NCGE Webinars: Feb. & March

We're excited about the new year of live webinars!  We are endeavoring to include all facets of NCGE into the program. The Webinar Task Force encourages you to discuss with your committees great additions for our program.   Participation is so simple.  Just use your internet browser to go to the webinar address, type in your name, watch, aks questions and share!  Don't miss the exciting sessions coming this spring!

Coming Attractions

Ask the Webinar Team Have questions?  Just zap us an email at webinars@ncge.org.   Landscapes to Learning  Monday, February 21, 2011 at 7pm EST/6pm CST  Bob Lang, FRGS C.Geog of  King Edward VI Five Ways School, Birmingham, UK Art, Geography and Travel in the Classroom Don't miss this exciting session on using geospatial technologies, photography and data! There is something for everyone in this very interactive session. This webinar will look at an innovative cross-curricular project based around Geography and Art and a school's established International link with a school in Guangzhou. The project uses modern art, GIS and photography via Birmingham's Museum and art gallery and student's photographs and experiences to look at the growth, urbanisation and redevelopment of the cities of Guangzhou and Beijing in China.  Join us for the adventure! APHG: Gearing Up for the Test Wednesday, March 23, 2011 at 6pm EST/ 5pm CST  Ken Keller, AP Human Geography & U.S. History Teacher at Danbury High School, Danbury, CT Preparing for the AP Human Geography Test Calling all APHG teachers and geography teachers! In this session teachers will learn some tried and true methods on how best to prep their students to earn a score of "5" on the AP Human Geography exam. Emphasis will be placed on deconstructing both multiple choice and free response questions. Likewise, participants will learn how to employ best practices related to teaching test taking strategies in the classroom as well as teaching their students some techniques to reduce stress and be more focused when they go to sit for the exam. Ken Keller has been teaching the course since its inception and has been an exam reader for the past nine years. Other topics planned include: Spatial Cognition, Political Geography and more APHG.  Check the  NCGE Webinar Program page often for updates.  Also we'll be notifying the membership once a month of all the great developments!

Got Topos?

It's no secret that I like maps...but have you seen the new collection of topographic maps at National Atlas?  This is a fantastic teaching tool.  Especially if you need quick examples!  Just point your internet browser to http://www.nationalatlas.gov/100topos/index.html and select an area.  If you click one of the points on the map you can select specific features or look at different versions of that area.

Think of all the great ways you can use this tool!!!

National Conference on Geographic Education 2010

Savannah, what a nice spot to return for a vacation get away!  An impressive 46% of the membership attended this conference!  How many organizations can say that?

NCGE is such a warm gathering of scholars and teachers from many disciplines, all united by geography.   Everyone in this organization is excited about how geography can change perspective for any subject.  It's something to consider!  Even my former 7th graders noticed that "everything's mappable."  For a planet full of visual learners, adding geographic content to your instruction makes sense.  Folks in this organization have great ideas and want to share!

I suppose that I have become a geographer.  I never considered myself a true geographer but Dr. Jan Smith at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania said, "If you teach with geography, you're a geographer."  My contribution this year was in the computer lab teaching about using geospatial technologies in English Language Arts and a new work on short(20 minute), content-driven activities for elementary students. Also not to be missed is the map gallery of student GIS work from middle school to university!

If you'd like to get a sense of what was happening, do a Twitter search for #ncge and you will find some great information!  Follow along all year!  Be on the watch for next year's conference information.  We're headed to Portland, Oregon in August of 2011!  And no matter what you teach, join us!

Using Web GIS in the Classroom

NCGE Live Webinar Series 
Topic: Using Web GIS in the Classroom. 


Presenter: Joseph Kerski, ESRI, Geographer and Education Manager 


Date: Tuesday 31 August 2010 


Time: 4PM Eastern, 3PM Central, 2PM Mountain, 1PM Pacific, 12PM Alaska, 10AM Hawaii 


Cost: Free for Members, $20 for Non-Members 


Description: Today's Web-based Geographic Information Systems have become powerful tools to enable students to think spatially while investigating real topics in real places.  All that is needed to interact with these tools is an ordinary web browser.  However, the inquiry they offer is rich and engaging, incorporating real-time data with local to global phenomena.  Much more than online maps, these tools allow students to investigate geographic patterns, linkages, and relationships.  Join Joseph Kerski as we explore natural hazards, language, economics, invasive species, population, and other topics using Web GIS tools including ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Explorer Online, National Atlas, World mapper, Modern Language Association interactive map, and more.