you to have your own internet site of information, links, videos and images. You can embed videos from you tube or other online movies sources, or you can make your own. A great description of how a blog works is below.

I use blogs everyday in the classroom. They allow me to provide an overview of the work covered, videos, links to great resources and the tasks to be completed. They are easy to make and maintain, however you do need to consider that all information is available to the public. My class blogs are below:

Bec's Classes 2010
Race Around the World 2010

One of the better blogging platforms for education is Edublogs.

Other Resources

Global Teacher - This site provides access to teacher and student blogs across Australia. Great for ideas on how to present your blog, or how to use it in the classroom.

Wikis

The world's most famous wiki is Wikipedia. Wiki's allow users to collaborate and create pages by uploading, adding and editing information. In terms of education, wikis provide the ability for a teacher to allow students to create the content and discuss ideas. Teachers can control the levels of privacy and the levels in which students can add or change information.

Wiki Platforms include Wikispaces and PBWiki.

Other Resources

Wikis in Education
Educational Wikis

Nings

A ning is very similar to social networking sites like facebook, but allow you to control access from the public, and how each student contributes. I have used a Ning in the classroom, and the students found it to be very effective in discussing or commenting on information, movies or pictures.

Bec's Race Class - Leaders

To create a Ning, go to Ning.com and follow the prompts...

A ning for geography teachers - Australian Geography Teachers

Some Other Resources

Schoology - Similar to facebook but something you can use with all of your classes. Watch the introductory video to get an idea.

Twiducate - Twitter, but in a more controlled environment for education.

SurveyMonkey - Survey Monkey is a great tool to create online surveys with your classes. If you want to have more than ten questions, you will have to pay but the survey links, as well as data collection is well worth the costs. Great for Geography data collection.

To Finish.....

You can always find something great on youtube. It is a great way to start a Geography class on, even if it is just for a laugh.....

Teaching Sustainability with Web 2.0 Technology

2010-07-29T21:11:00.008+10:00

Today's workshop will look specifically at Web 2.0 technology and how this could be used effectively to teach sustainability.

Overview of the Workshop

What is Web 2.0 Technology?
Web 2.0 Technology to Brainstorm, Create Maps and Share Images
Specific Sustainability Sites (Sketchup)
Web 2.0 Tools to Collaborate (Blogs and Nings)

What is Web 2.0?

View more presentations from Rebecca Nicholas.

The you tube link below is quite long but provides a great overview of what this Web 2.0 technology actually is. It has been put together by Michael Wesch, lecturer in Digital Ethnography from Kansas University. This particular video focuses on the development of you tube as a way in which people can collaborate and share ideas online.

The Machine is Using Us - An Explanation of Web 2.0 Technology

Finding Web 2.0 tools to use in education can be quite daunting, simply because there are so many. The following site - Go2Web20 (use the e-learning tag) is one example of a site that provides access to various programs and tools that you can use to collaborate online.

Tools to Brainstorm

Wordle - One of my favourite tools to brainstorm or show knowledge of a concept. Students can change the colour and style, as well as categorise the importance of words according to a concept.

Tools to Look at and Share Images or Video

Images
Flickr
Photobucket
Rivers of Ice - Images of the Vanishing Glaciers

Videos
You Tube
Vimeo
Geography Teachers TV

Tools to Create Maps

Scribble Maps - A great tool to create your own maps and then save them....

Google Maps

The following sites provide access to ideas, tools and resources on how to use Google Maps and Google Earth in the classroom.

Google For Educators - The official Google Educators site with information on Google Maps, Google Earth, Google Sky and Google Sketchup

Free Geography Tools - This site is a little more high tech and complicated - for advanced users.

Web 2.0 Sites for Sustainability

Australian Renewable Energy Atlas - A GIS interactive map with differing layers and particularly renewable energy sources and locations in Australia.

Show/World - A mapping site showing the quantity and consumption of resource. Great animations!

Electrocity - A great game comparing the positives and negatives of renewable energy vs fossil fuels.

Footprint Calculator - The best footprint calculator I have found.

Gapminder - A great site for social sustainability. So much information is available in terms of development indicators and explanations of these. A great geography source in general.

Google Sketchup - This is a program that allows students to design their own buildings and then locate these on Google Maps or Google Earth. A great tool to use if you are considering a task that involves designing a 'Sustainable' building.

Collaborating Online

Blogs

A blog allows you to have your own internet site of information, links, videos and images. You can embed videos from you tube or other online movies sources, or you can make your own. A great description of how a blog works is below.

I use blogs everyday in the classroom. They allow me to provide an overview of the work covered, videos, links to great resources and the tasks to be completed. They are easy to make and maintain, however you do need to consider that all information is available to the public. My class blogs are below:

Bec's Classes 2010
Race Around the World 2010

One of the better blogging platforms for education is Edublogs.

Other Resources

Global Teacher - This site provides access to teacher and student blogs across Australia. Great for ideas on how to present your blog, or how to use it in the classroom.

Wikis

The world's most famous wiki is Wikipedia. Wiki's allow users to collaborate and create pages by uploading, adding and editing information. In terms of education, wikis provide the ability for a teacher to allow students to create the content and discuss ideas. Teachers can control the levels of privacy and the levels in which students can add or change information.

Wiki Platforms include Wikispaces and PBWiki.

Other Resources

Wikis in Education
Educational Wikis

Nings

A ning is very similar to social networking sites like facebook, but allow you to control access from the public, and how each student contributes. I have used a Ning in the classroom, and the students found it to be very effective in discussing or commenting on information, movies or pictures.

Bec's Race Class - Leaders

To create a Ning, go to Ning.com and follow the prompts...

A ning for geography teachers - Australian Geography Teachers

Some Other Resources

Schoology - Similar to facebook but something you can use with all of your classes. Watch the introductory video to get an idea.

Twiducate - Twitter, but in a more controlled environment for education.

SurveyMonkey - Survey Monkey is a great tool to create online surveys with your classes. If you want to have more than ten questions, you will have to pay but the survey links, as well as data collection is well worth the costs. Great for Geography data collection.

To Finish.....

You can always find something great on youtube. A great way to start a Geography class on Sustainability, even if it is just for a laugh.....

GTAV Presentation - Spatial Technologies from Scratch

2010-05-05T07:26:00.002+10:00

Today we are going to be looking at a number of online spatial technology applications, as well as how to use Google Maps in the classroom. Below are the links that you will need throughout the workshop:

MapZone - Ordnance Survey

WWF Wildfinder

GeoScience Australia - Sentinel Hotspots

Australian Natural Resource Atlas

For more links and information, go to the Contour Education website links page.

Google Maps

The handout provided at the workshop will provide an overview on how to use Google Maps in the classroom. Below is one example of how it can be used - Bec's Classes.

View Coastal Field Trip in a larger map

The following is a youtube providing step by step instructions.

VCE Geography Conference - Unit 1 Fieldwork - Coasts

2009-11-29T10:39:00.010+11:00

This was the first time I had taught VCE Geography (in comparison to Senior Geography in QLD). Therefore it was very much a case of trial and error! However, luckily for me I found that the fieldwork I put together on coasts, plus the tasks associated with it worked really well. This session will provide an overview of the coastal fieldwork, but also how I incorporated Google Maps as an assessment task for my students.

Unit 1 VCE Geography includes the following outcomes:

Outcome One
On the completion of this unit the student should be able to describe the geographic characteristics of at least two natural environments, and explain how they are developed by natural processes, including extreme natural events.

Outcome Two
On the completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and explain the the changes in natural environments due to natural processes and human activity.

When planning the unit of work, I decided that it we would definitely look at coasts as an example of a natural environment. This is where the important fieldwork component would exist. From this, we would then look at two other environments of student choice. They chose Mountains and Rainforests.

