Geography All The Way: This website is designed and maintained by Rich Allaway, teacher in charge of Geography at the International School of Toulouse (IST), France. The site is designed to support the students of Geography at IST with their studies from Year 7 all the way through to IGCSE Geography and IB Geography. Through the website interface students can access projects during lessons as well as at home. The website maps out the whole IST Geography course with the addition of webpages dedicated to fieldtrips, weekly competitions and support using software such as Google Earth. The amount of resources are building at a weekly rate. Rich Allaway is more than happy to share these resources with other educators around the world.
Pupilvision
is a 600 page website full of resources for pupils and teachers of
geography. Built by Keith Phipps who is Head of geography and Head
of Year at King Edward VI Camp Hill school for Boys in Birmingham,
the site was originally built to support his pupils. Over the two
years of development the site has become a major resource. It was
given a Royal Geographical Association Award in December 2000. Keith
Phipps uses the site in all his lessons and the integration of Internet
into his teaching has led to him winning the national award of 'Teacher
of the Year' for the most creative use of ICT. The
website is 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.
GeoResources: This website is authored by David Rayner, Head of Geography at Rainham Mark Grammar School in Kent. The website started as a school resource and has now grown to include over 1000 carefully categorised links for Keystage 3, G.C.S.E. and 'AS/A2' Level. There is also a special page for teachers with links to exam boards, publishers, etc. Other sections in GeoResources provide weather data and outline maps to include in homeworks 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.
Kay's
AS & A2 Geography started life as an interactive handout listing
a few useful websites intended for Kay's A-level FE students, but
now gets hits from both teachers and students nationwide. Although
organised by WJEC specification headings, the 'quick links' on the
home page make it easy to find the bit you're after whatever the syllabus.
Includes exam tips (with a listing of command words), a reference
collection, textbook reviews and advice for those attempting to get
to grips with their geographical enquiry. The postcode trail makes
a good basis for a geographically-based first lesson in the ICT suite.
Scalloway
Geography: The author of the site, Danny McNeill, is a Geography
teacher at Scalloway Junior High School, Shetland. His website is
designed to help revision for the Scottish Qualifications Authority
exam, Standard Grade Geography. Students revising for GCSE Geography
should also find much of the content helpful. It is divided into 13
sections - Physical Landscapes, Weather, Climate, Physical Environment,
Land Use, Settlements, Farming, Industry, Population, International
Relations, Trade Aid and Self Help and a unit on Revision. Each section
has a number of short pages of text and diagrams, followed by a mixture
of interactive exercises. These encourage the student to think and
learn rather than just read. Past paper questions are arranged by
section which allow students to see the levels required in the actual
exam. Recent additions are mind maps that can be clicked and printed.
Bishop
Heber Geography: Graham Russell designed Bishop Heber Geography
Department's website to support students in all years who are studying
Geography. It is essentially a 'gateway' site, pointing them to 'good
Geography' on the web. Pages are organised into Key Stages, and there
is a 'Help with Homework' page. Students are encouraged to access
links to various websites to support work they are doing.
Geography
Virtual School: David Robinson's website provides thirteen geography
lessons. Titles include: The Structure of the Earth, Plate Tectonics,
Causes of Earthquakes, Predicting Earthquakes, Earthquake Case Study:
Klobe, Volcanoes and Volcanics, Volcanoes Case Study: Mt. St Helens,
Rock Groups, Types of Glaciers, Erosional Glacial Features, Depositional
Glacial Features and Glacier Case Study: Mer de Glace.
Internet
Geography:
An excellent website produced by Anthony Bennett for those teaching
or studying Geography. Topics covered include Environmental Problems,
Coasts, Earthquakes, Ecosystems, Glaciation, Limestone, Plate Tectonics,
Rivers, Volcanoes, Weather, National Parks, Land Use, Migration, Urbanization,
Employment Structures, Industry and Population.
The
Met Office: The Met Office provides the latest information on
the world's weather. It now also 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.
