Month: November 2012

The Magic of Maps, GIS, the Wonderful World of Geography Awareness Week

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SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DIGITAL EQUITY- SIG DE NOTES FOR NOVEMBER

Posted on November 9, 2012  Bonnie Bracey Sutton

I have always loved working with maps, globes and books.Now my learning is facilitated by the use of media and new ways of mapping. And then there is GIS. What is GIS? You use it in invisible ways. GIS.. here is a great video on it. GIS Day is on November 14, 2012.

Ask your elected officials to support funding for geography education.

Learn more about Geography Awareness Week

Geography Awareness Week there are a lot of online tools. There are things to use in your classroom, and a toolkit and a poster. You may want to start with this map tool. Free map kit.. and resources.

While studying at the National Geographic, I became involved in the study of geography. To study our neighborhood we collected various kinds of maps that showed the school community. We were located in Arlington , Virginia and we had a business map, a tourist map, a Virginia transportation map, a real estate map, and a map of historical places as well as a map that showed projections and plans for the future. That was before we all had our fingertips on technology to see this things online.  Children drew a map that showed the path from school to home. That was a fun exercise. The children were quite creative about making their personal maps. A person from USGS gave us maps of cities around the world, but they were not identified, they were in effect a view of cities from the air, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, Cairo, Egypt, The Maldives, and other interesting places.

York, 

Pictures from an ESRI Conference to show every day resources original post in the ETCJournal

Here are some of the resources I used in an elementary program

Geography
Helping Your Child Learn Geography
A 32-page booklet, published in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the National Geographic Society, that is designed to help adults stir children’s curiosity about geography. Includes many suggestions for simple activities. K-4.   Icon for classroom activities  Icon for lab resources
Map Adventures 
This on-line teacher packet for grades K-3 teaches basic concepts for visualizing objects from different perspectives and how to understand and use maps. The kit includes seven lesson plans, activity sheets, and a printable poster.   Icon for teaching module  Icon for classroom activities
What Do Maps Show? 
This on-line teacher packet for upper elementary and junior high school students has four lessons on reading and using maps. The packet includes a teacher’s guide, four printable activity sheets, and three maps in PDF format that can be downloaded and printed on 8.5″ x 11″ paper.   Icon for teaching module  Icon for classroom activities
USGS Geography Products
A list of online fact sheets, booklets, and educational resources related to geography and mapping.

The National Atlas of the United States
National Atlas of the United States®
This invaluable educational tool is a free, interactive version of the traditional paper United States atlas. Most information is designed to depict geographic patterns and trends on a national scale. Topics include agricultural use, forestation, population density, transportation, and more. Use the Map Maker tool to create custom maps or print one of hundreds of pre-formatted page-size maps that are excellent for classroom use. This is the best source for creating quick maps that cover large areas.   Icon for lab resources
Outline Maps of the United States – Printable Maps from The National Atlas
Download or print PDF files for several different outline maps of the United States, individual states, and counties within a state. Files print on 8.5″ x 11″ paper.Icon for lab resources
Latitude and Longitude – The National Atlas
Article describing latitude and longitude and related terms.

Topographic Maps
Topographic Map Resources for Teachers
An overall summary of useful USGS resources for working with topographic maps: where to get them; how to interpret them; how to use them; explanations of coordinates, datums, and projections; and lessons for the classroom. Also available as a 2-page PDF file.
Free Digital USGS Topographic Map Quadrangles
Download free USGS topographic map quadrangles in georeferenced PDF (GeoPDF) format by clicking on “Map Locator” on the USGS Store Web site. These files were created using high-resolution scans and average 10-17 megabytes in size.

You can participate, facilitate, learn using GIS.
GIS Day provides an international forum for users of geographic information systems (GIS) technology to demonstrate real-world applications that are making a difference in our society. We who use media on a daily basis use the tools of supercomputing , GIS and visualization and modeling without knowing it.

Never mind that geography and maps were not a part of my training for teaching. Geography?  We see the world in media almost daily. Sadly we do not necessarily teach our students formal geography.

I studied at the National Geographic I learned to read, study, analyze and ( fold a map). We had Map Maker Interactive. That is  an incredible piece of technology.I

You may need Inspiration. In a way students use some mind mapping programs to think about the world.

When I was a new teacher long ago, people often fought over the maps that were available in schools for students . There were these blue outline maps. They were limited in supply.

Here are some tools.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/63439000/jpg/_63439803_newcomp.jpg

State Interactive maps. You can investigate any state you want to explore.

One treasure chest of a site is MyWonderfulWorld.

interactive map. This is a homicide map of DC. You can check the homicides in your neighborhood. You may not want to know this big data, but in an emergency, it is big data that is collected to allow experts to assess the damages and know what to do.

Teacher? From the My Wonderful World Web Site.

10 Ways to Give Your Students the World

1. Show students that geography is everywhere.
It’s a global world, with people, ideas, and products moving rapidly around it. Today, how we live shapes, and is shaped by, where we live—and what happens in the natural environment. Find resources to build geography awareness in your school. Have your students test their Global IQ and practice withonline games.

2. Bring it up.
Is your school doing enough to prepare students for a global future and to tap into their natural curiosity about real-world issues, from the local to the global? (Find out with our school checklist). Start the discussion with other teachers, parents, administrators, and students. Spread the word about My Wonderful World to your colleagues and friends.

3. Find global connections close to home.
Have your students log their global connections over a period of time (a day, a week, or more): who they talk with, what they eat, what they wear, what they read, watch, listen to. Make maps and globes focal points in your classroom and use them often. Bookmark an online atlas or print out outline maps. Use posters, pictures, and other visuals to show global connections near and far.

4. Explore the planet using technology.
From free 2-D satellite maps to 3-D Earths, there’s possibility like never before to see our planet in new ways. And zooming into places can create a new perspective on how geography impacts current events. Learn about Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and how it’s changing the way we explore.

5. Make geography part of every subject.
Every subject—from reading, writing, and arithmetic to science, economics, and foreign languages—can include geography. Use real-world examples and data (from sources such as the CIA World Factbook, Population Reference Bureau, National Park Service, or World Heritage Sites) when teaching other topics. When you can, use geography standards-based lesson plans. Prep students for the AP Human Geography test and urge them to take it. And make geography fun—enter your school in theNational Geographic Bee and other competitions.

6. Make it extracurricular.
Ask your parent-teacher organization to study the issue and devise ways to bring more geography learning into school. Enlist administration and parent leadership for evening or Saturday programs, festivals, competitions, field trips,geography/international clubs, and other events. And join your local geographic alliance to connect with peers.

7. Connect students with people from other countries and cultures.
More and more kids are using digital and online tools to interact with friends. Help them connect with peers overseas in order to practice languages, develop collaborative projects—even get to know time zones or the International Date Line. Check out programs from the ePals, Peace Corps, iEARN, and the Asia Society.

8. Help students envision their futures.
Many kids today will cross physical borders but even more will travel through technology. Inject geographic themes into career exploration. (Here’s a geography career guide; also one for GIS and one for international careers.)

9. Go there!
Remind yourself and your students that learning about new places and cultures is about exploration—you don’t always know the exact path to take or what you’ll find along the way. Take your kids on field trips and look for opportunities to seek adventure and educate yourself about the world firsthand. Consider study abroad, field research, teaching overseas, orgetting a grant to support new practices in your classroom. Hear international experts speak at your local World Affairs Council events.

10. Sign up for the My Wonderful World e-newsletter.
You’ll get helpful tips, the latest news, links to great resources and fun games, information about contests and offers, and much more. Sign up now—and help give your students the power of global knowledge.