Monday 28 November 2011

New GeoPacks resource and CD

For over a year now I've been getting regular e-mails from Rick Cope and Mark Hacklett at GeoPacks - creators of the excellent COASTAL MANAGER  software - to tell me about the latest free resource that they've shared.

If you want to catch up with the freebies that they've made available, there's now an excellent Resource CD which will get you right up to speed.
It's available for £12 from GeoPacks. Follow the link to find out more.

Make sure you SIGN UP to receive a regular free resource update too.

Follow the link to FREE STUFF from the home page.

Saturday 26 November 2011

GA Conference 2012

The programme for the GA conference 2012 is now available to download as a PDF from the GA website.
The conference runs from the 12th to the 14th of April 2012.

I will be attending on the 12th and 13th of April, so come and say hello if you see me.

As you'll see when you read it, I am featured on the 13th of April...

If you want the cheapest price, book your place in the next 5 weeks to make sure that you get the best rates. Some personal highlights for me, after a quick browse through the list...

12th April

17.00-17.45
Public Lecture
Free of charge
Novelist Marina Lewycka, author of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, Two Caravans, and We Are All Made of Glue, will present the free Public Lecture on 12 April.

13th April

Workshop (IT) 3
Instant computers: mobile devices in the classroom
KS3-P16
Dr Andrew Lee, Head of Juniors, St Paul's School, London
The iPad and iPod offer a wide range of tools available for the geographer to conduct geographical enquiries and to record geographical phenomena during field expeditions, on their journeys to school or on holiday. What are these tools, how do they work and how might the be used?

11.40-12.05
Reporting Research
The residential fieldtrip experience: a sensory ethnography
Nick Gee, Associate Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of East Anglia

Workshop (IT) 9
Controlled assessment with AEGIS
KS4
Diana Freeman, Director, Advisory Unit and Helen Young, Teacher, The Friary School, Lichfield
This workshop will demonstrate methods and examples of using AEGIS, GIS for Schools, to
improve controlled assessment opportunities and outcomes for students: covering preparation, fieldwork, data gathering, presentation and analysis for successful portfolio submissions. Participants will receive a free CD with guidance to take away. Sponsored by the Advisory Unit

Lecture Plus 3
Learning 'live' online - the benefits
KS2-P16
David Holmes, Education Consultant; John Lyon, Programme Director, Geographical Association; and Bob Digby, Consultant
Ths GA has launched a series of live online CPD sessions, run by expert tutors, bringing up-to-date interactive learning into your department meetings or home. Sdeveral people can share one terminal, bringing the costs of high-quality learning down. This session shows how you might experience it


13.50-15.45
Double Workshop (IT) 13
Investigating inequality using GIS
KS3-P16
Bob Lang, Member, GA ICT Special Interest Group and Andy Newing, Member, GA ICT Special Interest Group
This workshop will use online GIS and visualisation packages to investigate inequality at a variety of scales.
Delegates will take ideas away to use in their teaching. No prior knowledge of GIS is required.
Presented by GA ICTSIG

14.20-14.35
Reporting Research
The uses of Twitter for geography teachers/students
Jennifer Watts, Postgraduate Researcher, University of Manchester
See separate Reporting Research document for full details

Lecture Plus 5
Geomedia in secondary education
KS4
Alan Parkinson, Consultant and John Lyon, Programme Director, Geographical Association and Dr Michael Solem, 
Educational Affairs Director, Association of American Geographers
This lecture will show the work of the digital-earth.eu project in promoting the use of geomedia, i.e. working with spatial information such as digital maps and photos, videos and texts. Geomedia plays a role in analysing and solving spatial problems so it is important that students become familiar with the technologies.
Sponsored by digital-earth.eu

Lecture 13
Five countries – all you need for IB Geography?
P16
Richard Allaway, IB Geography Teacher, International School of Geneva
The IB Geography syllabus recommends that case studies should be 'chosen from a limited number of countries (between three and five) of contrasting levels of development'.  Can it be done? Should it be done? This lecture will outline how case studies from five countries could be used to teach the course, including three optional themes. Sponsored by International Baccalaureate Organisation

Pity this clashes with my lecture !

