2013 National Council for Geographic Education in Denver, CO
The 2013 annual conference for the National Council for Geographic Education is now open for registration. Join hundreds of educators (K-12 & University) and geography professionals from around the world this August 1-4. Attend the 2013 conference in Denver to exchange ideas, research, resources, and best practices in geography education. For more information, follow this link.
National Geographic Announces Geography Legislators of the Year
On February 28th, the National Geographic Education Foundation awarded its Geography Legislator of the Year Awards to key congressional leaders for their commitment to making high-quality geography education available for all K-12 students, preparing young Americans for success. Among those recognized for their dedication to geography education was Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) For the full press release from National Geographic, follow this link.
Free Public Workshop: Visualizing North America's Changing Environment - Saturday, April 13th
Join Dr. Karen Richardson, Program Manager at the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, for a two hour workshop from 9:30-11:30am on how to use free maps and geospatial data to better understand place-based environmental issues, from industrial pollution to biodiversity conservation, by visualizing environmental change across our continent. Event is free but advance registration is required before April 4th. For more information or to register, visit the CEC Events webpage.
The Importance of Geographic Literacy on the Denver Post
During the Teaching Geography is Fundamental campaign, the Denver Post published a letter from COGA Coordinators Steve Jennings and Rebecca Theobald reinforcing the need for geographic literacy. Check out the full article on the Denver Post website.
2013 Fire Ecology Institute for Educators
Join 4th-12th grade educators at the Nature Place in Florissant, CO to learn about how to include hot topics and burning issues in forest health and management in your curriculum! Light a fire under your students and spark their interest in reading, writing, math, science, geography-appropriate for STEM and Common Core!
The Waldo Canyon, Springer and Hayman fires provide the backdrop to our explorations. Learn from foresters, firefighters, geographers, biologists, ecologists, hydrologists, engineers, and educators. Agenda includes field studies, technology, inquiry experiments, lesson planning, literature, multimedia, GIS and more. Lodging, food, materials, field trips, and instruction provided. Sunday, June 23 through Friday June 28. Additional details can be found here.
Winter 2013 COGA Newsletter
This semester's newsletter is now available. Important information about the NCGE Conference is shared, exciting opportunities abound, and the winner of the 2012 Geography Awareness Week Bookmark Contest is announced. Follow this link to read the newsletter.
The Choices Program - Scholarly based materials to promote geographic literacy in your students.
Brown University's Choices Program invites secondary level geography teachers to apply for a 2013 Summer Institute that focuses on using the Choices approach and curricular materials to ask What is Where, Why and So What?
Using the scholarship and lessons found in The United States in Afghanistan unit as a springboard, the Institute will explore how the Choices approach and curricula materials can be implemented to develop geographically literate students, capable of asking and answering the big questions in geography. Deadline to apply is Monday, April 8th, 2013. For more information or to apply, click here.
GIS In Higher Education Summit
Just a quick note that it has been announced that the 5th Annual GIS in Higher Education Summit will be held at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. This event will feature presentations from educators state wide. The agenda is still forthcoming, but the date has been set for Friday, March 22nd. More details to come!
Is your school's internet access fast enough for digital learning?
SchoolSpeedTest.org is conducting research into the internet speeds of schools across the nation. By testing the Internet access in our schools during the National School Speed Test we will know the ACTUAL performance of the Internet in our classrooms and what we need to do to upgrade this access for digital learning. This information will also help policy makers and schools prepare for the next-generation assessments to be launched in 2014 and maximize the impact of the existing $2.5 billion of annual funding to help schools upgrade their Internet access and infrastructure. It takes less than a minute to contribute to this important research. To take part, follow the link.
Giant Traveling Maps from National Geographic
NGS is pleased to announce a new 26'x26' map of Europe is available to host in your school! Students across the country can now depart on the ultimate international field trip-no passports needed-with the arrival at their school of one of the world's largest maps of Europe. The vibrant vinyl map will guide students through lessons and fun activities related to Europe's climate, natural resources, famous landmarks, and demographics. Teachers are provided with a trunk of props and accessories designed to enhance the lessons and encourage student engagement with content-rich games suitable for various age groups and class sizes. For more information or to reserve a map, visit this link. If you need assistance in funding a visit of the map to your school or district, please use this link to access an information form about requesting funds.