I then used the key knowledge and skills within the outcomes to put together my coastal unit and fieldwork assessment task. The key knowledge and skills associated with the fieldtrip included:

Key Knowledge

Geographic characteristics of natural environments (O1)
Natural processes and factors that create natural environments (O1)
Types of changes to natural environments produced by natural processes and by human activity
Nature, rate and scale of interactions between natural environments and human activity (O2)
The impact of change on natural environments and on human activity (o2)
The importance of the interactions between natural processes and human activity in influencing changes to natural environments, including the management of change (O2)

Key Skills

Conduct fieldwork at a local site and collect data (O1&2)
Collect, sort, process and represent spatial data related to formation of natural environments using a range of geographic techniques and media, that may include fieldwork data (O1&2)
Describe and analyse data about changes to natural processes produced by the interaction between natural processes and human activity (O2)

Field Trip Preparation
The following blog post provides an overview of the work we did on coastal processes before going on a field trip - Understanding Coasts. We also practiced field sketches and observations in the field around the school. A great tip is to use Google Earth or Google Maps to show the students where they would be going on the field trip, and specific characteristics to look out for at each location. The satellite imagery on these sites is great for this (including Street View)

Coastal Field Trip - Northshore Coast

During the Fieldtrip

Students completed a number of tasks as outlined in the fieldtrip booklet. They also knew to take photos and videos as they would need these when we returned to school.

Coastal Fieldwork Booklet

View more documents from Rebecca Nicholas.

The Assessment Task

Coastal Fieldwork Assessment Task

View more documents from Rebecca Nicholas.

The following link provides access to my classroom blog, that provided more detail on completing the assessment tasks - Coastal Fieldwork - Your Assignment

Task two of the four tasks required the students to create a Google Map of the field trip, that also provided an overview of the geographic characteristics and natural characteristics at each of the beaches. Diagrams of the processes (eg. Longshore Drift, Wave Refraction, Dune building) plus images needed to be included.

Before I launched into the Google Maps task, I introduced students to the idea of spatial technologies and GIS, plus how a Google My Maps works in different contexts. This gave them some idea of why I wanted them to present their assignment in this way. You could look at a number of sites such as the CSIRO Sentinal Bushfire site, Mapzone or Reefbase. I found this youtube was a funny way to present an overall view of what we were doing!

Rather than teaching the students step-by-step instructions, I simply posted a 'How To' You Tube like the one below, and the students used this. I also had a paper 'How To' copy uploaded to the school network. This way, students could work in their own time on completing tasks.

How to Create a 'My Map' in Google Maps

Some Helpful Hints

You will need to consider the following when getting students to use Google Maps as a task:
Students need to sign up to Gmail so you will need to ensure that this is done prior to the lesson as they need to confirm their accounts. You will also need to check with the IT department to see if Gmail is blocked at school, and the possibility of this being open for your class.
Images need a url or web address to be linked to the various locations. Therefore, either you or your students will need to upload the images you take on the fieldtrip to an image hosting site, eg. Flickr, Photobucket etc. This can be problematic if these sites are blocked at school. The other option is to get the IT department to create a website and upload your images to this, so that these can be put into and viewed on each of the maps.

Example of a Student's Coastal Fieldwork Map

View Coastal Field Trip in a larger map

To submit the Google Map, students can invite you as a collaborator to look at the map or they can email you a link. This will allow you to view the maps.

Overall, this task was great as it really indicated those students who understood the coastal processes in relation to the location of each of the coastal areas we visited. It also helped them work out where we actually went following the field trip.

This task can be a little bit tricky in terms of management of access to maps, but sitting with each student and ensuring that they send you the link to the map makes this fool proof.

Presentation at Melbourne University - Using ICT in Humanities

2009-09-09T17:47:00.008+10:00

What impact will it have on what is learnt?
What impact will it have on how students learn?
What impact will it have on where students learn?

I have also found that setting tasks for students that involve the creation and presentation of work using technology has enhanced their learning. You do need to consider the time given to the students to create these tasks, and the outcomes you would like to come from the task. Creating a video, podcast, audio file, music file, comic life, website or a simple powerpoint presentation in one lesson is possible and often consolidates student learning. An example is a task I set for the students to create a stop motion movie on the colonisation of an African country in International Politics. Click here to see my blog post that outlines the task.

What is Web 2.0?

The following You Tube provides an overview of how Web 2.0 has changed the internet.

What is Web 2.0?

View more documents from becnic

The presentation above was something that I created. You can then embed this in your blog using a program called Slideshare. Become a member and then upload your powerpoints. This then allows you to clearly display the content on your blog.

There are new Web 2.0 Tools and Applications popping up everyday. It does become quite daunting trying to keep up with what could be useful to use in applying Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. One site, GO2Web2.0 provides a link to all types of tools and applications. You can search these via category or purpose.

Google Maps and Google Earth

Google Maps and Google Earth allow teachers to link important places and locations with information. I have used Google Maps as an assessment task for Geography students (Steph's Google Map of the Coastal Field Trip). However, history, politics and economics teachers will also find this Web 2.0 tool very useful. Below are some sites which promote the use of Google Maps and Google Earth in the humanities.

Turing's Tape: Google Earth for Humanities
Google Maps for your History Class
Bringing History Alive - Google Earth

ICT Tools to Use in Your Lessons

Wordle

A wordle is a toy that allows you to create word clouds from the text that you provide. They are a great brainstorming tool and allow students to gather their ideas on a topic. Instructions on how to create a wordle can be found by clicking on here. An example of a lesson where I used a wordle can be found here.

Newsmap

Newsmap is a great site that provides a spatial overview of the national or world news. It can be used to look at what the major news events are, but also allows for an anlysis of which news events have not featured, and begin to get the students to think about why.

Searching the Internet

We all know that Google and now Bing not the only option for searching for information on the internet. Our task as teachers of 21st century students is to develop 'information literacy'. This can be defined as 'the capacity to identify an issue and then to identify, locate and evaluate relevant information in order to engage with it or to solve a problem arising'.

Some really good examples include Tag Galaxy, Arc, Kartoo, Flickr, News Spectrum, Bigspy, Stack, Swarm, Think Map Visual Thesaurus, Google News Cloud and Searchme Visual Search. These are all great sites so take the time to check them out.

YouTube and Online Videos

The popularity of you tube and other video sharing sites has made our life as teachers so much easier. There are issues with these videos, such as who has put them together, the advertisements and the content. However, it means that there are a number of ways that you can display information to your students (think multiple intelligences!) The list below are some sites that I have used to search for videos for my students.

The other issue is finding a video and only taking out the useful sections to embed on your blog. The following application - TubeChop - allows you to chop a funny or interesting section of a You Tube movie and embed it on your blog.

Games as an Education Tool

There are so many games, animations and online tools to enhance your lessons in humanities. Simply searching your subject and topic studied will provide a number of links. Once you have found a game, you then need to determine if it will be useful and how you will get your students thinking. Sometimes just playing the game is enough. However, you will need to consider the pre and post game activities in some cases. Some examples of games I have played include:

Darfur is Dying - A game designed to display the desperate and complex situation in Sudan.
BBC History - Viking Quest - Viking Quest takes you back to AD 793. Can you build a ship, cross the seas, loot a monastery and return home to claim your prize? Your chief has set the challenge, it's up to you to respond.
Urban Planning Game - A very very simple game in which students need to design a city. Based on Sim City but the graphics are not as good. Great to get the students thinking about urban planning issues in Geography.

Blogs

I have found blogging to be one of the best Web 2.0 tools available to me in the classroom. As a beginner, this was the easiest way to embed and link files, as well as provide instant access for my students. A blog also allows students to comment. There are a number of options available if you are interested in creating a blog for you class. Possible sites that I know teachers use are Edublogs or Global Teacher.

