Where in the World Is ...

... Trekking the Planet expedition?

I found a great post on Twitter this morning from @TrekkingPlanet. Darren and Sandy are talking about their upcoming 400 day world journey and their expedition is named "Trekking the Planet". This trip will start in January and they are asking teachers and students to follow them on their journey. They are going to be hiking and using ground transportation as much as possible in order to really learn the culture and geography.

This would be great for geography teachers to plan lessons around next year. If you are a teacher you can subscribe to their expedition here. You and your class will be able to follow Darren and Sandy and receive free education modules. Here is a sample for you to look at. They are asking for your help. What types of videos and/or images do you want to see for your students? What would be the most meaningful for you and your students to learn about their travels? Here is a copy that you can download of their Trekking The Planet Overview. The May 2011 newsletter is out; you can read about preparations for the expedition.

This sounds like an amazing opportunity for geography and social studies teachers and students to hear first hand accounts of cultures, geography, and people. All of the education materials are free.  Visit Trekking the Planet and sign up for the updates and follow Darren and Sandy on their expedition. It looks to be a very interesting learning opportunity!

Original image: 'untitled' http://www.flickr.com/photos/61725061@N00/42087468 by: Francesca Palazzi

ArcGIS Explorer Online Can Be Used as an Option to Google Earth

ArcGIS Explorer online http://explorer.arcgis.com/ is a free web application that allows users to look at existing maps or add content to their own maps.


The first thing you will need to do is install Microsoft Silverlight (a 5.96 mb file) on your computer. Once this is done, the program will load when you open the website. The default base map is a topographic base map, however, there are 12 other base maps available by clicking on the base map button. From this dropdown you can choose a Bing aerial base map, a Bing road map, streets, terrain, terrain with labels, a USA topo map, shaded relief, Imagery, Imagery with labels and others. The controls on the left side of the map are very similar to Google Maps. You can zoom in & out, use your mouse and scroll wheel and the arrow keys on your keyboard. The Map Center on the far left of the screen allows you to view pre-saved maps. Maps that you create can be shared with everyone, shared with specific people you designate or kept for your personal use. You can search for locations by typing in the address, zip code, international postal code, intersection, airport code or geographic coordinates. The pre-made maps contain details that you can click on to learn specific information about each place. You can add content to your maps, measure distances and areas and create presentations for later playback. Presentations allow you to create captures of maps or slides that include titles and other relevant content you add to the map. You can also add pop-up windows that include text, pictures or video. Once you have created all your slides, you can have users advance the slides manually or automatically. This online resource would be very beneficial to Social Studies and Math classes as well as other subjects.

Viewing the World with an Interactive Globe

There are various methods in which a student may learn about the geography of the world. Students may travel extensively or they may read books about various countries. In geography classes teachers may use globes as visual to teach about world travel, tourism and current events. Image if the globe was interactive and with the touch of a pen you are able to locate a region of the world and hear facts about that country. There is such a globe. Oregon Scientific offers a SmartGlobe, an interactive learning tool, that is designed in the shape of a globe. Students may find the games available on SmartGlobe fun and informative. The facts that students listen to when pointing with the pen may be updated regularly with updates provided on-line. For ideas on how to integrate the use of a SmartGlobe, the included games, facts, maps see the NC Geography standard course of study.

Time – National Geographic - World Almanac: In the classroom

Several magazines such as Time and World Almanac provide websites that offer resources for students and teachers. Some of these websites make available materials such as graphic organizers, test and interactive activities. These are resources that teachers may find helpful in the classroom and best of all they are offered for free.

For instance, at the National Geographic for Kids site, the resources provided may be used as a teaching tool when teaching about the similarities and also the diversity of animals, http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/. This site contains geography games, interactive activities and videos about animals as well.

One more online resource is World Almanac for Kids, http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/. World Almanac for Kids, makes available articles that are written for student audiences. Among the articles available are articles about technology, geography and science. Additionally, resources are available about topics such as weather conditions, general science, and the solar system.

Another website is National Geographic/ Wild World Almanac. This site, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/, is a great resource for students and teachers to use when studying about endangered species and ecosystems.

For current news events that are written with children in mind, teachers may consider the Time for Kids website,
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/. This site also provides free worksheets and test.

The BIG Picture

During my daily professional development time (a.k.a. reading blogs, articles, Twitter, etc.), I came upon a site from my del.icio.us network. My Wonderful World created by National Geographic provides students, parents, and teachers with resources to get a GLOBAL perspective. There are links to information, lessons, links, and much more. One of my favorite aspects is the link to Test Your Global IQ. I did not do very well on these! The resources are divided into age level and role.