World Affairs Challenge
The World Affairs Challenge is an academic program that challenges Middle and High School students to think about their relationship to the rest of the world, while taking part in a fun, day-long tournament. Sponsored by the Center for Teaching International Relations, the tournament builds teamwork, leadership, research, critical thinking, public speaking and problem solving skills, while strengthening students'understanding of global affairs.
AP Human Geography Resource Collection from National Geographic
National Geographic Education has created a portal on the NatGeoEd.org website for AP Human Geography teachers to visit for teaching and learning resources, including classroom activities, videos, maps, background reading material, and more. The new portal organizes content from National Geographic Education by each of the major topics taught in the AP Human Geography course. The collection will grow over time as new content aligning to the course topics is published online. Click here to access this great resource!
Geography for Life: National Geography Standards, 2nd Edition from NCGE The Geography Education Implementation Project (GENIP) - a consortium of the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE), the National Geographic Society (NGS), the Association of American Geographers (AAG), and the American Geographical Society (AGS) - has released a revised and updated version of Geography for Life: National Geography Standards (1994). The revised edition features restructured content and a new format. Each standard is presented through four components: an introductory essay; knowledge statements; performance statements and examples.You can order your copy by following this link.
Scott Allen's National Council for the Social Studies Annual Conference Presentation and Resources
For a great website full of resources for Social Studies educators, including a presentation for NCSS entitled "Lateral Power: Geography of the Third Industrial Revolution" visit Mr. Allen's Audacious & Adventurous Website. The first two Industrial Revolutions are well known. Now connect and map the Third Industrial Revolution. Witness lateral power 's influence on your students, your teaching and our world.
National Council for Geographic Education Membership
The Colorado Geographic Alliance and the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) are teaming up to support geography educators across the state with the creation of a new Alliance-Affiliated Membership. The NCGE-Alliance partnership was forged in recognition of the common goal of enhancing the status and quality of geography education, and it means more support, benefits and opportunities for you, people who are passionate about geographic education.
In addition to Colorado-specific Alliance resources, NCGE's national conference, publications, and professional development activities are now even more affordable. Your $50 NCGE-Alliance membership will include: · Subscriptions to NCGE journals such as Journal of Geography, The Geography Teacher, and Perspective, the NCGE Newsletter, designed to keep you abreast of useful information regarding the field of geography education · Discounts on NCGE publications and NCGE's annual National Conference on Geography Education (to be held in August 2013 in Denver!) · Professional development opportunities, including unlimited access to NCGE's LIVE Webinar series, giving you direct access to learn from the best geography educators from around the world
A collaboration of the Governor's Office of Information Technology, ESRI, the Colorado Geographic Alliance, University of Denver, and Colorado 4-H is developing a GIS (Geographic Information System) distance learning program that can serve as an enhancement and introduction to GIS across a variety of classroom subjects.For more information click here.
Colorado Department of Education Content Areas
The CDE has created a series of pages that serve as a hub of content to help support the academic achievement of students throughout the state. These pages provide information about state standards, professional development, curriculum information and instructional resources. These pages are highly reccommended to help improve curriculum in a number of areas, including Science, Social Studies, and STEM. Click here to visit the CDE Content Areas Main Page.
Geography professor studies how tragic events are memorialized
For a perspective on recent tragedies, read Ken Foote's observations on how community events are commemorated in this interview in CU Connections.
MyCOE Global Connections and Exchange
MyCOE GCE is connecting high school students in the U.S. with their peers abroad. Through virtual online meetings, high school students throughout the world will develop collaborative, youth-led projects that map sustainable development issues. These meetings are arranged through online video conferences, internet phone calls and chat sessions. International classrooms are located in Bolivia, Ghana, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Project topics include environmental themes while enriching cultural literacy. Topic Areas are Climate Change, Food Security and Vulnerability, Green Economy, Natural Disasters and Hazards, Sustainable Development and Youth Leadership. Learn more or sign up at:MyCOE Global Connections and Exchange
GPS Units Available for Check-Out
COGA has 11 GPS units available for educators to check out, using these tools to enhance geospatial awareness and curriculum. These are available free for your use.
Instill and nurture spatial awareness and geographic literacy, by changing how you understand and experience the world.
This Is What Geographers Do:
From maps of disease and the weather to the earliest maps of the national population, this was a period when the very concept of a map was reinvented. By the early twentieth century, maps had become common tools of analysis, communication, and visual representation in an increasingly complex nation.
Today we live in a world that is saturated with maps and graphic knowledge. The maps on this site reveal how this involved a fundamentally new way of thinking. By Susan Schultan
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