What is a Blog?

The following is a link to my class blog - Bec's Classes. This is my main teaching tool and I usually put together a new post for each lesson.

Video Tutorials for Edublogs are found here

Embedding a Video in Your Blog

The ability to embed movies into a blog is one of the main reasons that blogging is so useful. In my experience You Tube does have the best videos available. I suggest that you subscribe to You Tube, so that you can save favourite videos, as well as upload your own videos to embed on your blog. One issue is that many schools do block access to You Tube. One option is to see if teachers only have access to You Tube so that you can show the video files on your blog.

Great Teacher Blogs

Jess McCulloch - Notes to Self

Mr Robbo - The P.E Geek

Wikis

I have to admit that I am still not an expert on the use of the wiki. It is a wonderful collaboration tool for students when they are working on a project. It is also particularly useful as we do not have a textbook, and over time it allows both the students and myself to create the content and knowledge needed for senior subjects. The settings on a wiki can also be changed so that they are more private than a blog. This allows the only selected students from selected classes to add to them. Wikis are also great tools to use for professional learning teams. Some wiki platforms that you could use are PB Wiki or Wikispaces.

What is a Wiki?

The following powerpoint provides an overview on how to create your wiki.

Getting Started on Wikispaces

View more presentations from Jess Mcculloch.

Podcasts

Podcasts are gradually becoming replaced by videos or vodcasts. However, there are still opportunities for you to subscribe to podcasts or vodcasts via an RSS feed. It is best to link to a Feed such as Google Reader so that you can subscribe to various podcasts and vodcasts. A lesson showing students how to subscribe to RSS Feeds can be found here - Getting Your News Online by Jess McCulloch.

Podcasts can also be recorded by you and uploaded to your blog. This can be done using programs such as Garageband and recorded on your computer. You can also use other applications that link recordings from your mobile phone directly to your blog. One example of this is a application called Utterli.

Other Resources

The following resources may be useful when putting together your blogs or wikis, or discovering new Web 2.0 technologies for the classroom.

Web2.0 for the Classroom Teacher
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Web 2.0 Tools
Directory of Educational Resources on the Web

Other Technologies to Consider

Nings
Ning - An online social network that could work like a blog in your classroom. Some examples to have a look at in the education context include:
Ning in Education - Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
The Global Education Collaborative
David Rayner's Page Key Stage 3 Geography Ning

Mobile Phones and QR Codes

Mobile phones are great tools to use in the classroom. They can make videos, they can take images, they often have GPS locaters, they are calculators and they can record voice. The bluetooth and messaging applications of mobile phones can also be used. I have not used phones too much in the class, other than for basic image, voice and video recording. However, many teachers do. Mr Robbo - The PE Geek is an excellent example. A video that he has posted to You Tube from one of his lessons is below.

GTAV Conference 2009 - Using Spatial Technologies without a Fuss!

2009-08-22T20:37:00.002+10:00

Spatial technologies have been the buzz word in Geography for a number of years now. We have all tried at some stage to attempt to implement some form of spatial technologies in our classroom with varying degrees of success. The main impediments to the introduction of these technologies have previously been issues with time and cost.

However, this is no longer the case. The importance of spatial information has meant that there are a large number of free, online sites available for use to access and use. The wonderful thing about these sites is that there is minimal preparation needed, and they are generally easy to use (as long as you have the internet!).

This presentation will provide an overview of what spatial technologies are, why you should use them and how they can be used in the Geography classroom. Specific time will be spent on various sites, including Google maps. I will also show you some maps my students have created following a coastal field trip.

So, why are spatial technologies needed in the classroom?

Improving spatial literacy among our students is important. The National Geographic-roper Public Affairs (NG-RPA) 2006 Literacy Study found that six in ten young Americans aged 18 to 24 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East; one-third could not find Louisiana on a map of the United States; and most incredibly, when given a hypothetical map and told they could escape an approaching hurricane by evacuating north-west, one-third would travel in the wrong direction.

The image below may provide humorous (but not really!) evidence of this.

Or there is always an oldie but a goody - Miss Carolina 2007.

And her second attempt...

Before we start looking at sites, we must understand what spatial technologies are. The slideshow below was one that I have put together and uploaded to slideshare.

Using Spatial Technologies in the Geography Classroom

View more presentations from becnic.

Funny Movies about GPS

Google Maps and Streetview

Examples of Online Spatial Technologies

The following link will allow you to view and download a document that contains heaps of online resources that you can use in the classroom. We will look at some in more detail today.

Spatial Technology Resources for Teachers

View more documents from becnic.

MapZone
This would have to be the best online GIS site that is available free for students. The activities are clear and engaging, and introduce the students the idea of what GIS is and how it works. The following link - Creating Our Own Digital Landscape - is an example of how I used Mapzone in the classroom.

Sentinel Hotspots
Sentinel is a national bushfire monitoring system that provides timely information about hotspots to emergency services managers across Australia. The mapping system allows users to identify fire locations with a potential risk to communities and properties.

FluTracker
This map and the data behind it were compiled by Dr. Henry Niman, a biomedical researcher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, using technology provided by Rhiza Labs and Google. The map is compiled using data from official sources, news reports and user-contributions and updated multiple times per day. A great tool to track the outbreak of swine flu.

US Crime Reports.com
This map provides detailed crime statistic data for cities in the US. A great tool to look at patterns and the prevalence of differing types of crime. A pity Australia hasn't put something like this together.

Google Maps

Google Maps is developing into one of the most amazing and accessible sites for Geography teachers to utilise. Using Google Maps you are able to create your own maps using My Maps, add text and images to a point, and then email this tour to someone else.

The following link will take you to a task I created for my Unit 1 (equivalent to Year 11) Geography class - Bec's Classes - Coastal Fieldwork: Your Assessment Task. Using images and data collected from the fieldtrip, my students created their own map. An example of a student's assessment task can be viewed by clicking here - Coastal Fieldtrip Google Map by Stephanie Kosth.

A new Google Map application is the Scribble Map. This allows the user to draw on a google map, place markers and text, create a custom widget, save the file and then send it to friends. The application of spatial brainstorming and sketching in class, saving the file and then uploading it to a blog or the intranet is real.

Your Task

Create a Google Maps 'My Map' of a trip around your local area. As you will not have any photos, use Flickr and the url of these images to practice linking images to a point. The following You Tube movie provides a step-by-step overview of how to create your map. Thanks to Mick Law from Contour Education for creating this.

As an alternative, you could create your own 'Love Map'. See below.

Google Earth also provides a number of opportunities for your class, including the creation of tours. Any maps you create with Google Maps are interchangeable with Google Earth. Mick Law from Contour Education has also put together resources on how to use Google Earth in the Geography classroom. Google Earth Resources for Geography Teachers provides a multitude of resources for Geography teachers on how to use Google Earth in the classroom. This site was established and maintained by a UK Geography teacher.

Other Resources

Mapping Worlds
This site allows you to view various interesting pieces of data (death penalty, women in parliament, cattle etc) with a slightly different perspective. You will be shown a map that changes the size of each country according to its value of that data.

Twittervision 3d
This site is spatial technologies meets Web 2.0. It displays the real time location of tweets from around the world. Very interesting to use if you are looking at the spread of news on geographical issues.

Other resources can also be found on previous blog posts of this blog.

GTAV Conference 2009 - Using Wikis and Blogs in Geography

2009-08-22T20:27:00.002+10:00

Today's workshop will provide an overview of some of the technologies I have discovered and how I use them in the classroom. Following a short presentation on what Web 2.0 is, and some of the online tools available, I will show you some of my examples. Then we will set up our own blog, embed You Tube links and look at some other tools that could come in handy.

