Map Blog
Get on your bike! This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 10:02 PM by MickNow you have another good reason to get on your bike and go for a ride (don’t worry, I won’t mention the others).
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A science teacher from the US has been creating virtual grafitti adventures. Using his GPS as a paintbrush, his bike, and I’m presuming a very big bowl of pasta the night before, he creates wonderful artworks on top of his city. Check out his website and let us know if you feel the need to get on the bike and create! Very fun stuff.
QMEA spatial technologies PD – day 2
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, February 20, 2012 @ 10:02 PM by MickWell, after 3 workshops and a trip to Darwin I got here in the end. Basically day two of our QMEA course was all about Quantum GIS (QGIS).
So, download the software here.
See our previous posts on QGIS here and here, they tell you how to get data and access support for the software.
Finally, check out Contour Education’s YouTube channel with two (so far) videos for QGIS up showing you how to download and install QGIS and the basics of the software.
Good luck, remember that we are looking for ‘champions’ from our group so any of you there on the day jot down ideas for classroom use and we can start thinking about developing resources for teachers.
QMEA spatial technologies PD – Day 1
This addition to Map Blog was added on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 @ 06:02 AM by MickAs part of our ongoing work with the Queensland Resources Council (see the Oresome Resources website for some great spatial data and information for schools) we have been collaborating with Queensland Mining and Energy Academy schools in Brisbane introducing the teachers to some simple spatial technologies like Google Maps, Google Earth and QGIS.
Here’s a snapshot of some of the resources we used on day one of the course:
Ordnance Survey GIS Zone
This site outlines what a GIS is, how GIS is used in the real world and also gives you some great games to begin introducing the concepts of layering information and geographic databases.
Geospatial Revolution
The Geospatial Revolution. We didn’t go through this on the day…silly me, but it is a great resource for giving you, your staff and your students an understanding of what this spatial tech stuff is all about. More importantly, the four videos (episode one embedded below) cover a wide range of applications of spatial tech from business, government, natural resource management, military, climate change and development. Also, very high production values will engage your students.
Contour Education’s YouTube channel!
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, February 6, 2012 @ 10:02 PM by MickThis nifty video shows you four lesser-known tips for using Google Maps
We’ve been busy here over the holidays, mainly eating and drinking but February is well upon us and it’s time to get back into the saddle.
As well as planning for a website upgrade we managed to begin to fulfil one of our New Year’s resolutions – to squeeze out a few screencasts for educators going over the basic elements of the free, simple spatial technologies out there. The video above is the second in our ‘Google Maps for Educators’ and we have also developed a ‘QGIS for Educators’ series. All videos can be found on our YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/contoureducation
We’d love for you to comment, share and use the videos to your heart’s content. We have also made all videos CC licensed so you can share them and use them in your schools as much as you want – don’t forget to share your resources with us though!
Applications of GIS
This addition to Map Blog was added on Tuesday, November 1, 2011 @ 09:11 PM by MickI came across the following website on my travels, it’s called GIS and Science and essentially details a range of real-life applications of GIS software in the field of science.
The blog is called, appropriately, GIS and Science and if you can read beyond the technical jargon on some of the descriptions you will get a good idea of how GIS is being used in each example. Your students might find the site useful to help them get a sense of why spatial visualisation is critical to many fields of science.
Contour Education Resources
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, October 31, 2011 @ 03:10 PM by MickHi there everyone. Just a short post to let you know about our online resources as they’ve recently been reorganised.
We have PD workbooklets, activities, videos and links that you can use with your students and most of the activities use freely available software such as Google Maps, Google Earth or QGIS.
We also have a special resource that is very top-secret and will be appearing online soon…….can’t say much more but you lot are in for a treat as it is tied to the Australian Curriculum. A draft version of this activity can be downloaded by clicking the image above (of resources, get it?) and we would really appreciate your feedback, in fact your feedback will drive any changes made over the next few weeks.
The activity has students of upper primary or lower secondary, visually assess the health of a waterway at a number of sites. They then use Google Maps to create a map showing the relative health of the sites along their waterway according to the nine criteria for data collection. Students finally select a map symbol that best represents the health of each site before making some recommendations for improvements. Hopefully, a neat and easy-to-use activity to introduce spatial technologies to students. Year 7 looks most appropriate at this stage given the Environmental Resources unit in the Australian Curriculum, recently released……….read on for more juicy details.
Geography Clip of the Week 16 October 2011 Encore
This addition to Map Blog was added on Thursday, October 20, 2011 @ 06:10 PM by MickHere is another great video for you all – the midnight sun in Iceland. Gorgeous.
BEST VIEWED IN HD AND FULLSCREEN (with scaling off)
Midnight Sun: A natural phenomenon occurring in the summer months north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle where the sun never fully sets and remains visible 24 hours a day.
This short time lapse film was shot during the Icelandic Midnight Sun in June of 2011.
Geography Clip of the Week 16 October 2011
This addition to Map Blog was added on Sunday, October 16, 2011 @ 11:10 AM by MickI should really call these Geography Clip of the Month but we’ll get there! This is another beautiful landscape video. Just put it into fullscreen mode, sit back and enjoy.
Ancient Rome in Google Earth
This addition to Map Blog was added on Thursday, September 15, 2011 @ 10:09 AM by MickGoogle’s wonderful Google Earth application has a neat layer that lets you explore ancient Rome in glorious 3D.
You need to have your ’3D Buildings’ layer turned on in the ‘Layers’ section of Google Earth, as well as the ‘Ancient Rome 3D’ layer which can be found under the ‘Gallery’ in the ‘Layers’ section. Have a look at our recent post on getting to know Google Earth and our ‘Spatial from Scratch’ workbooklet which shows you how to use Google Earth.