CIA
World Factbook: The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been
collecting and evaluating information on foreign countries since 1947.
Now the CIA has agreed to make this information available to the world.
Just choose a country from a menu of 262 countries and the CIA will
give you several pages (United Kingdom has eleven) of detailed information.
At the beginning you are supplied with a map and flag. The rest of
the information is listed 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.
Exploring
the Environment:
This website is being developed by Wheeling Jesuit University as part
of the NASA Classroom of the Future Project. Supported by NASA's Information
Infrastructure Technology and Applications Program, Exploring the
Environment is a series of interdisciplinary, problem-based leading
modules for students. The project enables students to address real-world
problems related to weather, population growth, biodiversity, land
use patterns, volcanoes, water pollution and global warming. Excellent
section for teachers which provides module notes and advice on planning,
facilitating and assessing.
New
Internationalist: Rivers: An impressive website that provides
detailed information on the world's five longest rivers: Nile, Amazon,
Yangtze, Ganges and the Zaire. The eco-system of each river is briefly
described. For example, we are told that the Yangtze has 700 tributaries
and one in thirteen on the planet live in its basin. This is followed
by an analysis of the dangers threatening these eco-systems. The New
Internationalists is more sympathetic to those problems caused by
culture (the ashes of 40,000 people put into the Ganges) than what
it calls "rampant industrialism" (logging campaigns in Brazil).
The website has a campaigning tone but provides a great deal of fascinating
information.
Geography
World: Geography World has been created by Brad Bowerman, an enthusiastic
geography teacher from Lakeland High School in Jermyn, Pennsylvania.
As well as creating his own material on Pennsylvania, Bowerman has
produced a directory of useful websites for geography teachers. Categories
include Ecosystems, Tectonics, Natural Resources, Earth's Surface/Erosion,
Weather/Climate, Maps & Globes, Cultures, Population, Environmental
Issues and Geography Games.
Virtual
Wildlife: Virtual Wildlife has been produced by the World Wide
Fund for Nature. Concise and lucid text is accompanied by attractive
illustrations. 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.
Global
Earthquake Response Centre: The Global Earthquake Response Centre
provides news on the latest earthquakes. The website also contains
an education section. This 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.
Volcano
World: Volcano World website is managed by the Hawaiian Volcano
Observatory. One of the services provided is a constantly updated
list on current volcanic activity. The website has an excellent section
on 'Learning about Volcanoes'. The website also has an impressive
collection of online teacher's guides and lesson plans.
The
Volcanic:
This website is funded by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency
and the National Science Foundation. Regular features include sections
on 'Current Eruptions', and 'The Volcanic Photo Gallery'. 'Volcanic
Animations' gives the user the opportunity to watch five videos and
two computer animations. There are also sections for academics and
older students including 'Online Volcanic Journal', 'Volcanic Bibliographic
Database' and 'Guide to Volcanologists on the Internet'.
The
Tornado Project: Tornado Project Online is a company that 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 material appears under several headings including:
'Recent Tornadoes', 'Tornadoes in the Past', 'Storm Chasing', ''Top
Tens About Tornadoes', 'Tornado Oddities', 'Tornado Stories', 'Tornado
Safety' and 'Myths about Tornado'.
Greenpeace:
On its home page Greenpeace tells us that it is "an independent,
campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation
to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions
which are essential to a green and peaceful future." The website
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.
National
Geographic Map Machine:
There are several websites on the Internet that provides maps. Probably
the best of these is provided by the National Geographic Magazine.
Developed in association with GeoSystems Global Corporation the 'Map
Machine Atlas' 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.
Earthquake
Kid Zone: The Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) operates
a web site 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. The earthquake
site as a whole focuses on mitigation of earthquake hazards through
preparedness planning, particularly for traffic disruptions, and mitigation,
particularly for housing. It offers maps identifying shaking, liquefaction,
and dam failure hazards focusing on the San Francisco Bay Area. ABAG
is the regional planning agency for the San Francisco Bay Area and
is owned and operated by the cities and counties in that area. ABAG's
Earthquake Program has received funding from the National Science
Foundation, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
Federal Aviation Administration, California Department of Transportation,
California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, and others.
