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Textbooks?
Harvesting Internet resources and mapping their use against the Australian Curriculum: Geography
In preparation for the introduction of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography in 2013, textbook publishers are madly writing textbooks
to align with the curriculum. Whilst textbooks have their place, with a 21st
Century Curriculum we should consider that resourcing with current Internet
sites should be the way to go. The GeogSpace resource recently introduced to Spatialworlds
readers will be an excellent resource for schools to use when teaching the Australian
Curriculum: Geography – and it will be free! In fact, with the Internet there is a
overwhelming plethora of free, high quality, contemporariness resources. A
teacher can quite easily, with a bit of thought and time, build their geography
programs around such free on-line geographically orientated sites. Some of the sites are not created solely for
education purposes but are easily translated into a learning resource for various
sections of the Australian Curriculum: Geography. As I was gathering just a
small selection of of these sites I found myself mentally mapping them against
the content descriptions from the Australian Curriculum: Geography. For each of
the sites I have made a suggestion (only a suggestion – could be many options)
about what part of the Australian Curriculum: Geography the website resource could
be used to develop a learning program. For
those with knowledge of the draft curriculum it would be an interesting and
useful exercise to review sites showcased on previous Spatialworlds postings to
see where they could be used with the Australian Curriculum: Geography.
I must emphasise, these sites are just a random selection
and are the tip of the iceberg of the free Internet resources available. The Spatialworlds blog, as a repository of
such sites, has showcased hundreds of such sites over the years and it seems to
be no end to the number as new sites come on-line on a daily basis. However, it is important to use critical
literacy with such sites (who produces, is it reliable, is it biased, has it an
agenda etc) - as a professional geographical educator such critiquing is in an
important role we fulfil as we develop learning programs using Internet sites.
Here are just a few sites mapped against the Australian
Curriculum: Geography. Please note that the year level content identified and
the names given to the units are from the draft ACARA documents and may change
prior to publication.
Pupilvision is a 600 page website full of resources for pupils
and teachers of geography. The website is well designed and easy to navigate
and is well designed. It enables pupils to view lesson plans, homework and
syllabuses; support revision; provide guidance from pupils on how to improve
grades; access geography careers advice; submit homework and e-mail questions
relating to homework; access a plethora of geography websites by links.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for all years of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography
http://www.pupilvision.com/
GeoResources site provides weather data and outline maps to
include in homework or projects, detailed case studies e.g. Kobe earthquake, UK
National Parks and oil spills, Virtual Fieldwork (so that can you can visit
sites and stay dry!), a photo gallery and a weekly GeoQuiz.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 5 and Year 7 (Water
unit) of the Australian Curriculum:
Geography
TheMet Office site provides the latest information
on the world's weather. It has a Curriculum Learning Centre that includes
worksheets and classroom activities, leaflets to download and a "Did you
know?" section. There is also a Teacher Training Centre that claims to
help "to teach the curriculum effectively - in areas like the atmosphere,
fronts and clouds". It also includes a bibliography and suggested essay
questions.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 1, Year 5 and Year 9 (Biomes
and Food Security unit) of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
CIA
World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html from the US Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA) lists information under: 'Geography'; 'People'; 'Government';
'Economy'; 'Transportation'; 'Communications' and 'Defence'. The section on
Geography includes location, co-ordinates, area, land boundaries, coastline,
climate, terrain, natural resources, land use, irrigated land and environment.
