Category: geography
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Large hail damages car windows and Tinseltown Theater in Oklahoma City today
This afternoon my son and I attempted to see the movie “Ironman 2” at Tinseltown Theater in Oklahoma City, but were interrupted by a severe thunderstorm which dumped large, damaging hail on the area around the theater, including my car. After having to evacuate the theater because of roof damage which led to leaks and…
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Creating Immersive Learning Environments with Mixed Media by David Jakes #pbtechconf
These are my notes from David Jakes’ presentation “Creating Immersive Learning Environments with Mixed Media” at the 12th annual Palm Beach County Schools Technology Conference. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. Official session description is: This session provides participants with an understanding of how to design interactive and immersive learning environments by blending…
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How measurements in Google Earth can support math learning (Why We Need Pi)
Yesterday in week 8 of my “Technology 4 Teachers” class at the University of Central Oklahoma we focused on GeoApps, or Geographic Applications. The overview for yesterday’s class was: GeoApps are applications which permit learners to connect concepts to geography. Google Maps is a browser-based Geo-application environment, and Google Earth is a software-based GeoApp. We’ll…
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Learning about Xinjiang, Urumqui, and China’s Uygur People
Matthew Teague’s December 2009 National Geographic article, “The Other Tibet,” should be considered must-reading for anyone interested in understanding modern China. In my November 5, 2009 podcast, “Reflections on Social Media, School Change, 21st Century Learning Skills, and China” I addressed some of the recent challenges the Chinese government has faced in maintaining tight control…
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Oklahoma Bears, Tar Pits, Mountains, Girls Circles, and Marriages of 70+ years
Cross-posted to the Storychasers blog. This week Oklahoma educators participated in our 29th “Celebrate Oklahoma Voices” workshop since 2008, and created some fantastic digital stories about the history, geography, and people of our great state. Did you know Oklahoma is home to a growing black bear population and just had its first open hunting season…
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Designing for Learning: Engaging Students and Teachers from the Arctic to Australia by Aaron Doering
These are my notes from Aaron Doering’s presentation, “Designing for Learning: Engaging Students and Teachers from the Arctic to Australia” at the 21st Century Learning @ the West Lake Expo held Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2009 at Xi Hu, China, also known as West Lake. West Lake is in the center of Hangzhou, China,…
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Web3D virtual reality-based informal learning by Li Yi and Xiuping Ren
These are my notes from Li Yi and Xiuping Ren’s presentation “Web3D virtual reality-based informal learning” at the 21st Century Learning @ the West Lake Expo held Oct 31 – Nov 3, 2009 at Xi Hu, China, also known as West Lake. West Lake is in the center of Hangzhou, China, which is about an…
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Global Awareness, Community Service and Classroom Project Ideas
It is very important we help students in our classrooms develop deeper, broader, authentic world views through the information we share and collaborative activities in which we engage together during and after class. It is also critical we help students develop values like respect, empathy, and compassion. Learning is most powerful when it is experiential…
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In Praise of Outdoor School, Ed Holzberger, Classen SAS and Oklahoma City Public Schools
This past Wednesday, my 11 year old son and I were on a three mile hike in the Arbuckle Mountains of south-central Oklahoma, heading to “three falls” about a mile from from Camp Classen. I turned to him and said, “Wow, isn’t this amazing? Just think, you could be sitting in school today, and here…
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Considering Somalia’s Situation: Rated as the #1 Failed State
The September 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine features an article on page 70 titled, “Somalia: The Number One Failed Nation.” According to the English Wikipedia, the term “failed state” is: …often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of…