Interactive
Atlas: Multi Media Mapping have created an interactive atlas of
Great Britain. Students find the town or village they are interested
in by clicking on a map or by typing in the name or postcode. Each
map has a scale indicator and you can zoom in and out as you please.
Once you have arrived at your destination you can get details of the
local weather and find out what the forecast is for the following
day. Other features include a list of local information sites and
interesting places to visit in the area.
Infoplease:
World Statistics: Information
Please has been producing almanac publications and reference databases
in the United States for over fifty years. This information has now
been placed on the Internet. Infoplease World Statistics enables students
to compare data from different countries. The website provide 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.
HungerWeb:
A website sponsored by the World Hunger Program and produced by Brown
University. The authors point out that the main "aim of the site
is to help prevent and eradicate hunger by facilitating the free exchange
of ideas and information regarding the causes of, and solutions to,
hunger." The information is organised under: Research, Field
Work, Advocacy & Policy and Education & Training. As well
as the World Hunger Education Service, the material is supplied by
Food First Information and Action Network and Hunger Notes, an online
journal. There is also a clear and concise introduction, explaining
the issues of hunger and malnutrition.
Cool
Planet is Oxfam's award-winning and newly redesigned site for
teachers and children. As part of Oxfam's Development Education Programme,
Cool Planet offers information and resources to encourage young people's
development as global citizens. Visit the site and find exciting and
interactive educational pages with global themes for pupils to explore,
teachers' pages packed with ideas, information, and useful links to
help bring a global perspective to your classroom. There is also an
easy-to-follow curriculum information for planning global citizenship
activities using our highly regarded 'Teachers Guide to a Curriculum
for Global Citizenship'.
GeoResources
Photo Gallery: Looking for digital photos to help with your Geography
presentation/worksheet/etc? Then try GeoResources Photo Gallery -
a growing collection of photos free for educational use. Currently
holds photos of Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Canada. New photos
are added on a regular basis. GeoResources also has a 1000 carefully
categorised links for Keystage 3, G.C.S.E. and 'AS/A2' Level, case
studies and virtual fieldwork. There are free map outlines, weather
data to download and a weekly quiz. Try the new GeoResources Photo
Competition and win a prize.
Slemish
College Geography Department: In the Slemish College Geography
department there are 4 main aims. (1) Make learning about our world
fun; (2) Use 'Effective Learning' strategies developing Thinking skills
and using Learning styles; (3) Take students on one fieldwork event
every year; (4) Use ICT and computers to enhance our students learning.
This website tries to encourage aspects of all of these. Students
use the site for finding out information (through the use of the website
library). In fact some recent homework activities were put online
and children could access the homework and helpful information to
help them on the site. GCSE Geography students can look at Powerpoint
Presentations that they would have been shown in class and can look
at their syllabus and coursework guides and information. A Level students
can look at their course notes and activities, as well as following
links to Fieldwork booklets and information.
US
Geological Survey: Volcanoes: The US Geological Survey website
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.
Ask
an Earth Scientist: The Department of Geology & Geophysics
at the University of Hawaii, has produced an excellent Ask an Earth
Scientist website. Questions and answers are listed under the following
subjects: Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Seismology, Environment &
Hydrology, Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks, Igneous Rocks &
Minerals and Natural Hazards.
San
Francisco Earthquake: The Museum of the City of San Francisco
website provides several online exhibitions. This includes a detailed
account of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Sections include
Timeline, Newspaper Clippings, Eyewitness Accounts, San Francisco
Fire Department Report, Police Department Report, Map of the Earthquake,
Seismograph Readings, Engineering and Scientific Reports, Relief &
Recovery Efforts and Photographs of the 1906 Disaster.
