FRED'S FINDS - Archive
JULY 2014
Nine Summits Quiz
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/NineSummitsQuiz/
Wolfram Project site. This is a world interactive map. You click on the name of the summit in a table, and then drag a blue dot to where you think that summit is on the earth’s surface. There are links to several other quizzes of this type on this site: Longest Rivers, Polar Maze, Capitals, Flags.
Country Groups
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/CountryGroups/
This is a Wolfram Project site. Select a type of country organization (such as members of the United Nations) and a map appears which displays those countries graphically.
World Energy: Electricity, Oil and Gas
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/WorldEnergyElectricityOilAndGas/
This is a Wolfram Project site. Select the energy type from a menu, then choose to display by map or other methods. Then run your cursor over the color coded countries for further information. Try the oil and look for “oil reserves”. This may surprise you and your students a bit. For younger geographers, just finding the countries in some quest for information may be useful.
MN Geog. Stds.: 4.3.1.2.1; 4.3.1.2.2; 4.3.1.1.1
Modeling World Student Populations
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ModelingWorldStudentPopulations/
This is a Wolfram Project site. This site is mainly for secondary and above. It provides a good chance for your students to gain chart/graph skills, as well as gain an understanding of what is happening to populations in various countries with different levels of development. For starters, compare Indonesia and Japan. What is causing the two to be so different?
MN Geog. Stds.: 4.3.1.2.1; 8.3.3.5.1
Create Maps Using Excel and BatchGeo
http://batchgeo.com/features/map-excel-data/
This is a nice step-by-step for making a map after you have data in an Excel spreadsheet.
I Love Charts! (Teachers–please note *caveat below)
http://ilovecharts.tumblr.com/archive
The title pretty much sums up what this site is about. Search through the archives or just follow them on twitter. There is sure to be a chart your students will find interesting. *Warning! Some of the charts are not suitable for classrooms. A teacher should probably gather the charts you want to use in class ahead of time. Do not give the site to your students to browse.
The Land of Maps
This map based site has a lot of interesting, and some off-beat, maps. The maps are searchable by continent, but also by “funny”. You can expect to see almost any topic mappable on this site.
Interactive Map of Sports by State
This is just a fun, interactive map of the USA which has icons of sports figures on each state. Click on the icon to learn why that sport is considered to be the best in that state. Hint: hockey in Minnesota!
Powtoon (creates animated videos)
http://www.powtoon.com/pricing/edu
This is a wonderful piece of software which for teachers or students which creates animated videos, mainly by drag and drop. So, it is fairly easy to use. You have a variety of built in characters and features which can do things on screen, but you can also add your own graphics. The video is exportable, including exporting it to Youtube. Last year the program was free to educators. This year there is a pricing plan on their web site. The price may be reduced “if you use the coupon code POWCHATA at the checkout to save 25% OFF any plan they would like to purchase.” Thanks to Jessica W at the MN History Center for bringing out attention to Powtoon.
Three Decades of Violent Storms (StoryMaps at esri)
http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2014/tornadoes/
Just in time for tornado season in Minnesota! This is an excellent, interactive by date, map and graphic, which reveals storm patterns in the USA. Thanks to Craig from Hibbing for this link
JUNE 2014
Free ERSI Licenses for Schools! (News Release)
Thanks to Sara from Stillwater for this heads up.
Explore the Smithsonian in Glorious High Definition!
http://www.mnh.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/
This site is wonderfully produced, allowing you to use your mouse to explore many areas of the museum right from your home or classroom. This is a virtual reality tour at its best. You may need a different URL for a non desktop device. Thanks to Jack N from the “Nooners” racquetball group for the link.
Map Reveals History of the Death Penalty
This animated map shows which states has what kind of death penalty, and it shows it over 100 years or so.
Additional text about this map may be found here:
1,000 Years of Europe’s Border Changes
http://loiter.co/v/watch-as-1000years-of-european-boarders-change/
Boundaries change on the screen in this map animation as you watch. The time lapse shows on screen as well as the titles of the events. Thanks to Mia from MASA for the heads up on this link.
Economic Contour Mapping Project (Yale University)
http://gecon.yale.edu/country-listing
The reader is treated to a really different view of how a country, regions and a globe looks if the economic centers are mapped in 3-D. Very interesting project. Note the menu on the left.
Colorblind vs. Sighted Map of GDP in North America
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/82484021339
http://i.imgur.com/xvWv57a.png
This is to remind us all that not all of our students can see choropleth maps, and other colored maps, equally.
The two maps with the links above show how they must look different to address those with colorblindness. An interesting observation which is easy to forget.
Minnesota Climatology Maps (great heat maps from the Minnesota Climatology Office)
http://climate.umn.edu/doc/annual_pre_maps.htm
Are you working with choropleth (“heat”) maps with your classes? This site has MN annual precipitation maps from 1990 to 2013 in total, departure from normal, and historical rankings. This site has links to many other weather related topics including the “Grand Daddy Flash Flood” of July 21-22, 1972 at Fort Ripley.
Major Sport Championship Location Map
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/82393847387
If your students don’t really understand the population distribution in the USA, this map should convince them.
Milwaukee Building Map (highly interactive)
http://milwaukeestat.com/milwaukee-ages-map
Do you have a lesson which requires students to examine building maps of a city and make generalizations about why buildings were built when? This map was created by official city data and is zoomable and interactive. I didn’t explore too long, but I did notice the older buildings were built near the water. Hmmmm???.. a generalization is trying to bubble up!
Property Price Listing Heat Map (by county)
http://www.trulia.com/home_prices/Minnesota/Anoka_County-heat_map/
This is an interesting example of an interactive heat map. Select the county and run the cursor to see the average home prices. Maybe your students could do some hypothesizing prior to using the map.
Texas vs. U.S. States Area Comparison
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/80982876133
This is a nice map showing how many times each state could fit into Texas. From “Maps on the Web.”
Overview of Flow Mapping
http://www.gislounge.com/overview-flow-mapping/
This is a nice, illustrated explanation about “flow mapping.” The link was published in the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education Facebook page.
How Wolves Changed Rivers (a lesson in physical Geography)
http://www.directionsmag.com/videos/how-wolves-change-rivers-a-physical-geography-lesson/384985
This short video traces the impact of wolves being introduced into Yellowstone Park in 1995. This is a short, great illustration which points out the interrelatedness of things in nature. Thanks to Ed E for the link.
National METAR Weather Map from NOAA
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usa
This highly interactive map will show you the current weather at thousands of point across the USA. Thanks to Jack N. of the “Nooners” racquetball group for this link.
Interactive Map of Mexican States
http://www.maps-of-mexico.com/mexico_states.shtml
This site presents a map of the Mexican states in outline form. Click on a state and you will see a sectionalized political/physical map of that state. Click on it again and you will see a blow up of that section. Pull down menus offer other maps, photographs of some cities (including panoramic) and weather maps. This site should be useful for the 4th grade MN Standards regarding Mexico.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.1.1
4.3.1.1.2
4.3.1.2.1
4.3.1.2.2
4.3.2.3.1
4.3.2.4.2
How Mercator Distorts
http://uxblog.idvsolutions.com/2013/03/a-globe-hack-and-good-old-mercator.html
This is a blog with pictures which include using pennies glued to a globe (you still with me?) to illustrate nicely how Mercator Maps distort. I had not seen anything like this one. The article will help you understand how you can do something similar in your classroom.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.2.4.2
8.3.1.2.1
Mercator Distortion Puzzle
http://onlinemaps.blogspot.com/2013/05/mercator-distortion-puzzle.html
Here is a kind of fun site which is in support of “How Mercator Distorts” above. This shows the effect of of Mercator projection on the size of different objects on a map. Click on the world map to enlarge it to the next level.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.2.4.2
8.3.1.2.1
The True Size of Africa (The Economist)
http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/cartography
This excellent article with maps should be a fairly readable article if any of your students wish to look into how map projections (only a few are discussed here) can distort.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.1.2.1
True Size of the Pacific Ocean
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/72335587764
I love comparison maps! They give a perspective difficult to achieve in other ways. Here, the Pacific is overlaid by Europe, Asia, South America and Australia! Wow! That is a lot of water.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.1.2.1
8.3.2.3.1
Create Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigidi is a free, online jigsaw puzzle making site. It is easy to use. A simple account with no really personal information is required, then you may use their puzzles or create your own from maps or pictures. Then, you can set the difficulty for solving the puzzle. Finally, you may make your puzzle public, or simple send it to those who you’d like to work with it. Your classes? Individual kids on an IEP? Thanks to Carol from Montevideo for this link.
America’s New Religious Landscape: Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN
http://worldmap.harvard.edu/maps/pluralism-twin_cities/HU6
This interactive site produces an interactive map with clickable balloons which explains which religious sites are at that Geographic site. You may click on/off various religions.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.3.5.1
Music Map of the USA by State
http://blog.echonest.com/post/77823521396/music-fans-most-distinctive-artists-by-state
A map was created which showed the “distinctive” music artist preference for each state. The map and chart is based on real listening preferences. I am getting old! I don’t know many of them. Thanks to Jim H. of Bloomington for the link. If you want to know how to connect Geography to music, ask Jim, he is a wizard!
Gun Control Compared to Strength of Gun Laws (USA)
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/67976585570
This map uses 2007-10 data. It uses color choropleth for death rate by guns, and quartile symbols for the number of gun laws, in an effort to correlate the two. This might be a good map to use in a discussion with your students about the source of the data maps represent.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.1.1
Area Code Lookup
Here is a nice Geography activity just waiting to happen! Enter the city name, state, or telephone number and a clickable map will show up.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
Interactive World Map of Newspapers
http://newspapermap.com/#slat=43.94307097344284&slong=-35.680401757745486&zoom=3
At this site you begin with a scrollable world map with a ton of balloons. The balloons are major newspapers from around the world, and they are color coded by languages. You can filter the balloons by language. Click on a balloon and view info. about that newspaper. Click on the newspaper or the title of the newspaper and you will be presented with an electronic version of that newspaper. You should be able to find lots of uses in addition to comparison for this site. Thanks to Jen K from Spring Lake Park for this link.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.2.2
8.3.3.5.1
World Wind Map (interactive)
This site shows current (updated every 3 hours) wind direction and speed at various altitudes. You can click on the globe and a little circle will appear on that spot. Look in the data on the bottom left and it will reveal wind data. Click on the word “Earth” and you can find out more, and go to other sites. It is pretty as well as interesting. Thanks to Craig H from Hibbing for this great link!
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.1.1.1
APRIL 2014
Professional Athletes by US States
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/67481978668
Are you about to teach your students about choropleth maps? This link might provide some motivation for doing just that! It shows the number from each state for NB, NFL, MLB, and NHL. It also has a text list next to the map.
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.1.1
World Urban Footprints
This page provides outline images of some of the world’s largest urban areas. The image at this URL shows the footprints ranked by population. A fun activity for students who like a Geographic challenge might be to provide the URl and ask teams to come up with generalizations about patterns in urban growth.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.3.5.1
9.3.3.5.3
Maps Which Explain the World (NYTimes)
A list with a similar title was published earlier in Fred’s Finds, and that edition was from Twisted Sister. However, most if not all of the maps are different in this edition. Thanks to Dr. Jennifer in Spring Lake Park for the heads up on this new edition.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.1.1
4.3.1.2.1
7.3.1.1.1
8.3.1.1.2
9.3.1.1.1
Animated USA Tornado Map: Monthly
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/78120693372
This map shows where the tornadoes have hit and what strength they were from 1950-2012.
Animated Homicide Map of USA: 1965-2012
http://i.imgur.com/uTcPz4W.gif
The map will run by itself and is pretty much self explanatory. The interesting question to explore with your students might be why there is change over time.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.1.2.2
Animated Map of Growth of Walmart (1962 to present)
http://i.imgur.com/fUZ9eyr.jpg
Your students will probably be able to relate to this fast growing set of blue dots on a beige USA. A number of Geographic questions should follow about why this fantastic growth was possible and is still going on.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.1.1
4.3.1.2.1
8.3.1.2.1
9.3.1.2.1
World Average Marrying Age Map
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/22/marriage-map_n_4326504.html
This map may also be a good discussion starter for your classes. After analyzing this choropleth map, ask the students why they think the marriage age is older in developed countries. Thanks to Jim H of Bloomington for the link.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.3.5.1
4.3.1.1.1
Income by ZIP Code Map of USA
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2013/11/09/washington-a-world-apart/
Enter zip codes or click on the map to see the average family income in that area. Thanks to Jim H of Bloomington for the link.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.3.5.1
Income by State, City and Neighborhood in USA
http://www.richblockspoorblocks.com/
This interactive site allows you to pick the place and one of four parameters to map. You may also zoom. The four parameters are income, rent, poverty and wealth. The produced map is choropleth and interactive.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.3.5.1
World Map of Minimum Wages
Click once and the map will enlarge, click again to see the legend.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.1.1.1
4.3.1.2.1
8.3.1.1.2
8.3.1.2.1
8.3.2.3.1
MARCH 2014
Western Europe vs. North America: Equivalent Latitude Maps
http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2011/03/north-america-western-europe-equivalent-latitude-maps.html
This is very neat in that you will see a map of one area with latitude lines. Across that map will be the cities from Europe as well as North America at their correct latitudinal locations.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
8.3.1.2.1
European Union Interactive Map
http://www.euintheus.org/interactive-map/#!/?map=EU
Click on the map of Europe to learn more about the European Union as well as each country which makes up that association.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.3.7.3
9.3.3.8.1
9.3.3.8.2
Four Classic Location Theorists (HS and Above)
https://faculty.washington.edu/krumme/450/table.html
This site provides a lot of information about “Location Theories”. Perhaps some of your more advanced students are interested in this aspect of Geography.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.1.1.2
9.3.1.2.1
9.3.1.2.2
Location Decisions: Abandoned
http://www.boredpanda.com/abandoned-places/
This site has great pictures with brief explanations about what happened to the decision to build or locate there. Geographic decisions in the past impact the future.
A second excellent site, some of the pictures are the same.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.1.1.2
9.3.1.2..1
9.3.1.2.2
The Civil War in Four Minutes
http://www.humanitiestexas.org/archives/digital-repository/civil-war-four-minutes-2007
The main feature of this site is a dynamic map of the USA at the time of the Civil War. The map shows the major battles and keeps a running count of the casualties. Each second of time on the dynamic map is equal to about a week of the Civil War time. You should probably expand the map to full screen to get the maximum effect. Thanks to Lowell G of Burnsville for the heads up to this link.
Critical Past
I do not ordinarily suggest sites which are run on a cost basis. However, Critical Past has an excellent format and you can view any of the thousands of videos free, you just can’t download them. The videos may be filtered by birthdays or other dates. Thanks to Lowell G from Burnsville for the link.
Metro Mpls./St. Paul Traffic Cams and Route Planning
http://www.startribune.com/local/traffic/
This STRIB site is really nice. A generalized map of the metro, showing roads greets you. The map is highly interactive though. Hover your cursor over the camera icons and you can see what the traffic cam at that location is looking at. Right click on a road and you put down a “start route” balloon. Right click at a different location and the route is plotted complete with time and images from the cameras along the way.
Possible MN Geog. Std:
8.3.1.1.1
9.3.1.1.2
9.3.1.2.1
9.3.1.2.2
Birds Eye View of Great Places
http://pixtale.net/2013/12/how-our-world-would-look-if-you-were-a-bird/
Very nice aerial photographs sometimes bring a perspective or a sense of place to us that we might not otherwise get.