This year I began teaching at Coburg Senior High School. The school has a unique open plan design which incorporates learning commons rather than classrooms. Student and staff learning is enhanced by an IT rich environment. We do not use textbooks and there are no whiteboards. Teachers therefore need to find ways of teaching that both enhance student learning and use the technology that is provided. So, my challenge this year was to find a way to use some of the Web 2.0 Technology so that is effective in the classroom. My experience is quite limited, and I have learnt by watching other teachers at school, trial and error and using teacher blogs from other schools.

What is Web 2.0?

The following You Tube provides an overview of how Web 2.0 has changed the internet.

What is Web 2.0?

View more documents from becnic.

The presentation above was something that I created. You can then embed this in your blog using a program called Slideshare. Become a member and then upload your powerpoints. This then allows you to clearly display the content on your blog.

There are new Web 2.0 Tools and Applications popping up everyday. It does become quite daunting trying to keep up with what could be useful to use in applying Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. One site, GO2Web2.0 provides a link to all types of tools and applications. You can search these via category or purpose.

Your Task

Following the You Tube movie and presentation, what do you understand about Web 2.0 and the applications it has in the classroom? Using a wordle, brainstorm your ideas.

A wordle is a toy that allows you to create word clouds from the text that you provide. Instructions on how to create a wordle can be found by clicking on here.

An example of a lesson where I used a wordle can be found here.

Blogs

I have found blogging to be one of the best Web 2.0 tools available to me in the classroom. As a beginner, this was the easiest way to embed and link files, as well as provide instant access for my students. A blog also allows students to comment. There are a number of options available if you are interested in creating a blog for you class. Possible sites that I know teachers use are Edublogs or Global Teacher.

The following is a link to my class blog - Bec's Classes. This is my main teaching tool and I usually put together a new post for each lesson.

Video Tutorials for Edublogs are found here

Embedding a Video in Your Blog

The ability to embed movies into a blog is one of the main reasons that blogging is so useful. In my experience You Tube does have the best videos available. I suggest that you subscribe to You Tube, so that you can save favourite videos, as well as upload your own videos to embed on your blog. One issue is that many schools do block access to You Tube. One option is to see if teachers only have access to You Tube so that you can show the video files on your blog. There are also other options available. These include:

The other issue is finding a video and only taking out the useful sections to embed on your blog. The following application - TubeChop - allows you to chop a funny or interesting section of a You Tube movie and embed it on your blog.

Your Task

Sign up and create a blog using a site of your choice. Once you have created your account, you will need to write your first post. You are to design a Geography lesson on Natural Hazards. This is the introductory lesson, and will need to provide a number of tasks and links. The minimum requirements of this task include:

embed a movie
upload a picture
create a number of links to various sites

Wikis

I have to admit that I am still not an expert on the use of the wiki. It is a wonderful collaboration tool for students when they are working on a project. It is also particularly useful as we do not have a textbook, and over time it allows both the students and myself to create the content and knowledge needed for senior subjects. The settings on a wiki can also be changed so that they are more private than a blog. This allows the only selected students from selected classes to add to them. Wikis are also great tools to use for professional learning teams. Some wiki platforms that you could use are PB Wiki or Wikispaces.

The following powerpoint provides an overview on how to create your wiki.

Getting Started on Wikispaces

View more presentations from Jess Mcculloch.

Podcasts

Podcasts are gradually becoming replaced by videos or vodcasts. However, there are still opportunities for you to subscribe to podcasts or vodcasts via an RSS feed. It is best to link to a Feed such as Google Reader so that you can subscribe to various podcasts and vodcasts. A lesson showing students how to subscribe to RSS Feeds can be found here - Getting Your News Online by Jess McCulloch.

Podcasts can also be recorded by you and uploaded to your blog. This can be done using programs such as Garageband and recorded on your computer. You can also use other applications that link recordings from your mobile phone directly to your blog. One example of this is a application called Utterli.

Other Resources and Tools

The following resources may be useful when putting together your blogs or wikis, or discovering new Web 2.0 technologies for the classroom.

Web2.0 for the Classroom Teacher
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Web 2.0 Tools
Directory of Educational Resources on the Web

Ning - An online social network that could work like a blog in your classroom. Some examples to have a look at in the education context include:
Ning in Education - Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
The Global Education Collaborative
David Rayner's Page Key Stage 3 Geography Ning

Great Teacher Blogs

Jess McCulloch - Notes to Self

Mr Robbo - The P.E Geek

GTAQ Conference 2009 - Keynote Presentation

2009-08-01T09:09:00.010+10:00

The keynote at the GTAQ Conference was presented by John Byrne, Adjunct Professor in Urban Design at QUT. The title of his presentation was Matters of Human Well-Being, Crime, Urban Design, Democracy and Sustainability: Any Common Threads?

The first point that I found really interesting was the idea of using urban design to support crime prevention and safety. The CPED - Crime Prevention through Environmental Design provided a bridge between planning and the needs of the police. It also investigates the changes in communities and their demography, and how this impacts on both crime and urban design. John made a very interesting point on the psychology of people and the difference between a caring community and a gated community. The idea that a resident should care about what is going on in the street outside their house is interesting. Would you go outside and help someone if they were in trouble? I think I would like to say yes - but the nature of a gated community has changed this.

John also showed a page from a 1950's planning textbook that compared the difference between a model of what was considered 'bad' and what was considered 'good' at the time. It was really cool to see that what was considered 'good' practice at the time - cul-de-sacs (sic). green space scattered in areas, and dead ends have actually decreased the level of safety in our urban communities. Considering that many residential developers have used this model up until the late 90's is quite scary. The other interesting point is that our homes are no longer of the same structure - the mum, dad and three kids has totally changed, and with it the styles and types of dwellings.

The idea of a sense of connection to the street really made me think. In the CBD, how many buildings have podium carparking (levels 1-4 of a building are car parks) destroy the connection to the street. One building was structured with 11 levels of car parking and John stated that this would not change. The other really interesting statement was the fact that certain buildings trying to be sustainable have so many apparatus on the outside that it is very difficult to see out. What is happening at the base of large buildings in connection with links to the street? How well does the layout of the neighbourhood encourage the active use of the public realm?

The structure of an actual street I found fascinating and I have to admit that I never really thought about it. If a street has houses that do not face each other they are less likely to interact. I had considered the danger of loopy cul-de-sacs, but I had never thought about the way in which houses should face so that this would promote interaction. The actual structure of commercial areas follow this thinking. The then relating issues with traffic congestion are made by the way in which the planning grid is structure. The structure of planning grids in cities is definitely something that I want to look at.

Brisbane does have a connection with the river. However, has planning allowed a connection to this river, particularly taking into account the meander bends. Simply having a path along the river does not allow this connectivity, as street grids cannot run to the river due to developments actually along the river. This is another aspect of urban planning that I had never considered before.

The idea of a nuclei models that have created the 'Westfields' creating a blockage in the community and issues with safety. The comparison of the actual planning and structure of the Brisbane universities was also great. Comparing how large the CBD grid to the size of the universities and how the structure of each faces the community was also an interesting point. If universities want to relate to the community, does their strucure allow this? The urban village at Kelvin Grove does allow for this to some extent. The roads flow through the area, and the actual university buildings are scattered throughout commercial buildings and housing. It is designed about a main street. Some of the actual images John presented of buildings in Brisbane do not allow for interaction with the community. GOMA, the QLD Museum and the Council building in the CBD all indicate a huge aversion interacting with the street.

Public transport is critical in terms of climate change, and the way that urban planning allows for community interaction is critical in improving the use of public transport. John spoke of the actual needs of the commuter - the route, the place, the trip and then the following trip. Public transport planners need to consider the needs of those commuters in terms of the entire journey, rather than just the actual trip on the train or the bus. Community planning needs to take all of this in.