ABC Catchment Detox
This addition to Map Blog was added on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 @ 04:09 PM by MickThis most excellent game has been around for a while and I’ve finally made it around to putting up a post for it. In 1998 the ABC developed the Catchment Detox game as part of its Science online portal.
Geography Clip of the Week 05 September 2011
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, September 5, 2011 @ 02:09 PM by MickHere it is. Your new Geography Clip of the Week. Another time-lapse video (I’ll stop soon). but this one’s a little closer to home coming from En Zed (NZ…..).
Mt Ruapehu Timelapse from Jared Brandon Productions on Vimeo.
GTAV Conference 2011 – What’s going on in spatial technologies
This addition to Map Blog was added on Saturday, August 20, 2011 @ 08:08 PM by MickThis post constitutes the ‘handout’ for my sessions at the Geography Teachers’ Association of Victoria (GTAV) 2011 conference to be held at RMIT in Melbourne’s CBD. For those who don’t have the privilege of coming along to this wonderful event, my session aims to give teachers a feel for what is new in the world of spatial technologies so feel free to review the resources below for potential use in your own classrooms.
The pace of the digital age is relentless. Every year smaller, newer, sleeker, more powerful, faster and more efficient digital technologies are released into the market and teachers have the overwhelming task of keeping up. For those of you interested in spatial technologies (given you have made it to this page I am assuming that covers all readers!) here are some of the latest and greatest resources out there. The beauty of the websites below is that they are all available for free online and they all can contribute in some way to answering those ‘where’ questions that form the basis of Geography. View Full Blog Post
The basics of Google Earth
This addition to Map Blog was added on Sunday, August 14, 2011 @ 02:08 PM by Mick…and from the Google Earth blog no less. This site is a collection of pages with information to users who are new to Google Earth. You can also peruse the rest of the site for up-to-date information, tips and suggestions for using Google Earth. Definitely worth checking out if you are new to the software.
Geography Clip of the Week 11 August 2011
This addition to Map Blog was added on Tuesday, August 9, 2011 @ 09:08 PM by MickThis is primarily a blog about spatial technologies. My interest in spatial tech stems from my love of teaching geography, which gives me and my students a perspective on the world that only our great subject can give. The world really is an amazing place and I’ve finally decided to celebrate that on my blog with a regular clip showcasing our amazing world.
My only criteria is that the clip be of high quality and one that would enthral a year 9 student for few minutes on a Friday afternoon. So, with that out of the way, here is our very first Geography Clip of the Week:
A Day in California from Ryan Killackey on Vimeo.
GTAQ Conference 2011: Conceptual Diagrams
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, August 1, 2011 @ 03:08 PM by MickHi there. I had the wonderful pleasure of presenting a session at the recent Geography Teachers’ Association of Queensland 2011 conference on the use of conceptual diagrams in the classroom. The resource that I showcased was one developed with the Department of Environment and Resource Management in Queensland that contains links to the Australian Curriculum. You will find the resource on DERM’s website soon, however you can access a draft copy by clicking here.
For those who don’t know conceptual diagrams are a communication tool that can give you and your students a comprehensive overview of an ecosystem (or any geographical concept really) using a primarily visual medium. Conceptual diagrams are meant to be visually simple but they should communicate a great deal of information such as the features in the system as well as processes that are in action. The University of Maryland’s Integration and Application Network have done some great work in this field and I have summarised some of their resources here:
GTAQ Conference 2011: Hazards!
This addition to Map Blog was added on Saturday, July 30, 2011 @ 02:07 AM by MickA topic that frightens yet excites every geography teacher (go on, admit it), natural hazards and disasters have been very much in the news over the past 12 months. Hazard studies are interesting and exciting topics that always engage students.
Take some time to review the following great online and free resources for hazard studies: View Full Blog Post
Brisbane Planning Maps Online
This addition to Map Blog was added on Friday, May 27, 2011 @ 05:05 PM by MickHere is one for the Brisbane teachers out there. It is an online tool that lets you view aerial images (1946 and current), contours, land use as designated by BCC and other info such as the cadastre. Prety simple tools but they could be very useful if you are looking at urban planning or even if you wanted to check out the contour lines (0.5m if you zoom in enough) across a particular area.
You can see the area around Lang Park (Suncorp Stadium) in the image below.
Click here for the link to the map and accept the terms of the agreement to continue.
Cheap GPS May 2011
This addition to Map Blog was added on Monday, May 23, 2011 @ 02:05 PM by MickAnother set of very cheap, but great quality, GPS units available from Amazon.com. Take advantage of the strong AUD and start building your class sets!
Workshop Roundup – Victorian Mapping Site
This addition to Map Blog was added on Saturday, May 21, 2011 @ 10:05 PM by MickWell, we have been busy around here with training or workshops in Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and lovely Hervey Bay in the past three weeks. Everything is settling down now so expect more regular posting.
This is one specifically for the Victorian teachers, we covered a great resource for NSW teachers in our last post (it’s the last link in the list).
The Victorian Government land services and spatial information site has some great interactive maps. This one is pretty general but you can get property information, contours, government boundaries and, sadly for Port Phillip residents only, aerial imagery. You need to accept the disclaimer at the beginning of each session to get started.
Spatial Links 14 May 2011
This addition to Map Blog was added on Saturday, May 14, 2011 @ 09:05 PM by MickApologies for the lack of posting over the past few weeks. I’ve been all over the country running workshops – hello to those in Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane and Hervey Bay who I have seen over the past few weeks. I hope you have had a chance to play around with the tools we covered on the day!
The links this week are AMAZING! All of them. I promise. Spend a wee bit of time on each one, here they are.