This site offers a lengthy list of great shots. Thanks to Carol H from Montevideo for the heads up to this link.
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
9.3.1.1.2
9.3.2.3.1
Fantasy GeoPolitics
http://www.fantasygeopolitics.com/
This is a game site for Fantasy GeoPolitics, a web based, classroom game developed by Eric Nelson. Mr. Nelson teaches at a Charter School in Forest Lake, MN. The game is based on the Fantasy Football format, but involves Geography, not football. This site has the information you need and is the base for the game. As of Feb. 4th, 2014 the game is collecting money from “Kickstarter”. It is not known what will happen after the Kickstarter period regarding free use or fees.
World Wheat Map
Any students who wish to learn more about wheat, many aspects of it, should get familiar with this site. Compare lots of variables. You can export the data to Excel spreadsheets and then make graphs too!
Possible MN Geog. Std.:
4.3.4.10.2
4.3.4.10.1
9.3.2.4.3
9.3.2.4.4
FEBRUARY 2014
Map of US States Comparing State to World Countries by Population
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/71331022836
This neat map will probably cause some of your students to research the flags to see what country is equal to that state in population. A good activity would be to combine viewing this map with the map comparison overlay site, so students can see how, physically/spatially this equal population country compares to the state (link below).
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/71331022836
Along these same comparison lines, MAPfrappe will also allow you to outline a state and then compare it to anyplace in the world. There are some directions to read, but it is fairly simple and useful.
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/71331022836
Still another easy to use place comparison site is MapFight.
World of 7 Billion (teacher resources)
http://www.worldof7billion.org/teacher_resources#high_school_activities
Teaching about world population? This is a must stop site, with lots of downloadable resources.
There might have been a previous site like this one, but I think this has had a major revamp recently.
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.2.1
8.3.3.5.1
8.3.3.5.2
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.4
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.6
8.3.3.5.7
Net Migration Patterns for US Counties
http://www.netmigration.wisc.edu/
This free site offers a variety of choices to the user. You may download map data or create a JPG map after choosing from different variables.
MN Geog. Stds.:
8.3.3.5.1
8.3.3.5.2
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.7
9.3.3.5.4
Population Infographic 2013 (PRB)
http://www.prb.org/Publications/Datasheets/2013/2013-world-population-data-sheet/infographic.aspx
Up to date population information in eye pleasing and easy to use graphics. Some are interactive, some just provide data. Several categories about population. Click on “Launch the Infographic” then choose from the list at the next screen. I liked “30 Most Populous Cities).
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.2.1
4.3.1.2.2
8.3.3.5.1
Major World Agglomerations
http://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html
This site shows in map and table form all of the cities of the world with a population of 1 million or more.
Run your cursor over the city name box and it will show the population. Click on the city name in the table and the map will shift to center on that agglomeration.
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.2.1
4.3.1.2.2
8.3.3.5.1
City Population
Another great site for population research for your students is out of Denmark. There are many parameters about population you may choose to follow. If you click on “World by Map” you will be taken to an interactive page with maps and charts as well as key words. These are about population but go much wider than that, and interactive.
MN Geog. Stds:
4.3.1.2.1
4.3.1.2.2
8.3.3.5.1
Animated World Population Growth 1492-Present
http://mapsontheweb.zoom-maps.com/image/73621768059
This is a color coded by country map which animates from 1492 to 2008.
Populations of Cities (A Wolfram Alpha Demonstration Project)
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/PopulationsOfCities/
Select a country from a pull down menu, then select the style of graphic in which the size of major cities in that country are displayed. Click your mouse point on a bubble and then name of that city and its population will be displayed. A similar project is located at:
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/CitiesOfCountries/
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.2.1
4.3.1.2.2
8.3.3.5.1
8.3.3.5.2
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.4
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.6
8.3.3.5.7
Poverty Map (NYT)
http://www.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/2014/01/05/poverty-map/?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20140106
This is a highly interactive map which shows poverty pockets across the USA and in selected cities. Just roll your cursor in the darker colored areas and information pops up. Note the city names at the bottom. Click on any of those to focus on those cities. There are a dozen lesson plans here just waiting to happen! Thanks to Jim H of Bloomington for the link to this map.
Wheat Map of the USA (by county)
http://liveatthewitchtrials.blogspot.ie/2013/11/wheat-map-of-us.html
A very clear choropleth map showing county wheat growth.
MN Geog. Stds.:
4.3.1.1.1
The Three Agricultural Revolutions (PREZI)
http://prezi.com/dorezhx5tqxg/three-agricultural-revolutions/
This is an information, slide, text and video laden PREZI site.
MN Geog. Stds:
4.3.4.9.1
The Story of American Agriculture
http://www.agclassroom.org/gan/media/program.html
This multimedia site provides a variety of content and delivers it through a variety of media.
Create a guide sheet and turn your students loose!
MN Geog. Stds:
4.3.4.9.1
DECEMBER 2013
Our Story (two minutes and 500 images)
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=MrqqD_Tsy4Q
This link will take you to a STUNNING two minute video with great sound. In those two minutes you will see 500 images which purport to tell “Our Story”. What is “Our Story”? Well, it is not the history of the world, but it is quite a story. I could see a class starting with this and then a discussion or writing session followed by a sharing/discussion session. It is a very thought provoking experience! Thanks to John F of White Bear Lake for this link.
Agricultural Production by County (USDA)
http://www.nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps/Crops_County/
This government site will provide you with all of the data and images you need to create agriculture theme maps (choropleth) in your classes.
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
6.3.4.10.1
7.3.1.1.1
MapFight (not a Wolfram site)
This is a very simple size comparison site. However, it is easy to use and provides the best graphic comparisons I’ve seen. Select any two countries from two pull down menus and you will get a graphic comparing the two. You can also Google a variety of countries and continents and will be provided very nice maps. here is an example of what I entered as search terms: “USA vs China size comparison map”. Before you do it, make a guess as to which is larger and by how much. Try it!
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
1.3.2.3.1
4.3.1.1.1
8.3.1.1.2
9.3.2.3.1
timelineJS
http://timeline.knightlab.com/
This is a free timeline creator which produces custom, professional looking time lines. You use an online Google spreadsheet (with a template they provide) to create the timeline. Here is the YouTube video showing how to use it.
gmap-pedometer
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
This site allows you to mark out a route anywhere in the world at any scale, and then it shows you the distance of the route. You start with a zoomable map of the world. You can get right down to your neighborhood, find a lake, city or any place to mark a route. This might be a good site to give to a student who understands the basics of scale. You can save a route and go back to it later. Here is a walking route in my neighborhood.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6040466
7.3.1.1.1
Interactive Gettysburg Map (Smithsonian)
This interactive map reacts to clicks on the time line or places on the battlefields. This might fit more into a history course, but it is a good example of how maps can help us understand complicated events. Thanks to John F of White Bear Lake for the heads up on this site.
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
3.3.1.1.1
7.3.1.1.1
Google Street View of the Amazon
You knew you could get “street views” of addresses in populated places, but who knew you could be right there on a boat in the Amazon!
Addresses MN Geog. Standards:
4.3.2.3.1
5.3.2.3.1
8.3.1.1.1
8.3.2.3.1
9.3.2.3.1
Population Pyramids for the Whole World: 1950-2100
http://populationpyramid.net/Southern+Asia/2010/
This very easy to use site dynamically draws the pyramids as you click on different years on the time line. This would be a great site to use when introducing the idea that as nations move in the DTM their pyramid shape changes also.
Addresses MN Geog. Standards:
9.3.2.4.1
9.3.3.5.3
Demographic Transition Simulator
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/demographics/demog.html
This interactive site allows the user to change population growth parameters and then show the effect of those changes on a line graph as well as a population pyramid. Change countries from a pull down menu of six countries all with different population structures. Change birth rates and death rates once the country is selected. After the user has selected the country and the parameters, a simulation will run showing dynamically the changes in population over time as well as the population pyramid for that country. Very nice, simple, and easy to use. If you want support materials on this topic, go to the website below and click on Demographics Lab (Units 5, 13). You can also reach the simulator from a link there. This is from Annenberg Media.
http://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/
3.3.3.6.1
4.3.2.3.1
4.3.3.5.1
8.3.2.3.1
8.3.2.6.8
8.3.3.5.1
8.3.3.5.2
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.4
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.6
8.3.3.5.7
8.3.3.5.8
9.3.2.3.1
9.3.3.5.1
9.3.3.5.3
On Line Map Scale Converter.
The Bureau of Economic Geology has an online map scale converter
http://www.beg.utexas.edu/GIS/tools/scale2.htm
You enter the larger number of the map scale number let???s say it is 1:24000, so you’d enter 24000) and it will show you inches to the mile. That is 2.64 to th mile. Write that down, then enter (say ?? of 24000) and have it calculate that (turns out to be 5.28 inches to the mile. So, kids can get the idea of what that 2nd number in the scale ratio does as it gets larger or smaller.
Another converter which provides more information, and maybe in a form which kids will grasp easer, is located at:
http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/vdivener/resources/js_map_scale.htm
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
3.3.1.1.2
4.3.1.1.1
6.3.1.1.1
7.3.1.1.1
8.3.1.1.2
Longitude-Latitude Finder
http://latitude-longitude.net/
This is a good site for students just learning about latitude and longitude. The students are presented with a world map (which is scalable) and can enter longitude and latitude coordinates. The map will pop a balloon on the coordinates entered. By trial and error, your students will gain a greater understanding of how the globe and map coordinate system works. There is some limited help on the site.
MN Geog. Stds.
4.3.1.1.2
National Geographic Education
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/map/
This page allows the user to search their map archive by grade and ages; by intended audience; and by map type. The user may select many parameters, and may also add markers to the map. Then, you can link to the map, email the map or share it.
MN Geog. Stds.
4.3.1.1.1
7.3.1.1.1
National Geographic GeoGames
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/media/geogames/
This is the latest online game from National Geographic. Basically you turn the globe and put oceans and continents and cities in place. The user may choose several levels. The game does include sound.
Geog. Std Addressed:
3.3.1.1.1
Free Outline Maps (Houghton-Mifflin)
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/usa.html
A simple page with map titles. Click the link and download a printable map.
Geog. Std Addressed:
3.3.1.1.1
4.3.1.1.1
7.3.1.1.1
World Population Growth Infographic (from U-Pack)
http://www.upack.com/press/population-growth
This is a business site but they have a nice, full page infographic on population growth. You can capture the graphic, or they do provide you with the html code if you are savvy enough to link it to your class page.
MN Geog. Standards:
9.3.3.5.1
9.3.3.5.3
9..3.3.5.4
World Time Mapper
http://world.time.com/timelapse/
This site shows images from satellites taken over time. Viewers may observe changes in features on the earth caused by “natural” or man made efforts. There are several locations ready, such as Shanghai, Wyoming Coal, Las Vegas, Dubai, the Mendenhall Glacier and Lake Urmia, and the amazing story of the Alberta Oil Sands Project, but the viewer may also search the site for other locations. Each location has supporting text and video to add to the viewer’s knowledge of how and why that geographic feature is changing.
Geographic Models (Prezi presentations)
http://prezi.com/quigwfyvfnoy/ap-human-geography-models-and-theories/
Looking for an explanation of a wide variety of Geographic models for your AP class? This site has a slide show which will introduce the viewer to a number of them, and it goes beyond the urban development and demographic transition models.
MN Geog. Standards:
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.7
9.3.3.5.2
9.3.3.6.4
Kid Songs from Around the World (Mama Lisa)
Need some audio as well as the words to kid songs to introduce the idea of culture into your classroom? Try this site.There are poems, MP3 recordings, lyric in the native language as well as English in some cases, recipes and more..
MN Geog. Standards:
8.3.3.6.7
9.3.4.9.1
Cultural Jambalaya
This non-profit, as told to me by Executive Director Gail Shore at GeoFest 2013, is now allowing schools to stream what was formerly on their for sale DVDs. So if you or your students need music, images or video for cultural projects, check out their site. Study guides are also available for download. The guides are nicely developed and include the MN Graduation Standards where appropriate. For example, the Windows & Mirrors: AFRICA addresses
MN Geog. Standards:
0.3.2.3.1
8.3.3.6.7
9.3.4.9.1
Geographic State of the World via Graphics
http://www.theglobaleducationproject.org/earth/human-conditions.php
Maps reflecting the state of the world on a dozen themes are displayed.
MN Geog. Stds:
8.3.1.2.1
9.3.1.1.2
iPad Tips and Tricks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPDLDG-UD5c
I know, there aren’t any map tricks here, but you could use some fun things too while using your iPad for school. The address above will take you to one particular video, but on the right will be a list of other videos with a wide array of tips and tricks for the iPad
Wolfram Alpha’s Demonstration Projects
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/
This is a fabulous Geography mother-load to mine! The next five sites below are all from Wolfram Alpha. You will find things here you haven’t seen anywhere else! Wolfram is a high tech site dedicated to bringing education of all kinds to all ages. I went through and tried to find what I thought would be useful to classroom teachers of Geography.
Note: You will need to download the free CDF player from Wolfram Alpha to view and manipulate these maps and interactive files. It is well worth the effort and time. The demonstrations support Mac and PC
Projection of Earth on Polyhedra
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ProjectionOfEarthOnPolyhedra/
This site is just fun for Geographers. The world is displayed in color on several interactive types of polyhedrans.
Great Circle Routes
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/GreatCirclesOnMercatorsChart/
Wolfram.com has some great studies of great circle routes and Mercator and other projections on their site. Perhaps some of your students would like to visit these sites as an independent follow up, or you may wish to project them in class to add to your discussion. A variation on this is comparing loxodromes and great circle routes:
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ComparingLoxodromesAndGreatCircleRoutes/
Mn Grad. Standard:
4.3.1.1.2
Mercator Projection (Wolfram MathWorld)
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/MercatorProjection.html
You might have to be into math to enjoy this site.
Distortions in Map Projections
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/DistortionsInMapProjections/
This demonstration shows distortions in different kinds of map projections. The user selects from menus and the result appears on a map. Another set of distortions, based on different types of maps, may be found here:
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/WorldMapProjections/
Which Country is Bigger?
http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/WhichCountryIsBigger/
This is a nice site which superimposes one country onto another to illustrate the differences in size (area). The only tough part is that the countries are selected by a slider. A nice visual to project for your class would be to select USA and then, from the 2nd slider, slide through a bunch of countries. Each one will be overlaid onto the USA map.
MN Geog. Stds.
9.3.2.3.1
NOVEMBER 2013
Religion and Public Life Project (Pew Research)
http://religions.pewforum.org/
One part of the website called the ???Religious Landscape Survey??? allows for comparisons on beliefs and practices, demographics, and social and political views. You can map out the United States as a whole or map out individual states. This is a good site for an introduction to religion. The website also links to information about global religious issues. Thanks to Jen B from Minnetonka for the link and description!
Bizarre Border: Canada and USA
http://www.flixxy.com/the-bizarre-border-between-canada-and-the-united-states.htm
This is a wonderful video which touches on borders in general, and then focuses on the border between the USA and Canada. The video explores how the lines came about, where they appear to be and where they really are located. Satellite photos, terrain maps and photos are used in this video. This is entertaining and educational. Thanks to Lowell G of Burnsville for the heads up on this link.