The implications that this design has on health is also important. Obesity and dimentia were mentioned. Can the cty be strucutred to make use laugh? Are buildings designed with colour? Where are kids able to interact with the CBD? What about spiritual areas?

Overall, John has suggested that the social structure and impact of a city is influenced by design. Planners to need to go back to Maslows heiracy. Doxiadis is a planner who looks at the needs of the communities emotions when putting together planning. How well are we planning to meet people's needs? Are we dealing with the social sustainability. CUrrently we have an inventory or shopping list of what we need in a city. John stated that the essence of a city is the public realm and their needs. The question is 'Who owns this place?' Who owns a Westfield? Are the lower socio-economic groups catered for in planning in the CBD? Is there democracy in the city? Does the city allow space for rallies, promoting opinions? What are the connections with the past, the place and with nature?

I found this keynote to be a great thinking tool for how I am going to teach urban planning this term. We have just looked at the various urban land use models (concentric zone, hoyte's sector model and multiple nuclie model). However, the actual interaction of the community in various examples will definitely be my lesson next week. What are human needs and emotions, and how are they represented in urban planning? Thinking..... thinking.....

GTAQ Conference 2009 - Using Spatial Technologies in the Geography Classroom

2009-07-30T23:14:00.011+10:00

Spatial technologies have been the buzz word in Geography for a number of years now. We have all tried at some stage to attempt to implement some form of spatial technologies in our classroom with varying degrees of success. The main impediments to the introduction of these technologies have previously been issues with time and cost.

However, this is no longer the case. The importance of spatial information has meant that there are a large number of free, online sites available for use to access and use. The wonderful thing about these sites is that there is minimal preparation needed, and they are generally easy to use (as long as you have the internet!).

This presentation will provide an overview of what spatial technologies are, why you should use them and how they can be used in the Geography classroom. Specific time will be spent on various sites, including Google maps. I will also show you some maps my students have created following a coastal field trip.

So, why are spatial technologies needed in the classroom?

Improving spatial literacy among our students is important. The National Geographic-roper Public Affairs (NG-RPA) 2006 Literacy Study found that six in ten young Americans aged 18 to 24 could not find Iraq on a map of the Middle East; one-third could not find Louisiana on a map of the United States; and most incredibly, when given a hypothetical map and told they could escape an approaching hurricane by evacuating north-west, one-third would travel in the wrong direction.

The image below may provide humorous (but not really!) evidence of this.

Before we start looking at sites, we must understand what spatial technologies are. The slideshow below was one that I have put together and uploaded to slideshare.

Using Spatial Technologies in the Geography Classroom

View more presentations from becnic.

Spatial Technology Resources for Teachers

View more documents from becnic.

Other resources can also be found on previous blog posts of this blog.

GTAQ Conference 2009: Using Web 2.0 Technology in the Geography Classroom

2009-07-30T18:27:00.035+10:00

What is Web 2.0?

View more documents from becnic.

The presentation above was something that I created. You can then embed this in your blog using a program called Slideshare. Become a member and then upload your powerpoints. This then allows you to clearly display the content on your blog.

There are new Web 2.0 Tools and Applications popping up everyday. It does become quite daunting trying to keep up with what could be useful to use in applying Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. One site, GO2Web2.0 provides a link to all types of tools and applications. You can search these via category or purpose.

Your Task

Following the You Tube movie and presentation, what do you understand about Web 2.0 and the applications it has in the classroom? Using a wordle, brainstorm your ideas.

A wordle is a toy that allows you to create word clouds from the text that you provide. Instructions on how to create a wordle can be found by clicking on here.

An example of a lesson where I used a wordle can be found here.

Blogs

I have found blogging to be one of the best Web 2.0 tools available to me in the classroom. As a beginner, this was the easiest way to embed and link files, as well as provide instant access for my students. A blog also allows students to comment. There are a number of options available if you are interested in creating a blog for you class. Possible sites that I know teachers use are Edublogs or Global Teacher.

The following is a link to my class blog - Bec's Classes. This is my main teaching tool and I usually put together a new post for each lesson.

Video Tutorials for Edublogs are found here

Embedding a Video in Your Blog

The ability to embed movies into a blog is one of the main reasons that blogging is so useful. In my experience You Tube does have the best videos available. I suggest that you subscribe to You Tube, so that you can save favourite videos, as well as upload your own videos to embed on your blog. One issue is that many schools do block access to You Tube. One option is to see if teachers only have access to You Tube so that you can show the video files on your blog. There are also other options available. These include:

The other issue is finding a video and only taking out the useful sections to embed on your blog. The following application - TubeChop - allows you to chop a funny or interesting section of a You Tube movie and embed it on your blog.

Your Task

Sign up and create a blog using a site of your choice. Once you have created your account, you will need to write your first post. You are to design a Geography lesson on Natural Hazards. This is the introductory lesson, and will need to provide a number of tasks and links. The minimum requirements of this task include:

embed a movie
upload a picture
create a number of links to various sites

Getting Started on Wikispaces

View more presentations from Jess Mcculloch.

Podcasts

Podcasts are gradually becoming replaced by videos or vodcasts. However, there are still opportunities for you to subscribe to podcasts or vodcasts via an RSS feed. It is best to link to a Feed such as Google Reader so that you can subscribe to various podcasts and vodcasts. A lesson showing students how to subscribe to RSS Feeds can be found here - Getting Your News Online by Jess McCulloch.

Podcasts can also be recorded by you and uploaded to your blog. This can be done using programs such as Garageband and recorded on your computer. You can also use other applications that link recordings from your mobile phone directly to your blog. One example of this is a application called Utterli.

Other Resources and Tools

The following resources may be useful when putting together your blogs or wikis, or discovering new Web 2.0 technologies for the classroom.

Web2.0 for the Classroom Teacher
Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators - Web 2.0 Tools
Directory of Educational Resources on the Web

Ning - An online social network that could work like a blog in your classroom. Some examples to have a look at in the education context include:
Ning in Education - Using Ning for Educational Social Networks
The Global Education Collaborative
David Rayner's Page Key Stage 3 Geography Ning

Great Teacher Blogs

Jess McCulloch - Notes to Self

Mr Robbo - The P.E Geek

The Crazy World of Twitter and Geography

2009-03-16T09:35:00.007+11:00

Prior to this year, I had no idea what Twitter was, or how it worked. However, this new online digital landscape has provided another avenue for people to share their ideas. Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

It appears that most people don't really understand what twitter is. A funny overview from the Daily Show.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Twitter Frenzy

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

And why people love twitter....

And an even funnier version - The Trouble with Twitter....

So, what does Twitter have to do with Geography. As I have already discussed on a previous blog entry, 80% of all information on the internet is now stored spatially (by location). Where people 'twitter' and what they 'twitter' about, provides an excellent analysis of what is occuring in specific locations around the world. An example of this is the interactive Superbowl Twitter map put together by the New York Times. The relationships between what people were 'tweeting' about in relationship to the game, where they were 'tweeting' from, and what they 'tweeted' at each stage of the game could be discussed.

The combination of social media sites (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube) and locational information could prove to be a great relationship. The following article from Fortune Magazine Geography, Social Media and Breakfast highlights the movement towards representing the social media sites in a spatial way. The article discusses twittervision and its inventor, David Troy. Twittervision is a map that automatically updates with each tweet around the globe. The 3D version can be found at twittervision3D. (Along the same lines, check out Flickrvision using Flickr images and SpinvisionTv using YouTube).

As the article states, 'watching them (tweets) can quickly start giving you new thoughts about our common life with others on the planet'. Troy is working to take the concept further - to combine postings from Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and other services in a single geographic interface.

So, what does this have to do with your Geography teaching? In particular, the impact that Twitter and other social networking sites have had on providing up-to-date information on natural disasters and world events has been quite remarkable. Disaster managers are beginning to see the benefits of Twitter and other Social Networking sites in saving lives.