Workshop 18
Explore with guerrilla geography!
KS1-3
Ruth Potts, Geography and History Co-ordinator, Sacred Heart RC School, Blackburn  
Find out about practical ways to use the 'Mission Explore' books and see them come alive! Help your children
become involved with missions from the books or website in a fun and exciting way, and develop their
geography knowledge and team-building skills. Be prepared to join in!
In partnership with The Geography Collective

Pity this clashes with my lecture !


Workshop (IT) 20
Making the most of Digimap for Schools
KS2-P16
Ken Lacey, Assistant Education Manager, and Darren Bailey, Assistant Education Manager, Ordnance Survey
This workshop will give you hands-on experience of using Digimaps for Schools and show you how to get the most from this award-winning online resource. With a wide range of Ordnance Survey maps at your fingertips, it will enrich learning experiences in geography and many other subjects. In partnership Ordnance Survey

16.30-17.20
Double Workshop 19
Anything I can do, you can do better
KS3-P16
Emma Johns, Head of Geography, Hitchin Girls' School
If you've ever thought 'there's a better way of doing this' then this workshop is for you!  You'll take part in
competing lessons to explore different ways of teaching the same content. Delegates will leave with a range of ideas ready to use in the classroom. Presented by GA SPC

And amazingly these two as well - it's as if they're saving the best sessions for the end of the day :)


Workshop (IT) 22
Multimedia geography through Google Earth
KS3
Paul Cornish, Head of Geography, Coopers Company & Coborn School, Upminster
This practical workshop will show you simple ways to transform your use of Google Earth through the
embedding of video, photographic and other multimedia resources in order to display data from fieldwork,
produce interactive lessons or design virtual fieldtrips.

There's plenty more on the 14th as well, but that's my daughter's birthday....

Tuesday 15 November 2011

VItal Teachshare: Google Earth Placemarks

My next VITAL Teachshare will be on Wednesday the 16th of November (that's tomorrow if you're reading this today) at 7pm.
It's on ways of customising Google Earth Placemarks...

Click THIS LINK just before 7 to join me. You'll need to allow the download of the plug-in to handle the Elluminate session, which will then allow you to see and hear me, and to take part.

Don't forget to check the KEYHOLE BULLETIN BOARD to get the full range of layers and files shared by  Google Earth users. Use the SEARCH function to unearth the goodness....

This will be my little contribution to WORLD GIS DAY, which is taking place tomorrow, as part of GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK.

What are you doing for World GIS Day ? 
Why not add a touch of GIS to your teaching tomorrow...

Monday 14 November 2011

UKEDCHAT Web tools...

Thursday night at 8pm is the regular UKEDCHAT slot.

Each week focuses on a different aspect of education.

A really useful set of tools has been developed as part of a recent discussion on web tools....
Visit and see what you can use...

GA NQT Conference

This Thursday I will be leading a day for NQT Geographers, organised by the Geographical Association.
The delegates and myself, will meet up at the MIC in London.

There are 3 sessions on the day, and a lot of ideas and discussions to get through... plus the usual fine lunch that the MIC provides.
And a pint afterwards at the Bree Louise if you have the time...

Don't forget to check this blog and LIVING GEOGRAPHY for plenty of ideas for NQTs and those more experienced colleagues...

GA members can still access the NQT Survival Pack that I wrote ready for the start of the last academic year.




Sunday 6 November 2011

Teachshare 3: Writing on the Map

The VITAL Teachshares are part of the VITAL Geography Portal which I am managing for the next few months.
The third of my Teachshare sessions is going to take place at 7pm on Tuesday the 8th of November.
Follow this link to access the room. You can sign in a few minutes before the session starts as there are a few bits of software that needs to be prepared before you can get access to the Elluminate session.
Also check the link to the PORTAL and sign up for a free 30 day trial, or pay five quid to access up to 3 subject-specific portals.


The session will look at ideas for literacy in Geography, and be a warm-up gig for Friday, when I will be doing a longer session at Earlston High School in the Scottish Borders for teachers from the region.

Writing the Earth is an area with great potential - there are plenty of cool tools to use....