MN Graduation Standard:
4.3.2.3.1
4.3.1.2.2
Great Circle Route Mapper
This site will map a Great Circle Route from any city to any city. Kids will be amazed at the direction they will fly on some routes (try LA to Beijing), especially if you ask them in advance to draw it on a piece of paper. There is more information on the site about Great Circle Routes via links.
MAPfrappe
This interesting site allows you to draw outlines on one world map which will appear on the one below for comparison. In their words, “This page allows you to see an outline of one part of the world over laid on another part of the world. For example, you can sketch an outline of California in the ???Reference Map??? below, and then overlay the outline over Italy in the ???Comparison Map.??? Whatever outline you draw in the top map stays centered in the bottom map.” A secondary, but useful and very interesting aspect on this page is “shape distortion.” In their words, “If you draw the outline at a given latitude in the Reference map, and then view the outline at a different latitude in the Comparison map, the relative orientation of the marker positions will be distorted. This distortion occurs for two different reasons.”
MN Geog. Standards:
4.3.1.1.1
4.4.1.2.1
9.3.2.3.1
Climbing Income Ladder (Maps from NY Times)
This fascinating set of maps and questions shows what the odds are of climbing above the income level into which you are born in the USA. Move the cursor around over the map to see what percentage of people who grew up in that area rose an income level. This link was brought to my attention by Dr. Lanegran..
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
9.3.3.5.3
4.3.1.1.2
Perspectives
This amazing site, done by Cary Huang with assistance from Michael Huan, will give you and your students many perspectives about things all over the earth and universe. This deals with “scale” and could easily be a fascinating part of your discussion of map scale. You can spend a lot of time on this site. About the time you think you’ve seen it all, try zooming or scrolling or magnifying or backing away with your mouse. Well worth looking at.
Addresses MN Geog. Stds.
4.3.1.1.1
8.3.1.1.2
GeoGuessr
This fun site shows you a picture which contains photographic “place” clues about the location. You make a guess on a map and then you shown the actual location compared to your guess. Then you are awarded points based on how close to the actual location you are. I can see this could be used in many ways, including students offering reasons for why they are selecting the location they do. It is a lot of fun, even just trying it on your own.
A thank you! to Kyle T who shared this at a session during GeoFest2013. Kyle says he uses it to introduce the concept of “a sense of place”.
Addresses MN Geog. Standards:
4.3.2.3.1
5.3.2.3.1
8.3.1.1.1
8.3.2.3.1
9.3.2.3.1
Population Reference Bureau
They have a great item called the ???2013 World Population Infographic??? that works on an iPad, desktop, or in PDF form. The website also has short up-to-date videos on a variety of population issues. If you ???like??? them on Facebook you will get updates with information that could be useful for teaching Human Geography. A special thanks to Jeni B of Minnetonka HS for the link and description.
Addresses MN Geog. Standards:
3.3.3.6.1
4.3.2.3.1
4.3.3.5.1
8.3.2.3.1
8.3.2.6.8
8.3.3.5.1
8.3.3.5.2
8.3.3.5.3
8.3.3.5.4
8.3.3.5.5
8.3.3.5.6
8.3.3.5.7
8.3.3.5.8
9.3.2.3.1
9.3.3.5.1
9.3.3.5.3
Synthetic Population Viewer
http://portaldev.rti.org/10_Midas_Docs/SynthPop/portal.html
This site allows you to zoom in on neighborhoods and will produce household data by income, size, race, and age. Several different views of the data are possible.
Thanks to Amy D and Dave L for the link.
Addresses MN Geog. Standards:
8.3.3.6.1
9.3.3.7.2
Two Nice World Population Clocks
http://galen.metapath.org/popclk.html
The first one is really just another population clock, but I like this one because you can freeze/unfreeze the numbers as well as change the date to any date you wish and the clock will show the population at that time. You may choose a date back in time or forward in time. Now, if you want a much more fancy and complicated fancy population clock with lots of choices, you need to visit this site:
http://www.cosmosmith.com/population_clock.htm
A graphic clock shows different kinds of populations with lots of variables. The clock automatically changes variables, but the stop and start switch is at the top of the variable list. Have fun! Project it while you take attendance!
40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World (Twisted Sifter)
**Note** A few of these maps should NOT be shown in your class. Use professional judgment. However, there are so many thought provoking and unique maps here that I had to include this “find”.
http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/
Thanks to Lowell G of Burnsville for the heads up to the link.
Map Art (For Teachers Only–not for students!!)
http://mattcusick.com/paintings-collage/map-works/view/222
Matthew Cusick uses maps to create some very nice art. This site allows you to view those creations. If you blow the maps up you will be able to see the map media content more clearly. Please be warned, there are age inappropriate images made from maps on this site also, so do not share the URL with your students. Many images are appropriate, and lovely, but it is best to isolate images and display them without the URL being revealed.
OCTOBER 2013
For the start of the school year I decided to search YouTube to see if I could identify Geography content. Well, as you probably know, there is a ton of it! I hope you can use some of these in your Geography classes to supplement your excellent teaching!
How to Make a Treasure Map
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0rkIXWPH7s
This is a video of a teacher preparing the materials and processes for making a “treasure map” for young learners. During the process, it is obvious you can teach many map skills with the “treasure” acting as a motivator.
Minnesota Geography Standards addressed:
Grade 2.2.3.1.1.1
Early Education: Teaching Map Skills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o-Y239RhEE&list=PLCE3CCE0F5C10BAEC
A woman talks to teachers of young learners about how and what to teach about maps.
Standards addressed:
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.4
I’m a Map
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSw1F-E_M2A&list=PLCE3CCE0F5C10BAEC
Kindergarten level song about a map.
Standards addressed:
Grade K–0.3.1.1.2
How to Read a Map Song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txsmjOItqWE&list=PLCE3CCE0F5C10BAEC
Covers a lot of the parts of map reading via a song.
Grade K–0.3.1.1.2
Landforms
http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=94543
This video is a simple slideshow with music in the background. As slides of different landforms are shown, the name of the land form is displayed. A teacher might want to frequently start and stop the video, asking students about the characteristics of each landform they are looking at. Approximately 16 landforms are shown.
Grades:
1–1.3.2.3.1
2– 2.3.1.1.4
4–4.3.2.3.1
5–5.3.2.3.1
Landforms and Related Information
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v7R2bALbgI
An expressive teacher uses her large drawings and explanations as well as a song to teach about landforms. This is appropriate for elementary and she does a good job in just over four minutes. Did you know that Pinterest has a landform page with lessons and songs, etc.
http://pinterest.com/stefandf14/landforms
http://pinterest.com/mjkrech/teaching-map-skills-landforms/
Grades:
1–1.3.2.3.1
2– 2.3.1.1.4
4–4.3.2.3.1
5–5.3.2.3.1
Landforms Including Earth Overview and Continents and Oceans
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNCOWROrHsc
A soft spoken teacher uses nice video/slide and music background to explain many features about the earth and landforms. This video is probably best used for middle elementary. 3:31 in length. Did you know that Pinterest has a landform page with lessons and songs, etc.
http://pinterest.com/stefandf14/landforms
http://pinterest.com/mjkrech/teaching-map-skills-landforms/
Grades:
4–4.3.2.3.1
5–5.3.2.3.1
Landform Slide Shows (Mr. Donn’s Geography site)
http://geography.mrdonn.org/powerpoints/landforms.html
This page holds a variety of links to slideshows about landforms and specific landforms. The slide shows are in PowerPoint format.
Grades: a variety of levels. Some slide shows could be used in middle school.
1–1.3.2.3.1
2– 2.3.1.1.4
4–4.3.2.3.1
5–5.3.2.3.1
Introducing Map Scales
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYsUgrD5Qu8
A male voice uses slides to teach an understanding of map scale.
Standards addressed:
Grade 3–3.3.1.1.2
Relative Size on Maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7oaOQGc2iOU
This is a teacher designed and made video for first grade. It is well done and leads students through several aspects of making maps from things they see every day, including their room, their home and their classroom and their neighborhood.
Grade 1–1.3.1.1.1
Geography of Western USA lesson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtq973IKHYg
This is a video of an elementary teacher giving a lesson on the USA using a white board write on map. 7.35 time.
Grade: 4
4.3.2.3.1
4.3.1.1.1
4.3.2.4.1
50 States With Capitals in under Two Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUSzDi2DfMw
A catchy song and an animated, colorful map highlights this YouTube video.
If you don’t like this one, below is a bushel basket of other videos which use animation and music to help kids learn the states:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2y5uiZQDBk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh_d9NoN3J0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhDrGnjacvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABQmZMNurZE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo–bheaE0I
Hey! There is even a hip-hop version!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMG1-ja4NI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb0eOmX7ZG
Grade 4–4.3.2.4.1
The Great American Melting Pot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32l3sTFRFX8
This is a catchy YouTube video using cartoon characters and voices of kids singing about migration and “melting” into the USA. 3 minutes in length.
Grade 4–4.3.3.5.1
How to Read and Use a Compass
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNrs-tyWhR4
Fairly clear directions about how to use a compass in directions and degrees. A good starter for compass use.
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.2
How to Read a Map
http://video.about.com/geography/How-to-Read-a-Map.htm
This About.com video uses graphics, text and talk with music to explain how to read a map. Fast dialogue, under two minutes.
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.4
Geography Lesson Using Time Zones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j-SWKtWEcU
This YouTube video is very well done, and uses great graphics and sound to teach us about time zones and the longitude and earth rotation it is based on.
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.2
Grade 4–4.3.1.1.2
Longitude and Latitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyaMZJ0WdHM&list=PL58F2D078FA5CFBA8
This YouTube video uses maps, text graphics and music to teach us about longitude and latitude. Not much talking, lots of graphics.
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.2
Grade 4–4.3.1.1.2
Longitude and Latitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKT16DjHo_8&list=PLC971B97E8F9FD3B9
A clever look at longitude and latitude from “Dig Into History”. There are several other short videos on this site.
Grade 2–2.3.1.1.2
Grade 4–4.3.1.1.2
Types of Maps and Map Projections
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AI36MWAH54s&list=PL58F2D078FA5CFBA8
This YouTube video uses (blurry) maps and voices to teach users about maps and projections in about 3 minutes.
Using Maps Together (from Phoenix Learning)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2HmL_enx94
This is a fairly clear presentation on different types of maps–very basic by function, not map type names. This is cartoon format, so perfect for early learners.
Topographic Maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1-S-ED2Fa4
A woman’s voice demonstrates on a contour map how they work.
Grade 6–6.3.3.6.1
Basics of Topographic Maps
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfmoFY2zyes
A male voice uses a computer pen to explain topography. Ignore his one zoom mistake and it is fairly clear.
Grade 6–6.3.3.6.1
How to Draw Contour Lines to Make a Topographic Map
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HaJkhjMtjM
A clear video which starts with readings for contour line to connecting them to form an isoline map. Probably upper elementary to MS and above.
Grade 6–6.3.3.6.1
Video Map of All Nuclear Explosions 1945-98
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXxPRHkyAvY&feature=player_embedded
Almost a work of map art. This is a nice YOUTube video, sound and motion.
Video Map of World Religions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-sIF78QYCI
This YOUTube video uses maps, text and music with a timeline to show major world religions. What a starter for your unit! All in two minutes!
Video Map of World Population Growth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZPk2quRmKE
This YouTube video shows the population growth of the world in 49 seconds with a world map, color and sound.
Grades 9-12
9.3.3.5.3
9.3.3.5.4
Video Graphic Comparing USA to Europe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kS-R1W1vJjM
Okay, this YOUTube video shows comparisons which could be better, but it is interesting and is finished in just over 1 minute. The comparisons are done graphically and some insight might be gained by your students.
What Fits Into Russia! (old SCTV skit, but it works!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXqKkYYALMU
A goofy, old Second City TV skit with maps. Your kids might just like it and learn something about comparative size!
South American Countries Mnemonic Slide Show (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYSHaL2uGGE
A HS Special Education teacher with a good voice provides us with video and sound in a screen expandable video to help us remember South American Countries. The topic range is great, tallest buildings, bestselling brands, deserts, birth rates, billionaires and much more! All of these on one page just a click away!
What is Cultural Geography?
http://video.about.com/geography/What-Is-Cultural-Geography-.htm
This About.com video focuses on the idea of cultural geography with music, talk, graphics and pictures. this is fast, but fairly decent explanation. Under 2 minutes. There are several other Geography videos which may be accessed from this site.
Making a Topographic Profile out of a Topographic Map
http://video.about.com/geography/What-Is-Cultural-Geography-.htm
This clear, easy to follow set of directions is probably for MS or above. A profile allows the map reader to see a side view of a topographic map which is otherwise an overhead view.
Human Settlement Slideshows
http://www.slideshare.net/peyne/human-settlements
Teaching about settlements, site and situation, or location? This site has over 20 slideshare files which have nice content and graphics/images in this area.
Grades: 8
8.3.3.6.1
8.3.3.6.2
8.3.3.6.3
8.3.3.6.4
8.3.3.6.5
8.3.3.6.6
8.3.3.6.7
SEPTEMBER 2013 – Special Edition: Geography Teacher Gems
This special edition of Fred’s Finds targets the interest of classroom teachers who like their craft! Have fun with all these great web tech sites for Geography and Teaching
Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/153705321150/
Do you visit the M.A.G.E. Facebook page every week? You should. Lots of stuff is going on there to keep up to date with, but you will also find a ton of great links (not the same as the ones seen here each month). Laura Kigin and a variety of Geography teachers post great stuff there frequently.
Geography in the News
http://www.geographyinthenews.rgs.org/
The goal of this site is to “provide direct support for your students through topical case studies..” and more. And more includes a monthly round up, lectures online, research articles, challenges, ask the experts, and more links.
geotunes
http://www.thinkingeography.com/thinkingeography/GeoTunes.html
This site is dedicated to providing video and music about Geography and major events around the world.
Currently Allentown by Billy Joel, songs by Sinead O’Connor, as well as other songs (Edmund Fitzgerald) about major social problem and events are on the site. You will be asked if a server can store information on your computer. You may allow or deny that action by one click.
Practical Action
http://practicalaction.org/schools
This is a geography focused site out of the United Kingdom. It has many parts, the link above is designed to help schools. They do have “Donate” buttons on some of the screens.
Piktochart
http://app.piktochart.com/users/sign_in
You must create an account, but then you can have access to six good chart templates.
Twitter Language Maps
Do you like to look at unusual maps? You will find a ton of them if you search Google for the Twitter Language Maps (or just click the link above).
Easel.ly
This is an on line graphics maker which provides templates you can modify with lots of icon clip art. You need to open an account to save your work. You’d better save some time to play around when you visit this site, it is addicting!
InfoGraphics
This is a site where you can create more than 30 chart types. You have to join, but it is free.
Blooming Apps (Kathy Schrock)
http://www.schrockguide.net/bloomin-apps.html
If you have never heard of Kathy Schrock or visited her site, then this is a MUST STOP for any teacher!
Be prepared to spend some time. This particular place has app suggestions for a variety of devices as well as thought provoking ideas about incorporating Bloom’s taxonomy into your methods. Thanks to Matt C of Deer River who presented this site at the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education seminar for HS teachers in July.
The World Scaled to a Town of 100
http://opengecko.com/economics/the-world-scaled-down-to-a-village-of-100/
This video has been around in one form or another for a while. The early versions were just slide shows. Now we have a nice sound track with text captions playing over the images. This is an excellent discussion started for your classroom.
