Google Geo Education Summit

 Asides, Google Earth, Google Earth lessons, Google Maps  Comments Off
Sep 132008
 

I spent a day with Google in London yesterday. Ollie Bray has already blogged the meeting which saves me the effort, as the sun is out and I’m off to the beach.

The Google education team are committed to supporting and encouraging teachers to make better use of their software. One of the the most exciting proposals was to extend the Google Teacher Academy to the UK. The Geo Education site will also grow in the future, possibly emulating the Earth Gallery?  Jamie Buchan Dunlop of Digital Explorer described his brilliant efforts to train UK teachers in practical applications of Google Earth to fieldwork, and imagined some exiting futures for the software. Richard Treves from Southampton University contributed a really thought-provoking presentation that reinforced the need for a basic set of teaching principles and finished with his manifesto for a New Cartography, quoting Ed Parsons who was present. Unfortunately my Mac refused to connect to the projector, somewhat reducing the impact of my  presentation, which basically covered the Juicy Geography agenda.

Some exciting times ahead as Google explore how best to support teachers. The new API for Google Earth that Frank Taylor mentions here, extends the possibility of a range of  educational web-based Google Earth applications.

Milk Truck

I can’t imagine the geography classroom without the Milk Truck!

Happy Places

 Asides, Photographs, Student work  1 Response »
Jul 142008
 

A psycho-geography project by year 8. Following some questionnaire research that established that some people in the local community were a bit negative about the town, we made a simple sign and persuaded shop-keepers to display it. Most were really happy to do so. This was a nice project – the idea that places affect our emotions is such an easy one to grasp. Ironically all young people are banned from the shops at lunch times! Some of the photos are displayed below – using Splashr and this Flickr set.

larger version

GGIP Film Festival

 Asides  Comments Off
Mar 132008
 

Tickets are now on sale for Our World Film Festival which has been organised by Give Geography It’s Place .

An Alternative Guide to Our World
Start time: 11:00
Tickets: £3
16 short films with geographical themes including the geography@work film
awards.

The Planet
Directors: Linus Torell, Michael Stenberg and Johan Söderberg
Start time: 12:30
Tickets: £3
82mins + open discussion

Planet Earth is changing and this film is a self proclaimed ‘wake up call’
to us all. Set to outstanding imagery twenty nine experts from around the
world explain how the geography of our world is changing and how this is
being witnessed globally.

The film will be followed by a short discussion.

A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash
Directors: Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack
Start time: 14:30
Tickets: £3
85mins + open discussion

This 90 minute documentary explores our world’s obsession with oil and
argues that in the near future we will exhaust Earth’s viable supplies with
devastating effects. A Crude Awakening effectively shows the risks involved
within becoming dependent on natural resources and what our futures may look
like without black gold.

The film will be followed by a short debate.

Digital Geography update and Google Earth Outreach tutorials

 Asides, Google Earth  Comments Off
Mar 082008
 

The relative quietness on Digital Geography is part of a planned temporary break from blogging and Juicy Geography, in order to focus on a variety of new projects, and to reflect on the last few months. I’d like to concentrate on producing some new teaching materials and add to the podmovie series. I also want to spend some time researching for the long-planned Juicy Geography book. Since switching to a Mac, I’ve become far more interested in exploring video and digital photography. I’ve been going for One to One sessions at my local Apple Store (which I hugely recommend) to learn Final Cut Express It’s also time to start going to the climbing wall to get strong for the summer. So I’m slimming down my RSS reading, unfolding my Thinking Space and will just be posting news of my projects as they are completed.

I have been doing a few INSET courses recently. Geography teachers can usually see the benefit in learning the basics of KML, however there’s never enough time during a course to ensure everyone leaves as a fully proficient Neogeographer. The tutorials on the Google Earth outreach site are superb. Videos and clear instructions, together with the Google Spreadsheet Mapping Tool, (you need a Google account) mean that anyone can create attractive content for Google Maps/Earth.

Finally, should the BBC sort out the voting, please support the team “We’re Going To Change Britain” on BBC Upstaged. We’re the wildcard slot, hoping to use geography to make Britain happier in a 6 hour broadcast from Bristol.

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