JDMcDsblog






         A space to reflect on geography, education and the world about us.

January 7, 2009

Using Geograph in S1 Study of Land Use Zones

Filed under: Geography, ICT, Teaching and Learning — jdmcd @ 5:40 pm
Tags: ,

Glasgow Harbour, October 07

Resources: Summary Booklet, S1&2 Geography, acess to laptops (Plan A) or to digital projector (Plan B)

Aim: To recognise and describe the characteristics of Glasgow’s land use zones;

        to develop familiarity with Geograph as tool for searching for geographical images.

Background We have learned that Glasgow has four main land use zones:#

1. Central Business District

2 Inner City

3. Inner Suburbs

4. Outer Suburbs

We have made a land use map that shows the location of land use zones in Glasgow. This map should be pasted into your jotter.

Object & Environment: Glue Stick by Morgan leigh

 

Purpose: What we want to do is to LINK your map with some images of Glasgow.

Exposition: You are going to compare the descriptions of land use on pages 6 and 7 of your Summary Booklet with a selection of photographs on the photoshare website Geograph.

Tasks

Bring up Geograph home page. It should say “Welcome to Geograph”

In your jotter, put the heading Geograph exercise

Have your summary booklet open at page 6.

1. Copy out the definition of Geograph

2. Put the sub-heading, Geograph images of Grid Squares in Glasgow

Now click on this link here to get a map of Glasgow.

You will see that each grid square on the map has a small purple circle; Click on the map to bring up more details about that particular grid square.

Spend some time getting used to this feature-click on various squares around Glasgow. You will see that some have more photos than others. Notice that every grid square in Glasgow starts with the 2 letter code NS.

Now select two photos that you feel BEST represent the features of each of Glasgow’s four land use zones, ie two for the CBD, two for the outer suburbs, etc-8 in total.

Write out your results as follows:

Zone: CBD

1 Grid Square: NS____  <Title> by <photographer>

Featuresof the CBD that are shown in this photograph are …………………………………………

Repeat this for the other 7 photographs.

June 8, 2008

wikiHow-online collaborative manual

Filed under: ICT, Teaching and Learning — jdmcd @ 4:30 pm
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New tool box 008

Originally uploaded by ktbogenrief

Have found an excellent site called wikiHow. Embracing the wiki concept of creative commons, this site is an online DIY manual that anyone can contribute to and edit.. It has approximately 39 000 articles. These range from practical tips like maintaining your bicycle gears to more abstract issues like learning styles. Indeed there is a whole section on memorisation skil.ls, which I am going to pilot with my S1 c.lasses over the next two weeks.

April 20, 2008

In Service Day-Blogs and Wikis-”Further Reading”

Filed under: ICT, Teaching and Learning — jdmcd @ 3:01 pm
Tags: , ,

Today’s slide show

[Will also be posted on the Ethos homepage-shared documents]

Here is a sample of the many blogs and wikis out there, mostly relating to Scottish education.

General learning and teaching/use of ICT in teaching:

Ewan McIntosh, LT Scotland http://edu.blogs.com/edublogs

LT Scotland list of blogs: http://ltsblogs.org.uk/

Biology:

Tessa Watson; http://edubuzz.org/blogs/tessawatson/

English:

Neil Winton, PT Perth Academy: http://nwinton.wordpress.com/

Geography:

Ollie Bray, Depute Head, Musselbrough Grammar http://olliebray.typepad.com/

Val Vannett, PT Geography, High School of Dundee http://www.gmpay.blogspot.com/

Music

Alan Coady, East Lothian:http://edubuzz.org/blogs/alancoady/

Physics

http://www.mrhood.co.uk/pub/

Technology:

Stuart Meldrum: http://stuartmeldrum.co.uk/blog/

School/class blogs & wikis

http://www.innerleithen.tv/blog/2007/12/04/Natural_Heritage_Improvement_Project_at_St_Ronans_Primary

http://eastdunbarton.wikispaces.com/Blogging+Project

Everyday Geographies http://primarygeogblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.sandaigprimary.co.uk/pivot/eco.php

Independent Schools Council blog:

http://blog.isc.co.uk/

Perspective of a Director of Education:

Don Ledingham, East Lothian http://edubuzz.org/blogs/donsblog/

Perspective of a Quality Improvement Officer

Andrea Reid http://andreareid.wordpress.com

A wiki on wikis:

http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Articles+and+Resources

April 11, 2008

In Service Day Presentation

Filed under: ICT, Teaching and Learning — jdmcd @ 6:48 pm
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Will be doing an In Service on blogs and wikis on Monday 21st, along with Jane Bulloch our librarian. I have made up a PowerPoint, which I;ll put out on the school intranet. Here’s a preview below. It’s really just a few images designed as hooks for the discussion. I don’t want to spend more than 20 iminutes on this, as we want colleagues to try making their own blog, and to ask questions.

When I watch or make up a PowerPoint slide show, I recall the story of the IBM president, who, attending a presentation by one of his senior mangement, stood up and switched off the projector. “How about we just talk about your business?” he said. There was a very long pause, before the meeting recommenced, but he had made a vefry important point.
I think we need to watch that we don’t use PPs as a crutch and switch off our critical thinking faculties. I think that’s whay embedding slide shows on blogs is a useful option-you can direct people to the blog to look at the presentation in detail, and spend more time actually engaging with them at the meeting, rather than just talking at them.