Global Rich List
http://www.globalrichlist.com/
This interesting site allows you to rank yourself by income or overall wealth. Then it draws a graph to show where you are compared to the rest of the world. Again, a great discussion starter.
If It Were My Home
http://www.ifitweremyhome.com/
A nice site which is used to compare living conditions in your own country to other places. Used properly, this site can address the 4th grade standard in Minnesota. You may compare the USA to Canada and Mexico in several ways, including a map overlay comparing the sizes. A secondary benefit of this site is that it has a disaster comparison tool.
Globe Animations
http://www.netanimations.net/earth_globes.htm#.UeR-E-Au2DY
Looking for neat animations of globes for your teacher Geography web page? This site has a ton of nice globes, and a lot more!
Map Skills Ready to Go Slideshow
http://www.slideshare.net/templep79/map-skills-foldable-powerpoint-2011-2012
A simple, screen expandable, ready to project slide show of very basic map skills. This is from “Slideshare” which has many, ready to go slideshows.
Beyond Borders : Exploring European Physical and Cultural Landscapes–(National Geographic Education)
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/collections/beyond-borders/?ar_a=1
This is an excellent, multi-part lesson on borders from National Geographic which is designed for grades 6-8.
AUGUST 2013
Bankruptcy in Detroit: the story in five maps
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113946/detroit-bankruptcy-2013-maps-numbers#
Here is a link to a very big, and very important story which should fit into any Geography class at the start of fall classes! Thanks to Jim H of Bloomington for the link.
World Agriculture Employment Map (and other thematic maps)
http://maps.howstuffworks.com/world-agricultural-employment-map.htm
This is a very nice site for displaying thematic maps–24 listed on this page, just scroll below the first displayed map to the clickable list. . In her M.A.G.E. podcast on agriculture, Jen B suggests that students should compare a world agricultural map to a world precipitation map.
Ordered List of Geographic Facts (My Quia)
http://www.quia.com/pages/top10.html
Just a fun stop which many kids might find interesting. But, since there are 100+ ordered lists here, you may find content for something you are doing in class too.
US Census of Agriculture
http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/index.php
Be sure to click on “Agriculture Maps” on the bottom right.
Thanks to Jen B, taken from her M.A.G.E. podcast on agriculture.
Mapping the Midwest
This site can be the foundation of a great activity which potentially addresses the Minnesota Geography standards at several levels.Elementary teachers can decide when kids could do this, but looking at the standards one might be able to adapt the activity for as early as 4th grade. Have the students include “TODALS” on their map and you touch even more standards! Certainly middle and high school students could handle this activity.
Grade Levels and Mn Standards Codes:
4th grade=4.3.4.10.1
5th grade=5.3.1.3.1
7th grade=7.3.1.1.1
8th grade=8.3.1.1.2, .8,3.3.6.1
9-12 grades=9.3.2.3.1, 9.3.2.4.1, 9.3.2.4.2, 9.3.2.4.4
Ask your students if they have a mental map of the “midwest”. I don’t know if it would be better to have them do this individually or in groups. At any rate, don’t define the “midwest” region for them. Then ask them to create a sketch map based on their mental map. Perhaps some kind of show and tell will follow.. In that discussion you should be able to “coach” them into thinking about what makes up the midwest, and even larger, what a geographic region is and how it is determined. Thanks very much to Jim H of Bloomington, MN for sending me the link.
US Census Bureau List of Thematic Maps
http://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/maps/thematic.html
Statistical thematic maps include a variety of different map types such as choropleth or shaded maps, dot maps, proportional symbol maps, and isarithmic maps. Special purpose maps generally concentrate on a single theme, such as the Centers of the Population Centers of the U.S. between 1790 and 2000.
Food for Thought (MN Dept of Agriculture)
http://www.mda.state.mn.us/kids/food4thought.aspx
Lots of good resources here including maps. Thanks to Jen B.
in her M.A.G.E. podcast on agriculture.
Images from Google Earth Showing Changes Over Time
http://earthengine.google.org/#intro
Thanks to Mike K from the M.A.G.E. summer institute.
World Cities from Space
Thanks to Jim Hanson of Bloomington, MN for the link. This is a world map with photos of cities and some other places from the space shuttle.
The Places We Live
http://www.theplaceswelive.com/
A beautiful web site about 3 places, including the Kibera, Nairobi slum. Stunning graphics and sound start you off, and there is a lot more. Thanks to Jay N from the Middle School Summer Institute for this link.
Panoramic Maps Collection
Panoramic Maps are maps which are non-photographic bird???s eye views of a lot of towns and cities that were in very popular use during the late 1800s.
Most of these maps were created by five different people or organizations and Marinol in the Library of Congress collection period. Interesting.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/pmhtml/panhome.html
ArcGIS – Landsat Time Enabled Imagery
This site allows you to enter a place name and then deliver a time lapse map.
http://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=a41abaa691834b2f88d73bb744d01d1c
Gasoline Price Heat Map (by county in USA)
http://gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx
Interesting type of map and one we can all personalize.
World Population Pyramids
This is a new site to me. This easy to use site allows the user to create population pyramids for any country from 1950 to 2010. What i really like about this site is that the image stays on the screen as you select the next country, then morphs into the shape for that country. There is also a “Population Size” line graph displayed. Very nice. Remember how we used to hand make population pyramids! It took forever.
JULY 2013
Music Mash of Dylan’s Songs (Slate Magazine)
This is a pretty neat, interactive map of the world which “mashes” Bob Dylan’s songs and a clickable map. Click on a bubble at any of the locations Bob Dylan has mentioned in a song (and there are many) and you will find the reference as well as the lyric to the song.
Thanks to Jim H of Bloomington for this delightful link to a mash of music and maps!
Map of the World– customizable
Might use this as the basis of an interactive basic activity with kids.
Relief Web (maps of disaster)
More than nine pages of maps which show countries and people in some kind of distress or natural hardship.
Probably best used secondary
Mapmaker (Geography lesson activity)
Create a map from someone else’s description, then compare your map to the same one created by an expert.
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/mapmaker/mapmaker.html
Elementary or MS level
Antipodes Maps
http://www.weathergraphics.com/tim/antipode/
Maps which show what is on the opposite side of the earth
Fun for Elementary
Whiteboard Resources for Geography (sound clips)
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/interactive.aspx?cat=98
A list of whiteboard resources for geog
New 7 Wonders of the World in Panorama
http://www.panoramas.dk/7-wonders/index.html
Beautiful panorama pictures of some of the great Geographic scenes on this planet.
Interactive Climate Map
http://www4.uwsp.edu/geO/faculty/ritter/interactive_climate_map/climate_map.html
Starting with a world map, roll the cursor across the yellow rectangle to view a climate bar graph for that location.
Note: unfortunately, clicking on the map only leads to a dead end link at Steven’s Point, WI.
Constant Geographer (youTube Geography videos)
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL66FD606436FDC4A0
This site has a list of about 20 videos which are tutorial or just related to Geography topics and skills.
Geography through Dance
http://www.flixxy.com/britains-got-talent-shadow-theatre-group-attraction.htm#.UYBetXAu1ga
This is just a video from “Britain’s Got Talent”, but the first half is “Geography Through Dance and the second half is a commentary on war through dance. A break for your students while you take attendance?
World’s 10 Happiest Countries (Washington Post)
This might be a good springboard for Geographic discussion with your classes about claims such as “happiest” anything. What criteria are used? Is the data selected the best to make this claim? Is it mappable? I???m sure you will find other openings for discussion after looking at this site.
Thanks to Dr. Jen K. from SLP for this link.
Twitter in Education
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-ways-to-use-twitter-in-education/
Six reasons why Twitter can be useful in education.
Thanks to David K from the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education summer institute.
JUNE 2013
Special Edition: Summer Workshop Finds — Technology Tools for Teachers
SoundBible (sound clips)
http://soundbible.com/tags-city.html
Do your students create multimedia projects where they want to include sound effects? SoundBible is a good stop for that because their sound clips are free to download and are royalty free. You don’t even have to open an account. You can search the collection in several ways. The files download in highly usable MP3 format.
ProProfs Quiz Maker
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/proProfs/index.html
This is a very versatile quiz maker which allows for a variety of question types and includes images, videos, embedded videos, and links to YOUTube videos. The entry level is free and has unlimited quizzes. A reasonable fee opens “premium” options. Several nice videos will walk you through the use of this tool.
Podomatic
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/podomatic/index.html
This site allows you to create and save podcasts. You must sign up, but it is free to use this site. An instructional video will walk you through how to use this site.
audioBoo
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/audioboo/index.html
Another free and easy to use site for you and/or your students to make podcasts. An instructional video walks you through how to use it and what educational applications it might have.
mybrainshark
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/brain/index.html
Basically, you can upload a PowerPoint or other document and then add sound, text, images or video to narrate them. This is a very versatile tool. This site is free and has an instructional video which shows you how to use it.
How to Use a SMART board Notebook
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/iwb2/index.html
Two parts will provide basic use and then tips and tricks for using a whiteboard in your classroom.
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/smart3/index.html
edmodo
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/edmodo1/index.html
edmodo is a free site which allows teachers to set up learning environments for their students. Students do not need an email address to access this site. Teachers can set up different classes and groups. This site is a multiple part video which explains how to use it.
How to Set Up a WordPress Blog
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wordPress/index.html
This site has a video which explains how to use the free application, WordPress, to set up a blog for your classroom.
How to Use well-wisher
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/wall/index.html
Wallwisher is a free application which allows teachers and students to create a “wall” where information, text, images and other files can be posted. Students or others may add to the wall in collaboration. This site has an easy to follow video which explains how to use well-wisher.
Dvolver
http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/volver/index.html
Dvolver is a free, easy to use site which allows the user to create animated stories/movies. A creative geography teacher might be able to get students to weave geography content into the stories. This is a fun application! This site explains how to use it in a step by step pores.
Use Excel to Make a Population Pyramid (from Juicy Geography)
http://www.juicygeography.co.uk/downloads/Excel/drawing%20population%20pyramids.xls
Clicking on the link will download an Excel file from Juicy Geography which will show you how to use Excel to create Population Pyramids from data in a spreadsheet.
Quikmap
This site allows you to draw on Google maps and download them. I am going to include this site despite being discouraged after experimenting with it. Some features are apparently nonfunctional (switching icons) on a Mac at least. But, if it worked properly, it would be an easy way to write on Google maps.
map a list
http://mapalist.com/Default.aspx
At this page you can learn how to use a Google spreadsheet containing your list of information to make a map showing flags about that information. It is codeless and free. Yes, this is a “Map Mashup” procedure. This is a non Google tool, and the balloons can contain text, photos or even videos!
Spreadsheet Mapper 3
http://www.google.com/earth/outreach/tutorials/spreadsheet3.html
This is a tutorial for using Google Earth to “mash up” your list in a Google spreadsheet to create a map showing up to 1,000 placemarks. This is not the same as “map a list” above, but it is similar in procedure.
100 Things You can Do With a Mashup
https://sites.google.com/site/gmapsmania/100thingstodowithgooglemapsmashups
This is a list with examples.
Digital Public Library of America
A new resource library has just come on line. The intent of the library is to allow developers to utilize the resources for apps and other purposes. However, individual users can sort the images in a number of ways.
National center for Education Statistics
You get two for one at this site. Teachers can find statistics about education (doing research for your MA/Phd?), and kids can learn and enjoy at the kids pages–link below.
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/
Also:
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/eyk/index.asp
Be sure to explore all of the icons and words to click on. One very nice feature for kids is to introduce them to graphs and charts. There are tutorials and examples. You can also access datasets which will work (might have to modify slightly) in Excel or Numbers and can also be used for creating map mashups.
MAY 2013
Zamzar (online file converter)
http://www.zamzar.com/uploadComplete.php?convertFile=wmf&to=jpg
Do you have map, globe or other geography images which are in an odd file format you can’t use? Try Zamzar, a free online file converter. Use the on screen buttons to select the images on your computer, enter your email address, click convert and the task is finished. In about a minute you will get an email which offers you EITHER an account sign up, or a click to download your images. The images are only stored for one day unless you open an account.
Minnesota Map Site (netstate)
http://www.netstate.com/states/maps/mn_maps.htm
Have you visited this site? All types of maps about Minnesota are waiting here just for your download. Outline maps, agricultural maps, physical and climate maps and more!
GeoLearner (Calvin College)
This is an online instructional game which purports to teach regional thinking. It is free to play around with, and no prices are listed. They are offering access o “Beta Testers” as of February 21st, 2013. Give it a try! I was humbled when I tried the quiz on bodies of water.
Hand Drawn Outline Map of Minnesota (YouTube)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0-FYyuvrRk
This is not just any outline map, it is a speed up Minnesota map drawn by Senator Al Franken at the Minnesota State Fair. And, it is a very good one! Surely you can use this little video to introduce “mental maps” in your class!
Religion Map of the USA (USA Today)
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/graphics/pew-religion-08/flash.htm
This map is special to me in the style in which it displays religious affiliations within each state. It requires JavaScript to operate. Most desktops should have JavaScript enabled. Move the cursor over a state and the bar graph information on the right changes. Each bar which pertains to that state shows up in color, and the length chugs as well as the numbers related to that bar. Very interesting use of graph/chart information with a map.
Thanks to W. E. Kunze from Kansas for the link to this site.
Earth View from Satellites
http://fourmilab.ch/earthview/satellite.html
This site hosts a list of active satellites. Find a satellite, click on it, and then click on the “View Earth From Satellite” button. A related link will allow you to look at any major city in the world from a satellite. The link is below:
http://fourmilab.ch/earthview/cities.html
Urban vs Rural? (from per square mile by Tim De Chant)
http://persquaremile.com/2013/03/27/city-vs-countryside/
This is an excellent blog site which covers population density in text and graphics. Can you discern urban from rural on a map? Sounds like a simple question, but this site offers a discussion with maps which may just challenge the simplicity you think exists!
Income Inequality, As Seen from Space (from per square mile by Tim De Chant)
http://persquaremile.com/2012/05/24/income-inequality-seen-from-space/
This site is a blog which has many population density topics explored with discussion and graphics. In this case, satellite images of cities are used to illustrate income inequalities within different cities. The differences are quite dramatic. What is the factor which seems to illustrate the differences best? A companion page (below) adds more images from a variety of cities. This could jumpstart a great discussion among your students on several topics.
http://persquaremile.com/2012/06/13/your-images-of-income-inequality-from-space/
Population Density and Percent Vote by Candidate in the 2012 Election (from per square mile by Tim De Chant)
http://persquaremile.com/2012/11/08/population-density-and-the-2012-presidential-election/
This geography blog site uses excellent images to explore population topics. In this case, and interactive map of the USA show population density with a vertical divider which may be moved to reveal the percentage of votes for Obama and Romney.