Another example is SickCity, a new twitter mashup that uses twitter to map and track human health.

Practical examples on how to use Twitter in your Geography classroom are also available. These ideas - Twitter Alter Ego Idea - has been taking from a Geography Teachers blog - Living Geography. Another awesome example is found on OllieBray.com, Using Twitter and Google Earth in the Classroom to Make the most of the weather. Finally, a great overview - Twenty-One Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom.

So, be it a little crazy or confusing, there are some great applications for Twitter in the Geography classroom. So, here I go.... to join Twitter..... and begin tweeting away.

Searching the Internet: Finding the Needle in the Haystack

2009-03-01T17:17:00.010+11:00

Research is a large part of teaching humanities. However, 'Googling' a topic has now became a bad habit that I find I am often trying to wean my students away from. Google is a great search engine, and you can always find at least one or two sites, if you know how to search properly. However, finding one million hits when searching an environmental issue, is not efficient.

So, what do I do?

Firstly, I have been attempting to help my students search on Google effectively. The following Youtube clips will give you tips on how to search and research.

I have also discovered the following three search engines that provide a more visual, clustered or specific search on a topic. Used either together, or by themselves, I find these are much more effective in cutting down the search to something much more manageable for your students.

The first search engine is called Clusty. Clusty queries several top search engines, combines the results, and generates an ordered list based on comparative ranking. This "metasearch" approach helps raise the best results to the top and push search engine spam to the bottom. Clusty is unique because it groups similar results together into clusters. Clusters help you see your search results by topic so you can zero in on exactly what you’re looking for or discover unexpected relationships between items.

Visual Search: Search Me is a search engine that displays results not in the usual text-list format, but as a slick image gallery of actual Web pages you can flip through and filter results by topic. The site also allows you to narrow your search by looking at specific categories. I use this search engine myself, as a quick glance at the web page is useful. It is also a great search engine for those students who find a page full of text a little daunting. Search Me was listed as one of the 50 Best Websites of 2008, in the Time Magazine.

The Boolify Project: An Educational Boolean Search Tool is definitely one of my favourites. It is “an educational boolean search tool” that graphically depicts boolean or basic web searches. Users drag blocks depicting elements of search parameters (OR, AND or NOT) onto a display area and choose to a web (default), news or image search." The Boolify Project was established specifically for upper primary and middle school students; however, it is also a great tool for senior students. Teaching students to use 'and', 'or' and 'not' will also prepare students for many of the university data bases, if they choose to undergo further study. Boolify Yourself, an article in WorkLiteracy, provides an overview of how Boolify can be used in the classroom.

There are many more search engines available. It is a bit like choosing your favourite pair of shoes, whatever you feel like at the time... The Youtube below outlines some others that may be handy in the classroom....

So, check these out and let me know of any others by commenting below... Hopefully my students can find that research needle in the haystack.

Spatial Technologies and Natural Hazards - Bushfire Mapping

2009-02-22T17:34:00.011+11:00

I have been a little hesitant about posting on the Victorian Bushfires until now, simply because it was all too sad and too real here in Victoria. As a teacher, and particularly a Geography teacher, it was a topic that was spoken about in classes, but I really did need to think about what I was going to say, and how I was going to deliver this information. For most teachers in Victoria, and particularly Melbourne, we had students in our classroom who were either immediately affected, or knew someone who was affected by the bushfires.

I had Geography on the Friday prior to Black Saturday (7th February). I had no inkling of what was going to occur, but I was introducing the topic 'What is Geography?' to my students, so was showing them the Bureau of Meteorology site and the predicted extreme forecast for the weekend. We spoke about the weather conditions and why extreme fire danger was a real threat to most of Victoria. Following the weekend, a number of students recalled that discussion in class, and I did need to spend some time on it. The lesson was on 'Spatial Concepts', so the class was clearly able to identify spatial associations between Bushfire hotspots and the number of abnormally hot days in Victoria. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of Geography in everyday lives. The continuing news broadcast also displayed the importance of mapping and spatial technologies in both the fire fighting and recovery effort. Many of my students would turn up to school with footage from the news broadcasters that had topographic maps in the background, and online mapping tools as visuals.

So, in saying all of that, there are a number of interactive GIS maps out there on the internet that allow students to look at differing layers of natural hazard data. Following the Bushfires in Victoria, more of these sites emerged. Below, I have outlined some that I have used successfully in my Geography classes. My suggestion is to develop handouts for the students to complete as they look at these sites....

The World Natural Hazards Website provides a global view on natural hazards and disasters around the world. This site is structured like a true GIS based interactive map, allowing the user to turn on and off a number of layers. It also includes demographic data, infrastructure data and operates in real time. Using the Information tool allows the user to find out about specific hazards in specific regions. This site will not be as specific as more local or Australian based websites, but is great to have for the students when studying any natural hazards or disasters.

Sentinel Bushfire Mapping is produced by the CSIRO. This map provides an overview of the hotspots in Australia for the last 24 - 48 hours. The site has basic GIS applications and allows the user to turn differing layers on and off. This site has been inundated in the last few weeks, and therefore may be slow and a little bit out of date.

Google Victoria Fires Map uses RSS feeds from the Country Fire Authority to up-date the map. You can also look at the most recent satellite imagery from the fires. One of the reasons that Google Maps produced this site was to take the pressure off other CFA and Bushfire mapping sites. An article on the development of this map was written by CNet, Google Maps Track Deadly Australian Bushfires.

I found that the ABC News Bushfire Emergency Map, powered by Microsoft Virtual Earth, was also a great map to look at. This provided a little more detail on the human and infrastructure costs, and had links to current news events. This map was utilised by a number of people in the fire affected area. The ABC News site is also one of the best in terms of information about the disaster.

Using satellite imagery is, I believe, the best way to explain the extent and nature of a natural disaster such as bushfires to students. The NASA Earth Observatory is always my first port of call, providing excellent imagery as well as a detailed and easy to understand explanation of how the imagery was collected and what it shows. The most telling image would be the Image of the Day on February 5th - Exceptional Australian Heat Wave, February 10th - Bushfires in South East Australia, February 14th - Bushfires in South East Australia and February 18th - Killmore East-Murrindindi Complex South Fire, Victoria.

I hope these sites are useful! If you know of any others, please comment. The image of the fire above was taken from d200dug on Flickr.

What Type of Technology Should I Use?

2009-02-16T21:00:00.009+11:00

One of the tricky things I am finding at the moment is that there seems to be too many types of technology that I can use in my classroom. I am lucky enough to work at a school that promotes risk taking in using technology in the classroom, as well as the resources to support this. Last weekend I spent 3-4 hours looking at the different options available, and how I would use these options.

However, that was what was what made it so confusing. I want to use technology in the classroom, however I want to use it effectively. I want it to be a tool to enhance both student learning and my teaching. I want to use it to develop rich and rewarding tasks and activities. What I don't want it to be is an add-on. A GLAT (gosh, look at that) use of technology with no real outcome at the end. And this is why I did need to spend so much time looking at the use of technology in my teaching.

I eventually decided to work a little bit with trial and error, as well as limit the applications to one at a time. I designed a blog for all my classes, as this allows me to provide an overview of each lesson, add links and it also allows students to add comments. Each of my classes will work to create a class wiki and this will become our main resource for reference and revision. (The school does not use textbooks). And finally, I will definitely be using applications such as Keynote, iMovie, ComicLife and mapping applications (Google Earth, Google Maps and possibly other software) in each of my lessons. My classroom blog can be accessed by clicking the following link - Bec's Classes.

If any of this becomes confusing or is not helping my students learning I will be the first to know. As stated by David Nettelbeck in Computers, Thinking and Learning, "the best ideas get nowhere unless they can be applied, and our most critical audience is always our students".

