Category: Geography In the News

Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Animal Grossology Event at the National Geographic Museum

National Geographic Education is extending an invitation to all “mommy bloggers” in the D.C. area: Nat Geo is hosting a FREE blogger preview on Sunday, September 25 from 1-3 p.m. at the National Geographic Museum. On view will be the upcoming exhibition, Animal Grossology, and the companion exhibition, Weird But True, based on wacky facts from the popular NG Kids series. Children are welcome to attend and participate in this youth-focused exhibition.

You will see gross animals from around the world in a way that surprises and delights even the most fickle museum-goers. Based on the book by Sylvia Branzei, the exhibition combines solid science with disgusting fun. Visitors will experience some of the stickiest, slimiest and just downright yuckiest creatures on earth. What’s not to love?

2011-09-15_1201244.JPGHightlights Include:
1.) This event (blogger) preview is free.
2.) We are giving each blogger who attends a set of four museum tickets (to giveaway on your blog!).
3.) It is a great way for bloggers from around the region to get a behind-the-scenes look at our new Animal Grossology exhibition.
4.) We’ll be raffling away a great gift basket including the official exhibit books, a four-pack of tickets to see “The Jimmies” from the Nat Geo Live music series, and NG Kids merchandise. The raffle will be held at 1:30pm.
5.) The event will be a great atmosphere to network and promote your blog.

To confirm attendance, please RSVP to NatGeoMuseum@ngs.org by September 23 (this Friday) with your name and the number of people attending from your family. Photography will be allowed during the event only. Feel free to bring stands, lights, and any equipment you would like.  Free parking will be available in the National Geographic parking garage, located on the south side of M Street.

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Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Spotlight on: “The World” App by National Geographic

NG_World_Title-and-Bckgrnd-Comp.jpgEducators stuck in the age of lightning-speed technological growth may sometimes find themselves “the students” when it comes to keeping up with the latest advancements and applications. “The World” by National Geographic, an iPad-compatible app created in August 2011, is the ideal tool to help teachers leave behind the 1970’s style approaches of teaching geography–with chalkboards and heavy maps–and move into 21st century education. Now any teacher can give Mary Poppins a run for her money with classroom maps, atlases, globes, and world flags all available in the palm of his or her hand.  Not only great for teachers, “The World” is an enjoyable reference tool for anyone interested in expanding their knowledge of cartography and cultural geography and taking traditional print (maps) into the digital environment.

1023950.jpgAs one user said [on the iTunes review page], “The pictures are brilliant, the facts presented for each country are perfectly laid out, and the functionality of this app is very intuitive. Hats off to NG for an app well done.”

The app allows users to manipulate the world with their fingertips. In terms of exploring physical geography, the “globe” function can spin, rotate, zoom, overlay country or regional atlas data, and identify locations. For more cultural geography uses, the app includes demographics, flags, and National Geographic photographs from every country.

Additionally, the app includes a description of each country highlighting major historical events and offering insight into the current condition of the country.  The demographics include basic facts such as population size, capital city, land area, and government structure, all of which are bullet-pointed for quick, convenient access.

Maps_ArcticFloor.jpgLike what you hear? Bring “The World” to your classroom with our suggested starter activity:

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Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Monday Funday Photo of the Week!

As a fresh way to kick off the work week, My Wonderful World is now bringing its readers a Monday-Funday Photo of the Week.  Designed not only around aesthetics, this photo sharing start-of-the-week is also about facilitating geographic discussion on current events and relevant topics. Our first Photo of the Week comes from a recent environmental issue in Iceland where the hunting of endangered fin … Continue reading Monday Funday Photo of the Week!

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Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Five For Friday: Geography Report Card Coverage

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Use MapMaker’s 1 page maps for testing you geography knowledge with blank maps, coloring, or illustrating multiple choice questions from NAEP
Last week we posted on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)’s national report card on geography education. Media across the country reported on the story as well, snagging great quotes from geography education experts, embarrassing their readers/viewers with geography quizzes, and even offering humorous and satirical prose on the sad state of our children’s geo-literacy. In recognition and appreciation of this coverage, here are 5 articles that caught our attention. 
1. The Chicago Tribune took important facts from the report and suggested their implications for children’s level of understanding.  
“Fewer than a quarter of high school seniors scored proficiently on the geography test, down from 25 percent in 2001 and 29 percent in 1994, when the national geography exam first was administered. The decline seen in the twelfth-grade scores was the most dramatic of any grade tested. That means only 21 percent of 12th-graders had at least a solid grasp of geography and could, for instance, explain why Mali is considered overpopulated or explain why the economies of developing countries often are limited to a few agricultural products or raw materials.”

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Classroom Ideas, Geography In the News

Becoming An Explorer

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A child explores a creek near Germantown, Ohio. Credit: James Crotty

Remember when you were a kid? When any fireman or astronaut could visit the steps of your school or the pages of your books and convince you to dream big? 
A few weeks ago, the other National Geographic Education interns and I got to meet some amazing people who would turn out to be just that–people we wanted to be. It’s never too late in life to be amazed, nor is it ever too early to expand your dreams. We got to sit down with most of the National Geographic Emerging Explorers for a half-hour or more (distilled versions of those interviews will be available on natgeoed.org in a few weeks). We also got to hear from some of the veteran Explorers and Fellows, who presented their research and updates from the field during the week long Explorers Symposium. We even got to see marine ecologist Enric Sala and filmmaker James Cameron earn the distinction of being named the newest Explorers in Residence. 
In this post, I’ve condensed some of the lessons we learned about explorers and exploring. It won’t tell you much about the explorers themselves (I’ve added links for that, and there’s always Google), but it will advise you on how to live the coolest life ever. 

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