World Population in One City (from per square mile by Tim De Chant)
http://persquaremile.com/2011/01/18/if-the-worlds-population-lived-in-one-city/
Here is a visualization Geographic feast! The author poses the question, “If the world’s 6.9 billion people lived in one city, how large would that city be if it were as dense as???(six world cities are superimposed on a map of the USA). Thanks to Jan H for posting this link on the M.A.G.E. FaceBook page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/153705321150/
Global Climate Maps (SDdimensions)
http://fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/SUSTDEV/EIdirect/climate/EIsp0002.htm
Do you teach about patterns across the earth? This site can provide yu with very quick access to maps which show many climate patterns. I clicked on “Average Annual Rainfall Total” and got a colorful chorpleth map of the world. Many other aspects of climate are listed on the menu on the left side. A site which might be a nice companion to this, and allows for students to quickly view climeographs, is located here:
http://uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/interactive_climate_map/climate_map.html
Moments of Innovation (from MIT)
http://momentsofinnovation.mit.edu/location/content/
This is a very well developed, attractive and interactive web site with several parts which should be useful in your Geography classroom. The menu at the top of the page includes “Location” and “Data Visualization”. Both should be useful to a Geography teacher. Other topics are just neat.
GeoMaster (iPad app from Visuamobile)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/geomaster/id331747091?mt=8
GeoMaster2 is basically an interactive atlas which students can use as an atlas or in game format. It is currently listed as free, but I have seen prices of 99 cents up to $3.99 for this app. It runs on most iPhones and iPads (4.3 or later IOS).
Middle elementary and on up could use this app
FEBRUARY 2013 — “Flying Over America”
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=KcuDdPo0WZk
This is a fun U-Tube video which depicts an old bi-wing aircraft flying over parts of North America. Several landmarks are shown, some easy, some more difficult. I could imagine this being used as a fun way to start a Geography day for upper elementary or middle school students.
Thanks to Elaine in Denver for the link.
21 Map Creation Tools for Students and Teachers
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2012/06/21-map-creation-tools-for-students-and.html#.UPsPj44u1gY
Don’t miss looking at this site! What a rich mapping vein we include in this month’s “Finds” thanks to Jan H of the M.A.G.E. Steering Committee. Over 20 links to map making sites and all free! Our map-making cornucopia runneth over! The overall site is Richard Byrne’s “Free Technology for Teachers” and has a lot to offer in addition to the 21 map suggestions.
Civil War Maps (from fold3)
http://go.fold3.com/civilwar_maps/
A map of the SE USA with clickable balloons where the major battles took place.
Click on the balloon to gain access to text, more maps and photographs. If you open a free account you can annotate, comment, create a gallery, download and do other things to the maps and images.
Civil War Annotated Map (History Kids)
http://www.thehistorykids.net/civ/newciv.swf
This annotated, interactive map of the SE USA shows the major battles. Click on the spots and you get images and a description of each battle.
Civil War Battle Maps App for iPad (free from the Civil War Trust)
http://www.civilwar.org/battleapps/
Download interactive battle maps for free which run on Androids, iPads, iPhones. . The battles include: Antietam, 2nd Manassas, Petersburg, Bull Run, Devil’s Den & Little Round Top, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Malvern Hill, and Cedar Creek. Full service will use your GPS to locate you on the battlefield.
Hill Maps
This free site allows you to choose a location and then reveals side by side maps. The two map types are chosen from a pull down menu. Excellent for showing kids how a place looks on a map and a satellite image or other type of image. This is a very simple and easy to use site. Some analysis is possible using the tope of the screen pull down menus.
FluTrends (from google)
http://www.google.org/flutrends/
This is an interactive, but simple, continent choropleth map which shows the current flue trends. The user may also choose by country and region. As of Jan. 2013, very timely!
Corn Growing Map (from geocommons–esri)
http://geocommons.com/maps/73807
Do you include agriculture in your Geography class? If you do, this is a very nice, interactive map which shows corn growing by acre in the corn growing belt of the United States. Go to the address below and then use the slider on the left to increase the number of acres under corn cultivation. The map will reduce the states which grow less corn acres than the parameters selected. What states do you predict have the most acres under corn fields? You may also move your cursor over states and it will reveal the number of acres under corn cultivation (in addition to the color legend). If you click on a state, it will reveal the number of corn acres under cultivation from 2007 to 2011. Look for tabs on the edges of the map which also bring up more data.
GeoCommons is an esri community site where users can share interactive maps. Accounts are free. If you open an account (takes less than a minute) you will be able to browse their map library by category.
Thanks to Duane from Cosmos for the link to this useful map.
Cartastrophe
http://cartastrophe.wordpress.com/
This is a site (more of a good blog than a traditional site) where cartographers and others provide examples of maps with flaws and discuss why the maps are flawed. The blog owner is one of the authors of “Atlas of Design” which was released in 2012 and sold out. He is a cartographer at the university of Wisconsin Cartography Lab. Cartastrophe would be for more advanced students, but it could be a useful resource in several ways to Geography teachers.I found the site very interesting. There is a companion site which looks at how map making can be improved in some aspect for each posting period. That site is: http://somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/
Big Think (one example from their site)
http://bigthink.com/strange-maps/131-us-states-renamed-for-countries-with-similar-gdps
Big Think is not a Geography site, but there is a section on “Strange Maps”. This specific page has a map which shows US states which have been renamed for countries with similar GDPs. It is worth looking at if you have not seen it before.
Bad Map vs Good Map (curious cartographer)
http://katrinalaygo.blogspot.com/2010/01/what-makes-good-and-bad-map.html
Two maps of the same thing, one bad and one good, with text explanations.
Bad Map Examples
Looking for examples of bad maps to use with your students? Did you know you can Google “map bad example” and Google will generate a page of these for you, and almost always there will be a brief explanation about why the map is bad.
JANUARY 2013
Interactive Population Map (from US Census 2010)
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/popmap/
This is not your standard Census Bureau page and it is not 100% ready yet, but it is a site with a slight twist. . Many of the 2010 Census Demographic Profiles are ready for viewing. These profiles provide more subject detail than the recently released 2010 Census redistricting data files. These profiles provide details about race and Hispanic groups, age, sex and housing status. The profiles will be released on a state-by-state basis for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Use this map to explore 2010 Census Demographic Profile data. Not all states are ready. Fred’s note: be sure to read and follow the directions. Also, as of 11/13/12 the rendering is a little on the slow side. But you sure can “drill” down into the demographics of an area.
Most Diverse US Neighborhoods (thanks to Jim H in Bloomington)
http://www.theatlanticcities.com/housing/2012/11/where-find-diversity-america/3892/
The election of 2012 gave us a look at how the USA electorate has been changing, but the data and map on this site allows you to see what the most diverse neighborhoods look like.
Invisible Borders That Define American Culture
This site displays maps which show how USA is connected via “invisible borders”. This is an out of the box discussion which uses Geography and mapping mashups to illustrate their findings.
Overlapmaps
Select one map to “overlay” onto another map to compare a variety of parameters. This is a very useful site for students to gain perspective on the sizes and features of other places by comparing them to the USA or Minnesota (or many other places).
Thanks to Jan H of Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education who referred to this site in her GeoFest2012 presentation.
Milling Interdependence
Great lesson web site for Wheat farming, railroads, flour milling interdependence.
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/106wheat/106wheat.htm
Flour Power “The significance of Flour Milling at the Falls”
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/58/v58i05-06p270-285.pdf
Nice article with many old images of the old flour milling district in Mpls.
Holiday LIghts Mashup (shows 2012 houses with extraordinary lighting)
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/133034978.html
Here is a very practical use of a map mashup by the StarTribune. Geography at its practical best! Locations of the best houses lit for the holidays were put into an Excel spreadsheet. Then that data was pasted into a website which codes the locations on a metro map and shows the locations by bubbles. This is something you or your students can do! It is fun and fast. Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education will most likely include this technique in a summer workshop, so watch for the posting this spring!
Earth Lights (from yahoo)
Stunning new views of the earth at night. Now the Bakken oil field shows up as one of the major illumination points west of Mpls/St. Paul.
Roll the cursor over the earth and then click on the arrows which show. An advertisement or two will pop up. Thanks to Jim H in Bloomington for the heads up.
Mapping with ArcGIS Online (Esri)
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/39567116/Esri/EdComm/mappingwithago.pdf
This is a map making site with concise introductory videos about using the site to make maps. You will need to open an account (which I think is free).
It is possible Minnesota will be provided with a license for your school to use ArcGis, so this could give you a head start before you use it with your students.
Thanks to Charlie F at Esri for the heads up on this site.
DECEMBER 2012
Educreations
https://itunes.apple.com/us/
This App turns your iPad into a recordable whieboard. The App is free from iTunes (above link).
This is a link to an iTutor video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Relief Web (thanks to anonymous contributor at GeoFest 2012)
ReliefWeb is a source for reliable humanitarian information and analysis about places in crises.
They produce maps and infographics to illustrate the crises. Users may choose updates, countries and disasters.
Earth (thanks to anonymous contributor at GeoFest 2012)
The site above allows the user to change the earth (globe) according to a variety of interesting parameters.
The page above allows the user to compare two globes, side by side. Also, many parameters are manipulable.
As you use the pull down menus to switch layers, there may be a few second pause.
World Atlas (thanks to anonymous contributor at GeoFest 2012)
A free World Atlas with lots of maps and information and an easy to navigate set of pages.
New York Times Election 2012 Map ( thanks to anonymous contributor at GeoFest 2012)
http://elections.nytimes.com/
This is one of the best electoral maps around. It show states sized by their electoral power as well as their regular geographic size.
More than that, the user can select a variety of different interactive maps. On one map you can drag circles which represent a state and their electoral votes to show how much of an effect it has on the overall picture. Other maps show the Senate and Legislature races across the country.
New York Times Immigration Explorer Map ( thanks to anonymous contributor at GeoFest 2012)
http://www.nytimes.com/
This site shows the USA from 1880 until 2000 on an interactive map which reflects changes in states by immigrant groups.
TapQuiz Maps for iPad (contributed by Ann DeHoff at GeoFest 2012)
https://itunes.apple.com/us/
Download this free app from itunes (above). This is a good Geography game and it keeps track of your progress.
SuperStorm Sandy (link from John K in Chandler, AZ)
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
A very special look at before and after Sandy hit parts of the east coast. Take not of the neat web page code which allows us to view the pictures in this before and after (just move your cursor across the picture without clicking) fashion.
NOVEMBER 2012
Map Annotation
his interactive world map shows convicts by dates chosen. When you click on the red circle conflict, a line traces to the list of http://www.thinglink.com/
This is a source where the user may place hotspots on a graphic and add their own text annotation. It could be used on a map graphic. I used it to identify the people in a class picture at my 55th class reunion.
ConflictHistory
http://www.conflicthistory.
This interactive world map shows conflicts by dates chosen. When you click on the red circle conflict, a line traces to the list of battles on the left. When you click on the “i” information icon, a description of the battle is provided. A nice mesh of history and geography.
Gapminder
Bring Geographic statistics to life at Gapminder! This data rich, excellently organized and highly graphic site should be second nature to all Geography teachers. There is a teacher section with tutorials. Thre are downloads of handouts and lesson plans in PDF format. If you don’t have Internet access in your classroom, you may download “GapMinder Desktop”, load what you want and then show that in your classroom without Internet access.
PEW Research Center Topics
http://pewresearch.org/topics/
This site provides data from a number of studies, some which might be very useful to high school Geography projects. I clicked on “Demography” from the main PEW page to get to the address above, but other topics which surely apply to Geography are: Immigration, Energy and Environment and Religion. The user may download datasets on topics after opening an account (looks free).
The Miniature Earth Project
http://www.miniature-earth.
This is a video with music which shows what the earth would be like if the total population of the earth could be reduced to 100 people. I have seen a variety of ways to depict that concept. This is a good one. Show it on a white board or large screen TV to promote discussion, start a unit or introduce population Geography. Three minutes and 15 seconds.
Windfall (an on line strategy game about building wind farms)
http://www.persuasivegames.
The game offers three levels (easy, normal, hard), each in a different region with an increasingly larger energy goal. An in-game tutorial teaches the player how to play. Online high scores are available for each level.
Lost Boys of Sudan (National Geographic–cultural Geography)
http://education.
This is a video study of a group of Dinka youth who had to flee their native country, spend 10 yrs. in Kenya camps, and finally settled in the USA.
Leap Year
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The leap year is explained from inception to apocalypse in under four minutes. This is an entertaining and instructive little video. Your challenge is to work it into your cultural Geography lesson on time.
CARMA (Carbon Monitoring for Action)
This mashup shows the highest CO2 emitting power sectors by country. Some interactiveness is possible.
OCTOBER 2012
A Kid’s Guide to Famous USA Landmarks (from discount auto parts)
http://www.partsgeek.com/
This is a text heavy site with really nice links. You don’t see a site like this very often.
Earth Sandwich Project
http://www.zefrank.com/
Two map views (panes) of the earth are shown with a red pin. Move the map to anyplace in one view and the other pane shows you the exact opposite of that place on earth. Students might even have to use a globe to make sure it is accurate!
School Tube
This is a place which is free, no advertisements which I could see, and which they say is “safe”. It is a place to post videos students or teacher make for their classrooms. It is kind of a U-Tube for schools.
ClustrMaps for Teachers
http://edutech4teachers.
This is a small piece of code you put on your website which shows on a world map where the “hits” are coming from to your site. It is free and fun to see the red and yellow dots appear from all over the world. An icon shows the flag of the country and regional information may be viewed there. Constant updated statistics keep track of the frequency and geographic locations. It all happens automatically once the code is installed. I have had this on one of my sites for years and I don’t see any downside to the use of ClustrMaps.
Infographic: Ingenious Maps of Humanity’s Real Footprint
http://www.fastcodesign.com/
Thanks to Matt C of Deer River for this site. A map maker displays maps of selected metro areas in terms of the human populations. The map charts where people have actually settled. Caution, other parts of this website, away from the map page, may not be suitable for students.
Free Outline Maps (Arizona Geographic Association)
http://geoalliance.asu.edu/
The AGA has invited teachers to check out their access to maps, created and put on line by them. Several categories of maps exist including: world, continents, regions, countries, USA, SW USA, and Arizona. A section on maps with historical themes is included. Elementary teachers take note! A section on maps for students in grades 1-4 is included, with labeled and non labeled versions of various maps. Thanks to Cathy of the AGA for sending us this link.
Map Puzzles (National Geographic)
http://maps.
Have some fun with Geography! This part of the NGS website provides the user with interactive maps which will turn into interactive puzzles. The puzzle pieces may be moved and turned (must turn on that feature in “options”). A built in timer runs while the puzzle is active. Currently there are 23 puzzles from around the world (mainly continents) which you can load, scramble and then piece back together.
How to Navigate by the Sun (from WatchKnowLearn)
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/
This is a simple and clear video about how anyone can use the sun to find compass directions. There are several parts, but students of many ages will find it interesting and useful.
GeoHive
This site contains a lot of information about population. There are historical figures, projections, cites, agglomerations and other information. One of my favorites is the graphic which shows the size of countries based on their populations.
Cultural Geography
http://www.lewrockwell.com/
This is a quiz which places people geographically according to their speech characteristics. I don’t know how accurate it is, but it should get kids thinking about links with cultural geography, especially how speech can reveal where on a map you have spent a significant portion of your life. After this maybe you’ll want to show them “My Fair Lady”:)
SEPTEMBER 2012
26 Interesting Ways * to use Google Earth in the Classroom (*=and tips)
https://docs.google.com/
If you haven’t seen these, you will surely come across some gems here.
Ten of the greatest: Maps that changed the world
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
This could start a thought provoking class discussion.
European Union Interactive Map
http://www.nationsonline.org/
The map shows the European continent with the location of country capitals and major cities, European Union member states, new member states of the European Union since 2004 and 2007, and member states of European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Click on any place on the map and the user is presented with additional text and photo information.