Constantly updated this is one of the most important educational sites on the
Internet.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 6, 7 (Places are for
living unit) and 10 (Geographies of Human Well-being unit) of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography
NewInternationalist: Rivers is an
impressive website that provides detailed information on the world's five
longest rivers: Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Ganges and the Zaire.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 8 Landscape and
Landforms unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
VirtualWildlife is produced by the World Wide Fund for
Nature. Sections include Polar Regions, Coniferous
Forests, Temperate
Forests, Grasslands, Tropical Forests,
Mountains, Oceanic
Islands, Freshwater
Wetlands and Oceans. After reading a two-page description of the environment,
students have the opportunity to research the wildlife from the chosen area.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Year 4 of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography
GlobalEarthquake Response Centre provides
news on the latest earthquakes. The
website includes practical advice for schools about what to do if there is an
earthquake in your area and resources for those who want to teach about the
subject in the classroom. The website also provides links with other 'Earthquake
Information Centres' and sites that are concerned with specific earthquakes.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 8 Landscape and
Landforms unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
TheTornado Project gathers, compiles, and makes tornado
information available to weather enthusiasts, the meteorological community and
emergency management officials. The company is using its website to share some
of this information with the general public.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 7 Water unit of
the Australian Curriculum: Geography
Greenpeace http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/ provides the latest information on the pollution
and abuse of the earth's ocean, land, air and fresh water. This includes press
releases and overviews of their current campaigns. There is also a very useful
archive section that contains articles, photographs and sound recordings on
global environmental issues.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 4, 5 and the Year 10 (Environmental
Change and Environmental Management unit) of the Australian Curriculum:
Geography
NationalGeographic Map Machine enables the
viewer to select any country in the world. The map is displayed with national
flag and other factual information such as: population, capital, main
religions, languages, literacy rate and life expectancy. There are also
sections on the country's history and economy. The Web Machine also has
collections of 'Political' and 'Physical' maps. A recent addition is 'View From
Above' that shows maps of countries based on satellite photographs.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 3-10 of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
EarthquakeKid Zone is a website that includes a quiz,
crossword puzzle, word search games (for preparedness kits for cars, earthquake
terms, and tsunamis), and answers to common earthquake questions for kids.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 8 Landscape and
Landforms unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
Infoplease:
World Statistics http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004372.html enables students to compare data from
different countries. The website provides information on population,
unemployment, marriage, divorce, abortion, infant mortality, life expectancy,
birth-rate, ownership of household appliances, GDP, exchange-rates and
contraceptive use. Also sections on Worldwide Armed Conflicts and Counties with
Nuclear Weapons Capability.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 6, 9 and 10 of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
Cool
Planet offers information and resources to
encourage young people's development as global citizens. The site contains
easy-to-follow curriculum information for planning global citizenship
activities using our highly regarded 'Teachers Guide to a Curriculum for Global
Citizenship'.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 4, 6, 9 (Connection Geographies/Personal
Geographies unit) and Year 10 (Geographies of Human Well-being unit) of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
GeoResourcesPhoto Gallery provides digital photos to help with Geography
presentations and activities etc?
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for all year levels of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
US
Geological Survey: Volcanoes http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/ provides
information on Volcano Hazards, Location of Volcanoes, Types and Effects,
Volcano Monitoring, Historical Eruptions, Warning Schemes, and Emergency
Planning. There is also a weekly report of worldwide volcanic activity prepared
by the USGS and the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 8 Landscapes and Landforms
unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Years 4, 5 and 9 (Biomes
and Food Security unit) of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
NFUFarm Studies http://www.foodandfarming.org/indexb.php is a series of eight farm case
studies. They all include detailed information, farm data, photographs, maps
and other graphics. Being a UK,
site all types of farming are covered from different areas of Scotland and England.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 9 Biomes and Food
Security unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
Adventure
Learning Foundation http://www.questconnect.org/ is comprehensive site takes students
and teachers, as virtual participants, on real and virtual expeditions around
the world. Through a collection of original pictures and journal excerpts,
visitors can follow in the footsteps of travellers exploring the natural
environment, culture, and peoples of different continents. Past expeditions
include Alaska and Yukon,
Baja California, American Southwest, Southern
Africa, Mexico and Peru. Each
expedition is accompanied by a mixture of information, links, and classroom
activities.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 2-10 of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
GeographyOpen Directory is a definitive catalog of the Web.
The Open Directory was founded in the spirit of the Open Source movement, and
is the only major directory that is 100% free.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for all year levels of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
Country
Profiles http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/default.stm from the BBC website provides key
facts, figures, timelines and dates on all the world's leading countries. There
is also a quick guide and timeline on NATO and a chronology of key events
concerning the Vatican
and the history of the Commonwealth.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 2-10 of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
InfoNatura is a source for conservation information on the
birds and mammals of Latin America and the Caribbean.