Something we must remember as teachers is that change is happening all the time, and we must attempt to keep up. This may require a little bit of effort (for me, most of last weekend), however the rewards will be in my teaching. The You Tube below is called 'Shift Happens' and provides an excellent explanation for us all on the exponential nature of change or 'shift' that is currently occurring. This in itself should be a clear indication that any use of technology, however small but effective, is better than nothing.

I wonder if things were this tricky when technology went from chalk and a slate board to pencil and paper....

Image taken from rutty on flickr.

Google Ocean

2009-02-08T18:19:00.003+11:00

Well, it has been a little while since I last posted. I have just started teaching three new subjects (of which all are senior school) at a great new school and I am taking a little bit of time to get my head around it all. I am working with a great bunch of very innovative teachers and students who are definitely keeping me on my toes. Great for this blog as I have plenty of new entries.

Despite having my nose to the grindstone, there was no way that I could miss the launch of Google Ocean earlier this week. This is the latest addition to Google Earth and Google Sky and involves the new installation of Google 5.0. It hit the news with gusto, and articles such as 'Google Earth upgrade opens oceans of possibilities' by Globeandmail.com provide an in-depth overview on what the new application can do.

Basically, in Google Ocean you can dive beneath the surface and visit the deepest parts of the ocean. It also allows you to explore the ocean with marine experts, and learn about ocean observations (including data on climate change and endangered species). Below is the You Tube launch movie, starring Sylvia Earle (Oceanographer). She is also speaking at this years TED conference.

This is once again a great addition to the geography teachers toolbox. Teaching anything from weather to climate change to endangered species to natural hazards involves various images of the oceans. Now this is available Google Earth style. All I can say, is have fun playing, and don't forget to try out the diving application.

Geography and Images....We Can't Do Without Them

2009-01-21T17:44:00.012+11:00

Geography teachers are always on the lookout for photos and images (I know that we cannot live without them). Sometimes, finding that particular image to prove your point, show that process or add to your presentation is so important and necessary for your lesson. You then spend the next few hours trawling Google Images or another search engine to find what you are looking for. Well, say goodbye to that! The great thing about the internet and Web 2.0 is that everything, and particularly searching, has become much more time efficient.

A very intelligent person (I have no idea who, someone from Germany apparently) has created Tag Galaxy. Tag Galaxy uses images from Flickr (a site where anyone can upload images) and categorises them for easy searching according to the tags they are given when the images are uploaded. This is done visually, as well as allows the user to determine more advanced searches by clicking specific categories. It has been very well received in the IT world, receiving this review 'Flickr Visualisation Tag Galaxy: Out of this World' from Mashable: All That's New on the Web.

Below are a series of screen snapshots from the Tag Galaxy search I did on 'Geography' and ending up at 'Mountain Landscapes'.

Step One - Go to Tag Galaxy and type in your search word.

Step Two: The following screen will appear. Choose your sub-topic. In this case I chose 'Mountains' then 'Landscapes'.

Step Three: Select the centre 'ball of fire' and the screen below will appear. (It may take a little while to load depending on the number of images, but looks very cool as it does!)

Step Four: Select your images by clicking on the particular photo. You can spin the photo ball with the hand. When your image appears, click on it again for a better view. You can also go to the particular Flickr site to acknowledge the photographer, as well as view other photos they have taken.

Another option, though created differently is 'Earth Album Alpha - A Slicker Google Maps + Flickr Mash-up'. This site allows you to select a country and any images tagged to the country on Flickr appear. Double click on the image for a better view and the comment written by the person who uploaded the photo. The site regularly up-dates according to new images that are added to Flickr. A screen capture example for India is below.

Check these sites out. I promise that you will find great images in half the time for your lessons! Add the sites to your student resource lists as they will also find them very useful when creating Geography Projects. Just make sure you acknowledge the person who posted the image on Flickr. Also, some school internet servers may block Flickr, so that would be a handy question to ask before your lesson.

Have fun playing!

Gapminder: Statistics in Motion

2009-01-21T08:09:00.006+11:00

Teaching human development and population in Geography can be tough when trying to find and then display up-to-date statistical data. I have also found that showing this data in a clear and relevant way that students understand and relate to can also be difficult. In 2007 I discovered the TED site, a site devoted to talks presented at the annual TED conference. These talks are on a variety of innovative ideas and thoughts. One of my favourite talks by a doctor called Hans Rosling, introducing a program he developed called Gapminder.

Hans Rosling is professor of international health at Karolinska Institutet (KI), the medical university in Stockholm, Sweden. He began his career as a doctor and spent many years in rural Africa. He leads courses on global health in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. To enable students and researchers to make sense of the world development he started Gapminder, a non-profit IT-company. Gapminder aims to dispell common myths about the so-called developing world. He uses statistics from United Nations data that is illustrated by visualisation software to present the data in a way that is clear, and understood. As well as this, he is a very entertaining and funny presenter. His first talk introducing Gapminder at the TED conference in 2006 is below.

The Gapminder website also includes gapcasts, short videos explaining specific types of data and the relationships between this data. A blog, as well as downloads and the ability to upload any of the data used is also available. Rosling also posts flash animations on specific topics such as 'Who has the best teeth in the world?' and 'Who has the most oil?'.

Following the success of Gapminder, Rosling developed Dollar Street. This downloadable flash animation contains complete photo-panoramas from households at different income levels. As stated on the site 'All people of the world live on Dollar Street, the poorest to the left and the richest to the right. Everybody else lives in between'. The current version contains 13 households and 3 school documentations from Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda. The second talk below was delivered at TED in 2007, when Hans Rosling unveiled Dollar Street.

Gapminder is an amazing resource for the classroom. I recommend that you bookmark this site and add it to any resource list you give to your students when studying development. You could also create specific handouts for the students to complete in class.

Google Street View: People Might Be Watching

2009-01-20T08:40:00.000+11:00

Google Street View would have to be one of the most exciting and controversial developments in mapping software at the moment. When Street View was launched in August, 2008 (the map to the left shows Street View coverage in Australia) there was quite a bit of controversy over the privacy issues. Articles including 'All-Seeing Google Street View prompts privacy fears' from Times Online and 'Google Zooms in Too Close for Some' from the New York Times, indicate the main privacy issues. There are also a number of sites and blogs now specifically related to the quite private (and funny) images that Street View can produce. One such example is Street View Fun, a site where contributors can upload the latest funny and interesting Google Street View Photos. Uploaders to You Tube have also jumped on the Street View bandwagon, this posting 'Part 1 of 'The Googling' by a group called The Vacationeers, is one of my all time favourites.

Google Street View does have competition. Since it waltzed onto the spatial technology scene in spectacular fashion, a number of other similar applications are now available. These include Mapjack (picture above), City8 (invented and launched in China 1 year prior to Google Street View), iiCosmo (developed in Japan), Earthmine (developed for private companies and involved in 3D modelling for NASA) and EveryScape. Of these, Earthmine did catch my attention due to the sophisticated nature of the software. Check out the site and the posted news articles. Also, EveryScape was interesting as it is based on the tourist industry, and allows the user to investigate inside buildings and major tourist attractions. The You Tube post of the EveryScape launch is below.

I am sure that you can see the applications these street view sites have for us in the Geography classroom. I have often used Google Street View as an introduction to Geography or mapping in junior classes (a new twist to the standard Year 7 'map your neigbourhood class activity') and it is invaluable when looking at human environments and town planning in senior geography. Now that I have discovered EveryScape, any tourism studies can now be enhanced. In essence, *almost* any location you study or discuss in class, can now be viewed in a whole new way.

For those who are the more technically minded among us, check out the Official Google Maps API Blog. This will explain, in some detail, how to embed a Google Street View Panorama onto your own blog or website (or even your school!). Information and a demo on how to do this is provided for you.