Show My Street
This site is similar to Google Street View???except it is MUCH faster! Try it, it is free and very, very fast.
No directions are needed. Thanks to Dr. Mark Jeppson provided this link.
How to Make a Contour Map (National Geographic–grades 6-8)
http://education.
This is a concise, very active, 50 minute lesson. It uses “DOGSTAILS” idea to put the map information on the map.
MapMaker Interactive (National Geographic)
http://education.
MapMaker is excellent in the parameters students can change to see different features, human and physical, on the map. If you haven’t played with this yet, set aside some time because it is fascinating!
Election Dashboard (Huffington Post
http://elections.
This mashup shows a US map with the most recent polls indicating how states will go, electorally, in the 2012 election. Click on a state and you can see a line graph of the most recent polls. Click on a button and the traditional map turns into a cartogram displaying strength by its electoral votes. The viewer can also make their own forecast.
This map could have many uses this fall!
BatchGeo
This little known Google maps feature will plot spreadsheet address on a map. Just paste your spreadsheet addresses and batchgeo will standardize the address and make a map filled with your locations.
Maps for Free
This site provides you with a map of the world which is zoomable, and a set of pull down menus to show features. The user may then click on the “camera” icon to get a snapshot of the area and layers you select. Right clicking (on a Mac) results in saving the image to desktop as a PNG file.
Satellite Tracking Site
This site provides you with a map and a satellite track. You can actually see the icon of the satellite moving. You also may choose from about 50 satellites, not just the USA, to view the track.
Aerial Panorama 360 Degree Image Gallery (Google)
http://www.airpano.com/google_
This spectacular site opens with an interactive world map with ballon icons. Click on a balloon icon and you are on your way to stunning panorama–360 views of some of the most beautiful spots on earth! Choose locations from the map, or select from the menu. You will also be listening to lovely music as you view, change parameters, switch to a map, or gather information about that place on earth. This is a great supplement to a map study of features and towns on the earth. Thanks to Lowell of Burnsville for this link and heads up.
World of 7 Billion
http://www.worldof7billion.
Find lots of information about the population of the earth here. A world map is interactive. You can download lessons and activities too. The site has a current population counter for the World and the USA.
You may also find useful these sites about world population:
National Geographic:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.
7 Billion Actions: (music and video and stories) A nice part of this site is “7 Billion and Me”. Student interaction.
http://www.7billionactions.
TED-Ed (Lessons worth sharing from TED Talks)
“Ideas Worth Sharing” are relatively short talks by brilliant people on fascinating topics. Well, TED just got better. TED now has a section called TED-Ed! The motto here is, “Lessons Worth Sharing”. The idea is that you can take any TED Talks video (or any U-Tube video!) and make a lesson out of it, and then share it. There are provided lessons which you can edit (use the “Flip” feature), or just create your own and share. I suggest that you click on the “Introducing TED-Ed: Lessons Worth Sharing” button and watch the short video to get started. This site was brought to my attention through the History-Tech site created by Glenn Wiebe in Hutchinson, KS.
http://historytech.wordpress.
The viewer can also make their own forecast.
AUGUST 2012
History of the World in Two Minutes
http://marcbrecy.perso.neuf.
This is a fast moving video. It is interesting and entertaining in itself, but it also might be useful for a class discussion about what justifies the eras depicted and how they are portrayed. Sitre heads up thanks to Lowell G of Burnsville.
Google Time Lapse Satellie Images (Google EArth Engine)
http://earthengine.google.org/
A number of videos are available on this page for viewing as time-lapse or as a layer in Google Earth client.
Time lapses are available (among others):
Las Vegas; Aral Sea; Roadless Areas; Amazon Deforestation; Seasonal Earth, and mug more. Some of the videos are narrated by experts in aerial imagery. At any point in the video you may click on “Explore Map” and the video will stop while you zoom or move the map. You may then return to the video.
World Heritage List (cultural Geography from UNESCO)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/
This site hightlights an interactive world map which allows the user to roll the cursor over nearly 1,000 cultural sites which form part of the cultural and natural heritage which are considered to be of outstanding universal value. There is a list of criteria for selecting sites which may be useful for promoting discussion in the classroom as well as other interesting topics. Thanks to Dr. Mark Jeppson for the heads up on this site.
Remember 2011 (Maps of the World)
http://www.mapsofworld.com/
This interactive site has a world map which may be filtered by month of the year for 2011. You click on a story and a map, often a moving map, opens up showing the related geography. Also, text telling the story is shown under the map area.
Sound and Geography (British Library)
A creative lash up for different sounds and maps was developed in the UK. The site above has interactive sound categories which generate maps. When you click on a dot on the map you hear voice recordings, music and other sounds from different places on the map. The UK and some other areas of the world are included.
Geography in the News (Welsh Assembly Govt. sponsors this site)
http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/
This is a complicated but interesting site which may take you a bit of time to explore before becoming comfortable. Two different interactive maps are used in a variety of ways to select content from different parts of the globe. Content is also filtered by “Key Stages”. This basically relates to younger and older Geography students. It is definitely worth a look.
Kickstart Art (Google Maps)
geocodedArt has created maps related to some of the world’s best art. The user selects art by artist’s name, name of painting, or Geographic region. You will see the painting and also be able to click-call a map of what is depicted.
Climate Change (–this was a TED Talks presentation–iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
Eight videos take the TED stage to show the nature and scale of current day climate science. I particulary enjoyed the images and talk in #4 by Jame Balog who time lapse photographs glacial change.
Isarithmic History of the Two-party Presidential Vote–Vimeo– (dynamic map over time)
This is an interesting map which changes the USA political map by color.
JULY 2012
Rankings and Records (aneki.com)
http://www.aneki.com/country_
If you or your students like to speculate, compare and contrast Geographical information, then the lists at aneki.com are just the thing for you!
Geography Class and Fate: Passengers on the Titanic (from ESRI’s Storymaps)
http://storymaps.esri.com/
This is the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. This site provides an interactive map of the Titanic’s route. It also shows a world map of the Geographic home towns of the passengers by class, and therefore, how class influenced the chances of survival.
San Francisco Crimespotting (Maps of the World)
http://sanfrancisco.
This fascinating site shows the frequency and location of different types of crimes in San Francisco. The user mayt turn and off the types of crimes as well as change the time, date and year.
MarineTraffic.com (Academic, open community project from Greece)
http://www.marinetraffic.com/
This highly interactive site shows data on many kinds of ships displayed on maps. Individual ships and their course data is displayed. It is similar to the airline flight location sites. The user can control many features on the site.
Interactive map of urban growth: 1955-2015 (BBC News)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/
This highly interactive map shows urban growth over time with much more information. A slider changes the years. As you change the years the urban areas change.
Mapping Our Globe (Geographical Association)
http://www.geography.org.uk/
This is a series of concise lessons about our globe. The site illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of various map projections depicting the earth.
Global Incident Map (TeleAtlas)
http://www.globalincidentmap.
This interactive site maps a variety of global incidents on a world map and interactively displays information about each incident. The site is free for time-delayed reports. Some of the more interesting types of incidents are: earthquakes, gang activity, border security, Presidential threats, drug interdictions, and several others. Thanks to Marlin in Dickinson for the heads up on this site.
Titanic: Faces of the crew (from BBC News)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
This is a second excellent Titanic site which allows students to dig more into the human side of the disaster. This interactive page shows pictures of all of the crew. There are nine filters which show what happened to the crew.
Digital Taxonomy/Bloom
http://www.usi.edu/distance/
A pyramid with the familiar levels of Bloom’s thinking taxonomy, but overlaid with clickable applications which support each level. An interesting approach to incorporate computer applications. This site suggested by Dr. Jennifer Kunze.
JUNE 2012
(Thanks to Matt Carlstrom in Minnesota and Glenn Wiebe at History Tech for suggestions)
History Tech (iPad Applications with classroom uses)
http://historytech.wordpress.
I know, it says History but the site has 13 applications for using your iPad while teaching Geography. The 13 are the “Tip of the Week” for February 25, 2011. Most are low cost, some free. There are also user reviews of each App.
Top App Reviews 101
http://www.topappreviews101.
This page has a list of Geography apps for the iPad. Some are free, some cost a fee and most are inexpensive.
Best Social Studies Apps for iPad
http://wss.sd73.bc.ca/wiki/
This is a WIKI page with comments and links to the Apps. Some of the titles are listed as Human Geography Apps.
Acing AP Human Geography IPA v2.0 (iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone)
This is a study resource to help AP Human Geography students take advanced placement tests.
GeoPop Global Challenge
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
Bento for iPad
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
Bento is a database application from Apple. It allows students to organize and retrieve data they are studying.
Beautiful Planet HD: Photographic JOurney Around the World (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
7 Billion from National Geographic Society (iPad)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
2012 World Factbook (iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
GeoBee Challenge (National Geographic)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
This is a highly rated iPad only application which you may download from iTunes for $1.99.
GeoMaster Plus HD version (Visuamobile)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
This is a $3.99 application for iPad which may be downloaded from iTunes.
The newest version includes an atlas and 9 games.
ArcGis (ESRI) from the iTunes store
(App Store> Productivity> ESRI)
This is a FREE application which may be found in the iTunes store. ArcGIS helps you discover and use maps.
ArcGIS is compatible with iPad, iPhone and iPod touch.
BAO (BAO means “Business Analyst Online and is from ESRI) Located in the iTunes store
(App Store> Business> ESRI)
This is a FREE application intended for businesses but could be used in Geography classes to help students decide where to place a business and consider the demographics of the site. This works on i9Phone, iPod touch and Ipad.
Google for iPad
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/
This application is made for iPad and is FREE.
World Explorer (by AudioGuidia) from iTunes, for iPad and iPhone
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/
This app is rated for people 12+ . The app shows you what is nearby to a location you enter.
Puzzleography (from freerangeEggheads–FREE)
http://freerangeeggheads.com/
This is a drag and drop application for the iPad which is free at the basic level from the site above. A more advanced version costs $2.98.
Stack the States (lite version is free)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
This application is for elementary students and runs on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touches.
Highly rated in reviews. Download from iTunes.
MAY 2012
3 Countries You Ought to Know About (iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers)
http://itunes.apple.com/
These are very short, iTunes formatted (but from a website and any browser can watch), free videos created by the University of Virginia. They package 3 countries into one short presentation by a fairly young person. The description from their webpage: “??? a series of short vignettes, each highlighting countries and cultures that do not always make the front page. Teachers can use these video to help students learn how these countries impact our “flat” world and intrigue them enough to do further research.”
Living in a Globalised World (iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers)
http://itunes.apple.com/
This is a wide ranging series of free video podcasts which are short and well done. Each video podcast covers a single topic. The one I watched was on water scarcity (#37) and was excellent. These were created by the Open University. Other topics include borders, workers rights and other issues related to globalization.
World Thematic Maps (index mundi)
http://www.indexmundi.com/map/
This excellent site allows the user to compare world countries by selecting from long lists different parameters on different topics at different scales. I chose “adult obesity” of the world and asked it to show me the top 10 counties. These appeared on an interactive world map. Countries not in the top 10 just reveal their names. Very nice.
World Road Sector Gasoline Consumption Comparison (from index mundi)
http://www.indexmundi.com/
this is a nice interactive map of the world showing gasoline consumption per capita. Just roll your cursor over each country and statistics are revealed. A companion page allows the user to select different countries which are then compared on a line graph. The URL is:
http://www.indexmundi.com/
Global Politics and China (iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers)
http://itunes.apple.com/
This is a series of audio podcasts created by the Open University of Hong Kong. The length of the various topics varies widely. The presentation style and format probably appeals mainly to later high school students and above. The content is developed in a lesson like format.
Introduction to China (iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers from the Open University)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
This is a course on China in video and sometimes audio only podcasts. The first topic introduces the course. There are 18 podcasts on a broad set of China topics.
Ecofying Cities (Urban Planning–this was a TED Talks presentation–iTunes U free videos for iPod/iPhone and computers)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/
Eight video podcasts cover the topic of Urban Planning. The podcasts range from 5 minutes to nearly 40 minutes long. Some videos might appeal to late HS or above.
APRIL 2012
Isarithmic History of the Two-party Presidential Vote–Vimeo– (dynamic map over time)
This is an interesting map which changes the USA political map by color.
The Miniature Earth Project
http://www.miniature-earth.
This is a video with music which shows what the earth would be like if the total population of the earth could be reduced to 100 people. I have seen a variety of ways to depict that concept. This is a good one. Show it on a white board or large screen TV to promote discussion, start a unit or introduce population Geography. Three minutes and 15 seconds.
World of 7 Billion
http://www.worldof7billion.
Find lots of information about the population of the earth here. A world map is interactive. You can download lessons and activities too. The site has a current population counter for the World and the USA.
You may also find useful these sites about world population:
National Geographic:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.
7 Billion Actions: (music and video and stories) A nice part of this site is “7 Billion and Me”. Student interaction.
http://www.7billionactions.
Debt Clock
More clocks running which show government debt related topics than you have time to look at.
I wonder who created this one?
Social Explorer (free edition)
http://www.socialexplorer.com/
Users may create their own maps (from population and other topics) chosen from pull down menu lists and save them.
Population Reference Bureau
http://www.prb.org/DataFinder/
This part of the PRB allows users to select chart and maps by topic. Once a topic is selected, a tranked able is made which can be converted to bars or maps at the click of a button. The maps are chorolpleth and some filters may be changed.
GeoCube (out of Europe)
A cube with images is created. The user can manipulate the cube. The user selects from a side of the cube for broad topics such as “Living Together”. In that topic are 9 sub topics. In Living Together are: Economic, Development; Pollution in Urban Systems; Language; Mobility; Health; Migration; Ethnicity and Relision; Literay; and Poverty. There are 9 other sides to the cube. When the user selects a topic there is a one screen set of information and a graphic about the subtopic. So this might be useful for students learning about the themes of Geography.
MARCH 2012
Mapping Our World (for whiteboards) age up to 14–from Oxfam. Excellent resource.
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
I found this on line resource to be extremely well done. It could be used by a student alone or on a whiteboard (or projector) with a teacher leading the lesson. This free, on line resource explores the relationship between maps and globes and how different projections influence our perception of the world. You can easily flatten and unflatten a globe. There are 3 lessons and “help”. There are also teacher’s notes, and easy to follow directions throughout.
Squidoo
http://www.squidoo.com/social-
On the page above you will find interactive Smartboard lessons on Geography, Government and History. When you click on the link you will be taken to their search page for their site where you set your parameters. When you find the lesson you like you can preview it and download the entire lesson. Free service.
Climate Change Activities for Whiteboard
http://education.
This page contains an animation, “Greenhouse Effect Animation”, which may be downloaded. It also contains many other downloadable lessons and resources. Most lessons are aimed at upper elementary students.
NeighborsWhitePages
http://neighbors.whitepages.
This site could be useful on a variety of levels. If you just moved into a neighborhood, get to know the names of neighbors and where they live. Students could use this in a mapping exercise. You enter an address and you get a satellite view of your neighborhood. Each house will have a number. When you click on the number you will see the name, address and phone number of the people living there. You can also zoom in and out. Very clear images.
National Geographic MapMaker Interactive
http://education.
Create a one page map on line from a variety of geographic parameters and then download/print it.