This website is a comprehensive source for conservation, distribution, and
taxonomic information on over 5,500 common, rare, and endangered species in 44
countries and territories. InfoNatura is updated three times a year to include
"new data from refined geographic surveys, the latest taxonomic
treatments, and any new conservation status assessments." Future versions
of the database will include amphibian and reptile data.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Years 4, 5, 9 (Biomes
unit) and 10 (Environmental Change and Environmental Challenges unit) of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
CountryStudies contains on-line versions of books previously
published in hard copy by the Federal Research Division of the Library of
Congress under the Country Studies/Area Handbook Program sponsored by the US
Department of Army. The Country Studies Series presents a description and
analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and
national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world
and examines the interrelationships of those systems and the ways they are
shaped by cultural factors.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 2-10 of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
CREATE http://www.create.org.uk/ stands for “The Centre for Research, Education and
Training in Energy”. This not for profit education organisation promotes energy
efficiency and sustainable development. There are resources to download,
including teaching energy as part of the geography curriculum and a guide to
energy-related topics in the National Curriculum. You can also subscribe to a
free newsletter, Energy Watch.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 4 and 10 (Environmental
Change and Environmental Management unit) of the Australian Curriculum:
Geography
Geographyin the News is brand new site from the Royal
Geographical Society (with IBG) provides free learning resources, for teachers
and students, focusing on the geography in and behind the news. A forum allows
teachers to review the materials, students are able to report news stories with
a geographical perspective from their local areas, a bulletin board enables
users to give their views on 'hot' geographical topics and there is an
interview area for interaction with experts.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for all year levels of the
Australian Curriculum: Geography
WorldAtlas is an outstanding website for all students of
geography. As well as maps the site contains features such as country flags,
current time (different countries), currency conversion (latest rates),
continents (populations and sizes), map clip art, outline maps, map questions,
and a daily geography quiz with prizes. There is also a list of of continents,
countries, dependencies, islands, territories, lakes, rivers, seas, oceans,
mountains, and the highest, lowest, biggest, smallest, tallest, deepest,
oldest, youngest, richest, poorest places on the planet.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for all year levels of the Australian
Curriculum: Geography
Global
Teenager Project http://www.iicd.org/globalteenager/ from the International Institute for
Communication and Development (IICD) assists developing countries to realise
locally owned sustainable development by harnessing the potential of
information and communication technologies (ICTs). The Global Teenager Project
was launched in 1999 to bring the full potential of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICTs) into the classroom. In short, GTP's aim is to
enhance secondary pupils' ICT skills and learning skills while increasing their
understanding of other cultures by staging lively, global classroom debates in
cyberspace. GTP unites secondary school pupils from all over the world in a
safe, structured virtual environment, thereby helping to bridge the cultural
and digital divide between the developing and developed world. So far, over
3000 pupils from 95 schools in 20 countries are taking part and the number is
rising every month.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 9 Connection
Geographies unit of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
Global
Wise http://www.wateraid.org/international/learn_zone/ is dedicated to helping people escape
the stranglehold of poverty and disease caused by living without safe water and
sanitation. WaterAid works in partnership with local organisations in 15
countries in Africa and Asia to help poor
communities establish sustainable water supplies and latrines, close to home.
WaterAid also works to influence governments’ water and sanitation policies to
serve the interests of vulnerable people. The Global Wise website leads pupils
through a series of activities which teach them about WaterAid water and
sanitation programmes in India
and Ethiopia.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Year 7 (Water) and 10 (Global
Geographies of Well-Being unit) of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
NationMaster is a website that allows users to generate graphs
based on numerical data extracted from the CIA Factbook." A site making it
easy to engage with the indicators that shape global commerce, health, politics
and ecology.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for Years 6 and 10 (Global
Geographies of Well-Being unit) of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
Global
Witness http://www.globalwitness.org/ sets out to achieve real change by
challenging established thinking on seemingly intractable global issues - to
highlight the link between the exploitation of natural resources and human
rights abuses, particularly where the resources such as timber, diamonds and
oil are used to fund and perpetuate conflict and corruption.
This site
would be useful to support the learning program for the Year 10 Global
Geographies of Well-Being and Environmental Change and Environmental Management
units of the Australian Curriculum: Geography
