Group items tagged

"The National Geographic Society was founded in 1888 "to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge". Its mission, to inspire, illuminate and teach is a very noble cause, and a cause that few National Geographic Channel viewers would be aware of. Staying true to its founding principles National Geographic has embraced digital extremely well and in turn provides a huge set of versatile and engaging resources that can be used to inspire, illuminate and teach students about the world around them."

"GIS (Geographical Information Systems) is everywhere. From your smartphone to your tablet, location enabled devices are present in almost every household. With over 80% of all data having some type of spatial (or geographical) component, GIS and the principles of geographic data have relevancy everywhere. This course will introduce students to GIS and the principles of spatial data in their personal life as well as applications of GIS across various industries. Major components of the course include computer representation of geographic information, the basics of GIS databases, spatial analysis with GIS, and application areas of GIS. At the end of the course, students will have an understanding of elementary GIS theory and examples of GIS-based solutions in the world around them."

"The National Geographic Word Atlas for 2013 is currently available as a free iPad app. I recommend grabbing it while it's free. The app features a globe that students can rotate, zoom-in, and zoom-out. When students zoom-in on a country they can open a panel of location details to discover some basic information about that country. The details pane for each country includes information about the country's population, geographic size, culture, and government."

"Each year more than 100,000 Americans actively participate in Geography Awareness Week (GeoWeek). Established by presidential proclamation more than 25 years ago, this annual public awareness program organized by National Geographic Education Programs (NGEP) encourages citizens young and old to think and learn about the significance of place and how we affect and are affected by it. Each third week of November, students, families and community members focus on the importance of geography by hosting events; using lessons, games, and challenges in the classroom; and often meeting with policymakers and business leaders as part of that year's activities. Geography Awareness Week is supported by year-long access to materials and resources for teachers, parents, community activists and all geographically minded global citizens."

"Geospatial" technologies--which include geographic information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS), and remote sensing (RS) tools--are becoming increasingly important in our everyday lives. These technologies use "smart" maps that can display, query, and analyze geographic databases; receivers that provide location and navigation; and global-to-local imagery and tools that provide context and analysis.

"This fall National Geographic will offer two free online courses for teachers. Facilitating Learning Through Outdoor Watershed Education will be held September 17 to October 29, 2014. Water: The Essential Resource will be held October 15 to December 17, 2014. Both courses are hosted on the Coursera platform. "

Reading stories hosted by National Geographic Kids

"Ask a student what the capital of Burkina Faso is and most will give you a blank stare. Most would be lucky to even tell you the continent the country is a part of. With these 8 must-have apps for geography, not only will students learn the capital of Burkina Faso (it's Ouagadougou by the way), but they will learn a lot of geographical facts, as well as information that will help them navigate and better understand the world."

One hundred years later, National Geographic magazine published some spectacular high-resolution images taken of the wreckage in its April 2012 issue. The pictures are awesome to behold in the magazine's print edition-and even more amazing in their pinch-and-zoom, animated, interactive iPad versions.

"From The Elements to NASA, from National Geographic to the National Science Foundation there is a wealth of credible content in the App Store, but if students are using this information in an academic setting how do we help them correctly document and cite these sources?"

"The following is an excerpt from the book The App Generation: How Today's Youth Navigate Identity, Intimacy, and Imagination in a Digital World by Howard Gardner and Katie Davis. Let's dive directly into the world of educational apps. Our survey suggests that the majority - one might even say, the vast majority - of educational apps encourage pursuit of the goals and means of traditional education by digital means. They constitute convenient, neat, sometimes even seductive pathways to accomplish what were already goals in an earlier era: mastering concepts, learning arithmetical operations, identifying geographical locations or historical figures or key biological or chemical or physical processes. We could dub them "digital textbooks" or "lectures" or "pre-programmed educational conversations." Decades ago, major behaviorist B. F. Skinner called for teaching machines that would automate the traditional classroom, allow students to proceed at their own rate, provide positive feedback on correct answers, and either repeat a missed item or present that item via another pathway. Those sympathetic to Skinner's brand of psychology and to its associated educational regimen would easily recognize many apps today and would likely nod in approval at their slick, seductive interfaces."

"National Geographic has tons of fantastic apps and The Underground Railroad: Journey to Freedom is a great choice for upper elementary and middle school students. This interactive app introduces children to the Underground Railroad by placing them in first person experiences. They'll have to make decisions on how to proceed from on step to the next while they learn about this period in history."

"Education in Social Studies is needed to achieve levels of civilization that the nation requires of its citizens. Teaching and learning in Social Studies is effective only when it is substantial, authentic, integrated and value-based. Its disciplines are diverse with an expanse of historical, geographical, political, civic and a lot more content. So, learners and educators of Social Studies should possess tools and resources to learn about it and acquire skills in it. Here are some worthy and free tools and resources for Teaching and learning Social Studies, available online:"