How to make a Choropleth Map (for 5-11 year old students–from Teaching Ideas)
http://www.teachingideas.co.
I like the simplicity of the directions in this introduction to choropleth map making. The directions and diagrams are right there.
Geography in the News (this is a Facebook site)
http://www.facebook.com/
The mission of this site is to make Geography relevant to students throughout the world. The site was created by a Geography Professor, Neal LIneback, who was a long time high school Geography teacher.
West Wing Holy Land Map Episode
A short 3:13 minutes YouTube from a West Wing episode on Palestine 1709 map.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Earth From Above (a collection of aerial photos from Yann Arthus-Bertrand).
“Earth From Above” is the result of the aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s five-year airborne odyssey across six continents. It’s a spectacular presentation of large scale photographs of astonishing natural landscapes. Every stunning aerial photograph tells a story about our changing planet. it seems to me the housing pictures alone could be used to illustrate Human Geography concepts.
2Conv.com (online file type converter–free)
How do you use 2conv.com? This website is a top video and music converter supporting all popular formats. This file converting application is easy to use, handy and useful. This site may be used to grab sound tracks from UTube videos and convert to MP3, etc. A similar site which extracts the sound file and downloads MP3 to your computer is at: http://www.listentoyoutube.
FEBRUARY 2012
Penny Post Cards by State (U.S. GenWeb archives)
http://www.usgwarchives.org/
This is an interesting collection which could spark discussion among your students about how the pictures reflect the culture and economics of the times, and what different scenes might be put in an archive now compared to the turn of the century. The site also contains some historical information about postcards.
Minnesota Communities LakesnWoods.com is an excellent guide for images, history and information on MN communities over time.
http://www.lakesnwoods.com/
The site is organized by county, then cities. Many old postcard images are used.
WallWisher
Wallwisher is a Web 2.0 free online tool where anyone can build a ???wall???. Discussing a new idea? Taking notes? Giving feedback? Voicing opinion? Wishing a happy birthday?
Your students can then go onto the internet and stick post-it notes electronically onto your wall. The notes can include linked pictures, You Tube videos, PowerPoints, PDF documents, Excel Spreadsheets, or web page links.You can embed your wall on your blog and make it accessible to your school community and parents.
Here is one my students contributed to on the theme of Poverty http://www.wallwisher.com/
Presidential Political Affinity Test (USA Today created this)
This is an interesting test of 11 questions which will give you a match up on which candidate lines up best with your ideals – 8 Republican candidates and President Obama are on the list. If nothing else, this will serve as a good test to condense one’s thinking on vital issues affecting us today. It is not a Republican or Democrat thing but VERY interesting.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/
270 to Win (Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education newsletter)
270 to Win is an interactive electoral map where students can make predictions about the 2012 presidential election, find electoral information for past presidential races (1789-2008), or view voting data by state. The site is simple to use and provides students with a clear visual for the complex issue of the electoral college. Thre are Maps, Polls, States, a Blog and a Simulation on this site. A must use site for the 2012 election lessons!
Caucus Finder (from the office of the MN Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie)
http://www.sos.state.mn.us/
Finding Your Precinct Caucus
Caucus Finder helps Minnesotans locate the time and place of caucus meetings in their neighborhoods. Caucus Finder for the February 7, 2012 caucuses will be available after January 18, 2012.
SlideRocket (SlideRocket through Google Apps)
http://www.sliderocket.com/
This is a free (to educational settings) online slide show maker which can be used from anywhere.
JANUARY 2012
Where Americans Are Moving from Forbes.
http://www.forbes.com/2010/06/
The interactive map shows where people have moved to in the country, by county of departure. Thanks to Chris Carter of Rochester Mayo HS.
Chris says, “???it is one of the most fantastic maps and teaching tools I’ve found online.”
International Space Station Pictures and Video
http://www.lovethesepics.com/
The video of the overflight of the earth is short and stimulating.
URL from Dr. Lanegran of Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education.
Flubaroo
Grading made easy. Grade online assignments in a single step! Get reports back. Email students scores. You need to open a Google docs account if you don’t already have one. It is free. Getting started requires that you follow the provided instructions.
Jeopardy Labs
jeopardylabs.com – make your own jeopardy game. Create your own or browse. Easy set up and access. No fees. No registration. No PowerPoint. A step by step guide to create your own.
Study Stack
Find flashcards to study or create your own. Has Geography and AP Geography section.
Poll Everywhere
polleverywhere.com – word like a clicker. audience can respond via phones,
text, twitter. It is free for teachers.
http://www.polleverywhere.com/
DECEMBER 2011
Geography Education
“Global news with a spatial perspective: resources for educators and the inherently inquisitive.” The site is curated byh Seth Dixon, PhD. and was brought to the attention of Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education by Sara Damon.
Interactive Map of USA Surnames (National Geographic)
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.
A map of the USA with surnames shown by size according to the frequency of the last name in that part of the country will illustrate to students yet another way maps can depict the human condition.
Social Explorer
http://www.socialexplorer.com/
A limited free edition is available to everyone. Subscription are available for individuals, universities, agencies and organizations. Social Explorer is a rich database with an output map which may be layered from pull down menus. Many options are listed. Go explore Social Explorer!
Edheads Predicto Weather Map (elem or lower middle)
http://www.edheads.org/
A series of screens show kids how to report the weather, predict weather and then sends them on weather map making activities.
Looks fun and useful. A teacher guide can be accessed, and a glossary.
Virtual Pilot!
http://www.lufthansa-vp.com/
Land a passenger plane in the correct city! Your jet takes off and then a city name will appear (Europe) on the screen. you have 8 seconds to ID the location by clicking on the map. Points are awarded by proximity. Fun way to get involved in simple Geographic place names.
Useful Videos from Mojo.com
This site has a wide variety of videos. Many of them are not useful for schools, but if you look throughout the categories on the page you can find some gems. Here is an example: The History and Rise of China in less than five minutes!
http://www.watchmojo.com/
What is Your Number?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
Enter your birthdate and the web page will calculate where you fit in with all of the people alive at that time as well as all of the people who have ever lived. There are many other pieces of population information available if you keep clicking on “Next”. From BBC News. Site alert from Dr. Williams of Mill City Dental.
Teaching Geography:
An 8 part professional development workshop for 7-12 Geography teachers. This workshop is delivered on line.
http://www.learner.org/
NOVEMBER 2011
Wall Street Journal Population Pyramids
Graphic pyramids reveal the population structure differs depending on the age of the urban area.
USA Interactive Census Map for 2010 (from the New York Times)
(sent to me by a friend of Geography from Arizona)
http://projects.nytimes.com/
Moving the cursor over the map of the USA provides a multi-level (state and county) window of demographic information. You can go directly to your census tract by entering your ZIP code. If you use the zoom slider, you can get to the census tract from the map itself. Thje actual on line program is at:
http://www.socialexplorer.com/
Social Explorer
Modern US Mega Farm! (video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
Amazing footage of a farm in the midwest with 32,000 head of milk cows. Video shows aspects of the daily operation including the use of a carosel which milks the cows automatically.
(sent to me by a friend of Geography from Arizona)
Human Planet Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch_
This is about a 7 minute video study of humans on the planet. This has gorgeous video and sound. It could be used nicely to introduce anything in the Human Geography area.
West Wing Film Clip on “Why are we changing maps”?
http://spatialanalysis.co.uk/
Very funny clip when some cartographers want the President to start using a Peter’s Projection map. The word “hell” is used in one sentence. Mark Newman’s comment on this clip is:
“It is clear that cartographers can produce different views of the world. We, as informed consumers of maps, need to be aware of this, to think twice about what we see and to consider how the information would look if projected differently. More importantly, by asking why the cartographer chose the projection they did, we may even be able to learn something beyond what we see on paper.”
OCTOBER 2011
Specialized Map and Graphic Section
This month I decided to focus on sites which focus on specialized map making or specialized types of maps. If you have additions you would like to see added to this list, let me know ([email protected])
Map of Presidential Birth Places
http://www.mibazaar.com/
This is an interactive map. Click on the balloon and you will find out more info. about that president.
Map/Graphic of Internet
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
This is a graphic which shows the kind of content activity which happens on the Internet every 60 seconds.
Amazing!
Conflict History Map
http://www.conflicthistory.
This is one of the better interactive sites which connects a time line to a map with lines. You can select the date range and then either work from the time line to the map or the reverse. Since it is a Google map, you can select map, satellite, hybrid or terrain views. Very nice. You need to look at this one!
Interactive map of postal sites illustrates USA growth.
http://derekwatkins.wordpress.
This animated map shows plots of post offices across the United States. It shows the westward expansion by the density of postal sites.
No Car No Supermarket Map of USA
http://labs.slate.com/
Chorolpleth map shows density of people without a car and no supermarket within a mile.
Make Envelopes out of Maps
http://nheilke.com/blog/?p=
Step by step procedure for using old maps or map paper for creating funky envelopes.
SEPTEMBER 2011
10 New Rules for PowerPoint
Copyright 2009 Matt Rygelski. May be reprinted for educational/instructional use with appropriate citation.
Aaron Doering required a presentation method from the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education Summer Institutes called Pecha Kucha which limits PowerPoint use.
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/
Spectacular Geographic Imagery
This is spectacular Human Geography video from a made for TV show called Human Planet. Nice quick opener for Human Geography activities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_
Suggested by Carol H from the Montevideo area.
Show World
http://show.mappingworlds.com/
This is very nice! Show World allows you to select a subject from the top menu and watch the countries on the map change their size. Instead of land mass, the size of each country will represent the data for that subject ???both its share of the total and absolute value. Totally fascinating and addicting!
Top 10 Richest Countries Measured by GDP
http://digg.com/news/politics/
Country size distorted to reflect its GDP
Detroit
http://detroiturbex.com/
This is a complex, self selected slide show which is really an essay on urban decay and rebuilding. When you click on a picture or the text under it, you will be taken to another part of the site which focuses on that aspect. This is well done and is a lesson waiting to be planned if your are teaching about urban Geography.
Site suggested by David, a former student now living in the NW USA.
Cultural Profiles Project
http://www.cp-pc.ca/english/
This site includes cultural information on many of the countries of the world.
Guide to Religions
http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_
This is a massive list to most of the religions of the world and not just the major religions. This is from Yahoo!
AUGUST 2011
East High School Geography (Denver) by Mr. R. Keith Lucero
http://www.lucerogeography.
A well organized site with lot of good Geography support for students. Some items may be downloaded.
Scalloway Geography This site is authored by danny McNeill, a geography teacher in a Junior High in Shetland, UK.
Note the extremely easy to use graphic interface which leads directly to nice content.
NYT Geography Lessons which use technology
By the Billions: Creating and comparing population growth projections
This site suggested by Dr. Mark Jeppson.
Body of a Nation: Examining the Role of the Mississsippi River in American History
This is an extremely well organized lesson with many sub parts.
Mapping Happiness: Analyzing an Interactive About a Nation???s Well-Being
Responses to a questionnaire about happiness are sorted by Congressional District.
Diigo
http://www.diigo.com/learn_
Diigo is a way to organize and annotate (using StickyNotes right on the web pages) your bookmarks. Accounts range from free to $40 a year. Below is a link to a series of UTube videos about Diigo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
dipity
Great way to make time lines on line.
Suggested by Dr. Jennifer Kunze of Spring Lake Park Schools.
JULY 2011
Interactive Climate Map
http://www.uwsp.edu/geO/
This is a nice one page site where you can ask kids to predict a climate based on a climate graph. Hover the cursor over a square on a world map and a climate graph will appear. If you click on the square, you get much more information.
An example lesson in Word may be downloaded at this URL. http://www.juicygeography.co.
Free Clickable Maps for Powerpoint and Excel
http://www.begraphic.com/
Suggested by Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education Steering Committee member Rhoda Hubbard-Anderson, this site advertises itself as the biggest collection of free on line maps in the world! Further investigation of the “BeGraphic” software may allow you to customize maps on their site. They say they have free editable maps of the world which may be used as clip art. The site also claims that their maps are not created by graphic designers, but by “real cartographers” (defined as Professor of Geography).
The graphic below shows incidents of the death penalty and is a cut down example of one offered at this site.
Thanks Rhoda, YOU ROCK!
AfroGraphique
http://afrographique.tumblr.
This site was also suggested by Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education Steering Committee member Rhoda Hubbard-Anderson.
AfroGraphique offers maps and graphic information related to Africa and they are free to use for non profit organizations. Here is an example of a graphic which depicts Sino-African Trade:
http://afrographique.tumblr.
Tagxedo
Tagxedo turns words — famous speeches, news articles, slogans and themes, even your love letters — into a visually stunning tag cloud, words individually sized appropriately to highlight the frequencies of occurrence within the body of text. The user may select shapes which the words will make. I wonder if an outline shape of a state or country could be used with a bunch of words students find and enter about that place? This fun site was found and offered by Rhoda Hubbard-Anderson who teaches in Hutchinson.
SlideShare
allows you to share your on line presentations through a free account.
Some things that you can do on SlideShare
??? Upload presentations publicly or privately
??? Download presentations on any topic and reuse or remix
??? Embed on blogs, websites, company intranets
??? Share on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn
??? Zipcast: free, no download, 1 click web meetings
??? Leadshare: generate business leads with your presentations, documents, pdfs, videos
??? Slidecast: sync mp3 audio with slides to create a webinar
??? Embed YouTube videos inside SlideShare presentations
??? Use SlideShare PRO for premium features like branded channels, analytics, ad free pages etc
NY Times Emotional Response Graph to Bin Laden’s Death
On May 3rd the NYT published an amazing graph which categorized over 13,000 responses to Bin Laden’s death. These responses were made into an interactive graph and classified on to axis–Significant vs. Non significant, and Negative vs. Positive. You have to see this to appreciate it. I am wondering if educators can find a use for this type of interactive graphic. I don’t know how long the NYT will keep this page on their site.
The site was brought to my attention by a neighbor.
JUNE 2011
EtherPad (collaboration)
Document Collaboration in real time. This is a web based word processor which allows for real time changes in the document as various participants make changes. Changes on the document are in assigned colors.
From Leslie Fisher’s site. http://lesliefisher.com/
Blog sites from Leslie Fisher
technorati.com/blogs/
www.guidetoonlineschools.com/
Create your own Blog site:
www.Edublogs.org (fee)
#Edchat is a hash tag for Twitter that is being used on Tuesdays 12 pm and 7PM
Real Lives
A great simulation where the student is born into another country and “lives” the life of someone there.
http://www.
Suggested by Matt Moore, a Sleepy Eye Geography teacher.
My Fake Wall
A FaceBook like site which is not Facebook. Students can create fake profile pages for world leaders and share/defend their choices of information, pictures, etc. This is a very motivational activity.
Suggested by Matt Moore, a Sleepy Eye Geography teacher. See examples done by his students at:
http://sites.google.com/site/
Presidential Election Maps: 1789-2008
http://www.nationalatlas.gov/
Excellent election maps, two to six elections at a time. Download or print these maps.
These Presidential Elections printable maps show electoral votes won, by political party, for the fifty-six Presidential elections from George Washington in 1789 to Barack Obama in 2008.
Information is Beautiful
http://www.
This site displays graphic visualizations of about 30 topics. Some graphics are bit difficult to understand, others are excellent in the meaning they convey. Use the pull down menu to change topics and visualizations.
The main site is located at: http://www.