What Really Is Geography These Days?

2009-01-19T08:38:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I began planning my first semester of Year 11 Geography. I have allowed the first week to introduce and discuss the idea of 'What Geography is?' before launching into a study of natural environments. Introducing the concept of what geography actually involves is quite different to when I was at high school, or university, or even when I first started teaching.

This is due to the fact that geography and location has become such an important part of organising information on the internet. Rather than searching for a fish and chip shop in the yellow pages, you go to Google Maps, type in 'fish and chip shop' and see which are closest to you. At a recent conference, the keynote speaker quoted that 80% of all information on the internet is now organised spatially. This will only increase as more and more data is added.

An example of spatial organisation of data is a site called '80 Million Tiny Images'. This is a visual (and spatially organised) dictionary of all nouns in the English language. The nouns are arranged by semantic meaning; they are clustered according to broad categories such as plants or people, and then tighter groupings such as flowers or trees. These semantic groupings allocate their spatial location on the page. The creator even uses the word 'map'. A large number of images are then linked to each word. Simple click on the 'map' and the word with associated images will appear. You will notice that they are clustered together according to spatial location and relationships, rather than alphabetically.

Another example is a site that has been put together by marumushi. Marumushi is a design engineer who has an interest in playing with and visualizing lots of data. His site 'Newsmap' is an application that visually reflects, according to category and location, the changing landscape of world news. The map dispalys and reveals patterns in news reporting across countries and the the nature of the most popular headline at the time. This site is great to use in senior geography, to discuss events that have occured, if they have been reported on, and by which countries. You are able to look at a global view, or specific countries such as Australia, the US and the UK. The differing colours on the site represent different news categories, and the larger the writing, the more it appeared in news headlines.

Finally, a third site that organises data and information in a spatial way is 'Buzztracker: World News, Mapped'. Buzztracker is a software that visualizes frequencies and relationships between locations appearing in global news coverage. It is also great as it shows how interconnected the world is. "Big events in one area ripple to other areas across the globe. Connections between cities of thousands of miles apart become apparent at a glance". You will need to remember however, that this site only tracks English-language news sources. A link is provided to add buzztracker to your own site, something to think about putting onto your Geography blog or wiki at school.

These are only three of the many tools that allow you to search or organise information according to spatial location. Others include Tag Galaxy, Arc, Kartoo, Flickr, News Spectrum, Bigspy, Stack, Swarm, Think Map Visual Thesaurus, Google News Cloud and Searchme Visual Search. These are all great sites so take the time to check them out.

The You Tube clip below was a great example of the way in which many of the tools listed above represented the Iraq War. Have a look...

So, to introduce my class to Geography I will use my stock standard content and activities. But I will also emphasise the role of geography and location in organising information, the role geography plays in our everyday lives, and how we are becoming more and more reliant on spatial organisation of information.

That should get some minds thinking.....

Why Societies Collapse? - Jared Diamond

2009-01-17T12:09:00.000+11:00

For Christmas in 2005 Santa struck the jackpot and left a great book on Christmas morning. This book was 'Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive', by Jared Diamond. He also wrote 'Guns, Germs and Steel' which can also be found as a three part documentary that first aired in 2005.

So, I got stuck into the book, reading the Prologue: 'A Tale of Two Farms' and then jumping straight to Chapter 13 - 'Mining' Australia'. To this day I still have not read the entire book, but have used it as a great reference in my senior Geography classes. Some of the text and video available is particularly useful when looking at sustainability and biodiversity, as well as introducing any form of environmental studies. One reason that the book is great is that Diamond is quite controversial in his opinions on the role of environmental degradation in the collapse of society. Upon receiving and reading the book Dad (a farmer and climate change sceptic) and I would argue well into the night over a cup of tea about Diamond's theories and examples.

He analyses past and present societies according to a five-point framework. This five-point framework includes:
1. Damage that people inadvertently inflict on the environment
2. Climate change
3. Hostile neighbours
4. Decreased support of friendly neighbours
5. How does a society respond to these problems?

Trawling through the TED website yesterday, I found the 2005 talk by Diamond, outlining his beliefs in the collapses of differing societies. His talk is a little complex, however it refers to so many different examples and would be useful to introduce development or a case study on countries such as Zimbabwe. The other great thing about TED is that you can read the comments of others in the blog. These comments make great questions that you can challenge your students with following the viewing of the vodcast.

Diamonds article 'What's Your Consumption Factor?', appearing in the New York Times on January 2nd, 2008, is also a very good article to use with your class. Happy viewing!

NASA Earth Observatory

2009-01-16T19:22:00.000+11:00

The NASA Earth Observatory website is on my top ten list of useful websites for a Geography teacher. Every image of the day is spectacular, and is a great discussion tool to introduce a lesson. The following article 'Earth Observed' from The Big Picture, highlights 20 spectacular satellite images taken from the Earth Observatory. I have chosen three of my favourite satellite images below as an example of what is available.

The picture above is one of my favourite. The image was taken by ASTER, one of NASA's Terra satellites on October 12, 2004. It is an image of the southeastern Fars province in southern Iran. As you can see, a large river moves through the arid regions, and then spreads out into an alluvial fan. Of course, the broad belt of agricultural land is obvious. Teaching rivers is great with images like this.

This image is also a definite favourite. It was taken by Ikonos, a commercial satellite on the 27th June, 2002. This forest, divided into quarters by two dirt logging roads (orange roads) is located in the northern Republic of Congo, Africa. Satellite images were collected to attempt to create a map of logging roads and forest disturbance across tropical African Forests.

And finally...

This satellite image was also taken by the commercial IKONOS satellite in September 2004. However, that is where the similarity ends. These are the houses and streets of Las Vegas in Nevada, USA. The settlement patterns themselves are amazing, and could really be any major city in a developed country around the world. Check out the pools as well... and think about what was here prior to urban sprawl and development...

How Google Is Making Us Smarter...

2009-01-16T18:48:00.000+11:00

I found this article 'How Google is Making Us Smarter' from the DISCOVER Magazine on Metafilter (a great site by the way), and had a read. It is interesting as in the first two paragraphs it tackles the debate that technology (mobile phones, internet etc) is making us 'more stoopid'. I have always struggled with this argument as I believe our students are much more street smart when it comes to finding and using relevant information, as well as utilising technology and particularly the internet for their needs. In particular, the article looks at the 'extended mind', and the argument that our environment is often an extension of our mind. We need both to be successful, and the internet, and indeed technology is part of our environment.

Rather than arguing that too much technology in the classroom is 'dumbing down' our students, maybe we should be more worried about the school environment as an extension of student minds. Maybe we should also consider that we need to prepare students to utilise this ideal more and more in the future.

To end this post, something quite poignant at the end of the article....

Socrates worried that writing would make people forgetful and unwise. Sure enough, writing did rob us of some gifts, such as the ability to recite epic poems like The Iliad from memory. But it also created a much larger pool of knowledge from which people could draw, a pool that has continued to expand.

Imagine the world without writing... That is definitely something for us to all think about....

Gotta Love Google Earth

2009-01-14T14:11:00.000+11:00

This morning I was putting together some documents on how to use Google Earth for teachers and came across this article outlining how software developers have enabled a person on a Wii Fit to virtually surf around the world. (Surf the Planet Using Google Earth and the Wii Balance Board). This is pretty amazing itself, but the applications of this for Geography students is pretty amazing... Imagine spending a Geography lesson surfing, and learning about the differing types of coastlines... I can.

And then the next link 'Google Earth launches online Prado Art Gallery' added another dimension to the use of 3D imaging in Google Earth. If this can be done for art, imagine what else users can look at.. Pretty exciting really. The You Tube Fly through is below.