MAY 2011
Globetrotter XL
http://samgine.com/
Use the mouse to click on a map where the prompt directs. There are 10 levels and you get points, but you can’t advance unless you meet a listed goal. There is an earlier version of the game called Globetrotter at:
http://games.dschini.org/game/
Web 2.0 Sites for Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education
Weebly for Education
Create class websites (free with signup). Your site will include blogs, student accounts and homework as well as keeping parents updated.
Glogster
Create posters for on line viewing. Free. Add your own images, sounds, text. Must open account.
SPORCLE
http://www.sporcle.com/games/
This site contains an alphabetized list of several hundred Geography games. There is also a category menu at the top of the list. Every day a different game is featured (see list with icons on the left side). An example is January 18th, 2011 when “Bordering the European Union” was featured (not very easy). Did you know that 12 of the most populated US cities are in Texas??
http://www.sporcle.com/games/
MidEast Map Challenge
http://www.rethinkingschools.
A nice learning tool for building a mind map about where things are in the Middle East.
Why I Love Maps
http://www.metmuseum.org/
This is a great two-minute piece about maps that was made by a curator of Medieval Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The curator notes: “I wonder why it is that we love maps so much. I think in part it has to do with the fact that it allows us to be God for a minute.” Suggested by Dr. Lanegran
APRIL 2011
This month I have decided to find Geography simulations which you can do in class or assign/ask your students to do on their own and then report on when finished. A simulation is not a game. A simulation uses a real world model to teach about some aspect of the real world. Post simulation experience should always be discussed in class. A concise discussion of why simulations are useful learning tools may be found here:
http://www.educationworld.com/
Sweatshop
http://www.simsweatshop.com/
Students enter the world of the sports shoe maker and go to work. They use energy and need water while working. This is best played alone. The simulation allows for stopping and then starting again. Warning: it is difficult to “win” at this simulation.
Third World Farmer
http://www.3rdworldfarmer.com/
The player manages an African farm and is confronted with difficult choices that poverty and conflict can cause. This simulation was first developed in 2005 at the University of Copenhagen. You can download the game or play it on line. In any case, a three part sign up must happen before you can access the simulation.
Stop Disasters!
http://www.stopdisastersgame.
This site has much more than a simulation. Abundant links to information about famous disasters and disaster topic sheets exist. Students are asked to assess the disaster risk at various scenarios and try to limit the damage when natural hazards strike. Students select the scenario as well as the level of difficulty. The text size is rather small in this simulation.
Darfur Is Dying
http://www.darfurisdying.com/
This simulation is narrative based. The user is a displaced Darfurian who must negotiate forces threatening the survival of his refugee camp.
McDonald’s Simulation
http://www.mcvideogame.com/
This game was apparently created by McDonald’s (although several disclaimers are listed saying they aren’t and the conent isn’t real) to address the accusations that their business has a negative impact on the world. Participants learn about the complex things going on behind the issuance of the food at the counter or take out window. Students can download their own game for PC or Mac, or play it on line.
Centre of the Cell
http://www.centreofthecell.
The participant has the job of Minister of Health. The task is to stop flu from spreading. Information comes from small windows of news reports. The participants then are given multiple choices. When that is done, consequences of the action chosen are explained, and the simulation continues.
Oiligarchy
http://www.addictinggames.com/
At this site some registration and a video advertisement may play.
WWII is over and your are the CEO of an oil company. YOur job is to make money from the oil. You need to make choices in finding and producing the oil. If you do not meet demands, your company will fire you.
Free Poverty
This is a game not a simulation. Basically, the participant is asked to find places on a map which results in cups of water donated by the organization. You get up to 10 cups per selection. At the end of the game the participant may select to print out a badge showing his skill/water contribution level.
MARCH 2011
Educypedia
http://www.educypedia.be/
Have you ever visited the Educypedia site to look for very short animations which explain Geographic (and other) processes? A great resource for you if you are discussing “flood plain” for example, and you wish to illustrate it on your screen. Among the illustrations are (but not limited to) Animated Rivers, Dunes, Erosion, and a nice Applet which drives a Latitude and Longitude illustration with a menu you can control over some features. There are many like this. Also, don’t miss a long list of Geography animations under “Geography Animations”. You can go directly to this page below if you choose.
http://www.sln.org.uk/
7 Billion and Counting
http://www.wimp.com/
A very interesting and entertaining video which shows what our population on earth will be at the end of 2011 and beyond.
Google Earth List of Amazing and Unusual Places
http://www.wimp.com/
It had to happen sooner or later. Someone made a music video which shows several minutes of interesting and unusual place which may be found using Gogle Earth. A good introduction or supplement to your lesson on using Google Earth. The length is 9 minutes.
200 Years that Changed the World
http://www.wimp.com/
Fascinating talk supported with GapMinder graphics which shows how the world changed, mainly in life expectancy and income, over the past 200 years.
Interactive Weather Map of the USA and Parts of Canada
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/
Just move your cursor around the map and see what the current
temperatures and weather conditions are in cities all over the
country! Lots of small cities and airports are included.
Virtual Pilot (from Lufthansa)
http://www.lufthansa-vp.com/
A fun, quick game which will test your ability to visualize where cities are located in Europe. Different levels increase point totals but remove assistants such as city markings and country border lines. Sent to me by Dr. Lanegran.
Applications Cleaners
You should not just drag a no longer wanted application to the trash on your Mac. The installer put lots of files lots of places, and just dragging them to the trash does not eliminate them. There are two free, open source applications removers for the Mac. Both seem to work quite nicely:
AppCleaner
http://www.freemacsoft.net/
AppTrap
FEBRUARY 2011
Spot Adventures
I have found a site where people who go on Geographic “adventures” post their experience with maps, pictures and annotations.
Here is one where 7 motorcycles in Australia went on a ride:
http://www.spotadventures.com/
What I really like about this is that there is a maps with a route on it, and then as you roll your cursor over stopping points on the map you see clickable thumbs.
The sponsoring company is selling a GPS, but you don’t have to buy to create an account and an adventure.
New World Clock
http://www.poodwaddle.com/
This is a new look world clock that keeps track of lots of incidents of population, death, illness, environment matters, energy uses, US Crimes, good and more. The numbers constantly change before you various eyes. The National Deb is very impressive! View by Year, Month, Week, Day and Now. You can also pause the numbers so they stop at a that time. Click on the face of the clck and you can get the same thing in Spanish. A numberer of other types of clocks may be viewed at:
http://www.poodwaddle.com/
PREZi
Create astonishing presentations live and on the web! And it is free up to a certain size, and easy to use! Special deals for teachers and students. Some cautions are that your presentations will be published; a watermark will be on your presentations; you can only create Prezis on line. However, it is easy and quick and convenient. Forget about PowerPoint.
Blabberize
This site allows you to create a voice file which will be attached to images of your choice, and the site will make the mouth move as though it were speaking what you wrote. Can be useful and fun in education. (Down for maintenance on 12.11.2010.)
ZAMZAR
Convert up to 100 mb of files from one format to another! Convert text files, image and sound files, eBooks and more! Converts most files. Free!
Time Line Creator
Create an account and then you have the power of the Internet to create time lines on any topic you wish. It may take a little bit to learn how best to create these. You must open an account, but the account if free.
Quizlet
Quizlet is the largest flash cards and study games website with over 3 million free sets of flashcards covering every possible subject. You can make your own and share them with your class or use sets already made. Quizlet is free unless you want to unlock more than the basic features (which you may well want to do). But, even then it is only $10
JANUARY 2011
http://www.google.org/
Google collects special search terms which are good indicators of world wide flu activity. These are reported on an interactive map.
NewsMap sent 12.28.10)
Not exactly a map, but the front page of this site has world wide headlines which you click on to read the story from a newspaper near where the headline is taking place. The user has some choices in what type of headlines, and from where, appear on the “map”.
Natural Disaster Hot Zones Map sent 12.28.10)
http://io9.com/5698758/a-map-
Interactive map of some of the world’s most dangerous places for natural disasters to happen. Clickable maps.
Scribble Maps sent 12.28.10)
This is a free, quick and easy way to rapidly make and share maps. You are provided a world map to begin, and you zoom to what you want from there. You can download them and send to friends as KML/GPX files.
Jigsaw Planet sent 12.28.10)
Make jigsaw puzzles from your own images or theirs. You could use maps!
DECEMBER 2010
December is for Economic Geography
The Model T Ford Assembly Line
http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.
A very nice video which shows how the Model T was assembled and includes other interesting facts.
Mouse Over Weather Points
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/
A map of the USA with many point. Move your mouse over the point and get the current weather. A variety of zoom parameters are available.
Elaborate World Clock
http://www.poodwaddle.com/
This world clock shows the births and deaths each second, but also shows many other numbers about interesting aspects of world life. Best world clock I’ve seen, and it could be used as a basis for a great deal of discussion and research in your classroom. You can pause the inflow of data, as well as view it by year, month, week and day.
200 Countries and 200 Years in 4 Minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
This remarkable video shows lots of statistics in a brilliant manner via room sized scatter and other dynamic charts. Well,
don’t expect paper charts!
Credit for finding this site goes to a friend, Mary Roos.
Tag Galaxy
This new site makes the finding of images in Flickr much easier. When you prepare a presentation you often search for different pictures on the Internet and sometimes wind up in Flickr. Now there is a new and better way to search for the pictures you are looking for . Tag Galaxy allows you to browse through Flickr photos in 3D with this flash application. Type in a place name, word, or words in the Tag Galaxy, and you???ll get a small solar system clickable images. But it is clever too. For example, you can click and drag for rotation, or use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Click a tag, then click another tag, and you???ll get results for both tags combined.
To test it, I brought up Tag Galaxy’s site and entered in “iron mines”. Immediately I got a globe surrounded by dozens of little images related to iron mining. Click on one to see if full sized. Click and roll the globe to view more. Some images are copyrighted. Some images you have to screen capture to get.
NOVEMBER 2010
Africa Jigsaw Puzzle
Interactive game where the student clicks and drags puzzle pieces
http://www.playkidsgames.com/
The puzzle is a little small, but a “guide” tells you when you have the piece in the right place. This is more shape recognition than Geography. Also in this series. Also available from this site’s menu:
http://www.playkidsgames.com/
Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America, United States and continents. There is an interactive puzzle as well as a “find” for each of the above. All are played on line and are free.
Panwapa
(which in the Tshiluba language means “here on this earth”) aims to foster a foundation for global citizenship and community in children around the world. Through this Site, Sesame Workshop aims to extend their mission to use educational media to help children reach their highest potential, celebrate cultural diversity, and build global understanding. Visit Panwapa, it’s both educational and fun!
Time Capsule
http://www.dmarie.com/timecap/
Enter any date and view the headlines, birthdays of famous people, top songs, top toys, books at that time.
GeoSpy
An interactive continents game from National Geographic Kids (younger ages) where you identify continents and other Geography features. A certificate may be printed.
The Seven Wonders of the World
http://www.cleveleys.co.uk/
Take a virtual tour of the seven wonders of the world and and learn about The Temple of Artemis, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Great Pyramid, The Lighthouse of Alexandria plus three others.
The Compass Activity Page
http://www.janbrett.com/
An instructional orienteering compass image followed by true and false questions. Immediate feedback. Relatively simple.
Geography Hangman online
http://www.quia.com/hm/2236.
No hints in this version.
Kids Corner State Geography Facts
http://factfinder.census.gov/
This is from the U.S. Census Bureau and is easy to use while providing quick access to information.
Users may choose to take a quiz after they learn.
Drag and Drop Map Game
http://www.rethinkingschools.
Click on a country name and drag it to the place in the world it belongs. Sound and visual feedback.
Compass Rose Printout
http://www.littleexplorers.
Teaching the points of a compass? Here is a pre-drawn rose with boxes for the points.
Go! George Go!
http://pbskids.org/arthur/
This is a very nice interactive game about directions for early learners. It has a nice very and visual explanation of how to play. It develops a sense of direction as well as a sense of sequence. The idea is to get George to deliver ice cream to his friends before they melt. The user provides directions by simple drag and drop. Animation and sound.
Russia and the Near Abroad
http://www.maps.com/games/
Interactive map game (15 questions) which asks for country places in Russia. The user clicks on a place on the map and is provided with sound and visual feedback. At the selection page games on many other parts of the world may be found. http://www.maps.com/FunFacts.
USA States Drag and Drop
http://www.maps.com/games/
This is a jigsaw type puzzle which requires the user to drag the states into place on a blank outline map of the USA. Some clues are provided. From Maps.com
Alienz Map Game
http://www.maps.com/games/
Users are asked by the “aliens” to drop then at a place on earth. The user clicks on a place and is rewarded with sound and visual stimuli. Simple directions and very engaging.
Suitable for many grade levels as well as those with restricted access.
OCTOBER 2010
Educational Origami
This site has a large amount of information regarding 21st Century learning skills.
http://edorigami.wikispaces.
The introductory paragraph from the site states:
Educational Origami is a blog , and a wiki, about 21st Century Learning and 21st Century Teaching.
This is not just about the integration of technology into the classroom, though this is certainly a critical area. It is about shifting the entire paradigm of education. The world is not as simple as saying teachers are digital immigrants and students digital natives. We have to change how we teach, how we assess, what we teach, when we teach it, where we are teaching it, who we are teaching and with what. Its a tall order, but these are exciting times.
Good website for data
Who we are
Worldometers is part of the Real Time Statistics Project, which is managed by an international team of developers, researchers, and volunteers with the goal of making world statistics available in a thought-provoking and time relevant format to a wide audience around the world. Chief project coordinator is currently Sir Thomasson.
Sources are carefully selected to include only data published by the most reputable organizations and statistical offices in the world.
Internet4Classrooms is a web site with lots of school uses. One of the parts of this comprehensive site is dedicated to links which provide free PowerPoint game templates. Some templates you can use outright, others are amenable to easy adaptation for your classroom uses.
The templates include; Who Wants to be a Millionaire; Jeopardy; Battleship and others.
SEPTEMBER 2010
Rubrics for Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy
http://edorigami.wikispaces.
Downloadable PDF rubric files for many aspectgs of Bloom.
Heads up from Dr. Jennifer Kunze (Spring Lk. Park)
Fun Geography Game: Virtual Pilot
http://www.lufthansa-vp.com/
This link is to a Lufthansa web site with a game in which you are the
pilot of a plane taking off from the US – – each time the plane
leaves, you are told the destination city – – you put the cursor on
and click where on the globe you think the city is.
The plane lands after 8 seconds. A line is then drawn to where it
should have landed and your point score is based on the difference in
the two locations! The closer you come to the actual location, the more points you’re awarded.
AUGUST 2010
A glimpse at US History based on an animated map of the USA. (sent)
http://www.animatedatlas.com/
This is actually an advertisement for a product, but it still is interesting, easy to understand, and useful if just played by itself.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics (sent)
This site has an interactive choropleth map of the USA, with a table of the states, which shows the unemployment rates by state and counties over time.
Lake Baikal: Very short but interesting video and a few acts (sent)
I found this short video to be informative. I’d think this would be good to include in a lesson for 6th grade and up.
http://0km.jp/view_mov.php?v_
ID Location by Aerial Photography sent)
http://www.guessthespot.com/
Sixteen aerial photographs from around the world provide an opportunity to test
your Geographic logic and photo interpretation skills.
===============End of List of Geography Links===============
Fred’s Finds PDF version