Atapedia:
Atlapedia Online contains full colour physical and political maps
as well as key facts and statistics on countries of the world. The
Countries A to Z section, provides facts, figures and statistical
data on geography, climate, people, religion, language, history, economy
& more. The World Maps section, provides full colour physical
and political maps for regions of the world. There is also a Resources
section that contains
additional school or homework material for Teachers & Students.
Geography
Pages: A Secondary
Geography website produced by a teacher from Norfolk. Has over 800
external links: most of them with a brief review, and organised into
logical Key Stage 3, GCSE, AS & A2 areas. The website also has
a Top Ten, and details on a research project currently being undertaken
by the website author. Feel free to download the questionnaire and
send it back - further details in the BPRS section of the site. There
are lesson plans, lecture notes and digital images of coastal fieldwork
on the Norfolk coast. An ever expanding site, with regular updates.
GeoExplorer:
This website has been produced by Gavin Richards, a former head of
Geography at Maiden Beech School Somerset, now a freelance author
and educational consultant specializing in Geography and ICT. GeoExplorer
started as an INSET resource and has gradually developed into its
present form. There are over 800 pages providing access to free geography
resources, including revision sheets, photos, virtual fieldwork, outline
maps, and over 1200 geography links to many web resources to support
students and teachers of geography or those simply with a general
interest in geography. The author has an interest in photography and
develops innovative ways of presenting geographical photos. The VR
Geography section allows students to visit and interact with different
environments around the world, there is even the opportunity to become
a virtual geologist!
All
About Rainforests: Rainforests are very dense, warm, wet forests
and are havens for millions of plants and animals. Rainforests are
extremely important in the ecology of the Earth. The plants of the
rainforest generate much of the Earth's oxygen. These plants are also
very important to people in other ways; many are used in new drugs
that fight disease and illness. This website provides a good overview
of the subject. It also includes an illustrated glossary and a list
of rainforest links.
Essential
Guide to Rocks: An outstanding website on rocks in Britain. This
includes Britain's Rocky Past a spectacular animation and interactive
timeline featuring 4600 million years of continental drift, fossil
life and rocks. There are also ten virtual walks around Great Britain
that provides the student with the opportunity to discover the rocks
of our urban landscape.
NFU
Farm Studies: A series of eight farm case studies. They all include
detailed information, farm data, photographs, maps and other graphics.
All types of farming are covered from different areas of Scotland
and England. They are viewed from the perspective of the farmer and
focus particularly on the management of the farm for wildlife and
amenity. All the materials are available in Portable Document Format
and are designed to be printed out for use in the classroom.
Global
Gang: Developed by Christian Aid, the Global Gang website has
been created to help teachers to bring global issues into the classroom.
The site is designed for children aged between 8 and 12 and has plenty
to appeal to this age group, including pet pictures which children
have sent in. Other sections include Real Life, Global Gossip, Games,
On the Ball and What's Up. Planet Teacher, has notes for teachers
on topics such as healthy living (including a feature on clean water
in Kenya), and 'chocolate can be good for you' (all about Fair Trade
issues).
Ordnance
Survey: The education department of the Ordnance Survey organisation
has a new website to support learning at all levels from Primary to
Higher Education. There is a selection of free on-line and downloadable
resources, including historical maps. There are also ideas for using
maps in the classroom. The Understand Mapping pages include a glossary
of map reading terms, a guide to GIS (geographical information systems)
and help with developing map-reading skills.
n2geo
is a nonprofit educational organization inspiring people to learn
about the world. The website focuses on geography and world culture
and has an extensive 1,000+ page world resource section called n2countries.
The organization is producing a first-ever expedition to every country
in the world, and will be providing lots of video, audio, and rich
media that will be useful as a learning tool. Visit the site to see
how you can get involved with this historic expedition.
My
Environment Newsletter: This new weekly newsletter provides
information pertinent to environmental protection from the perspective
of technology. The newsletter contains information on the most recent
changes, achievements, problems, etc. in the environmental protection
field. The website also gives access to a forum where environmental
subjects and technology are discussed.
Adventure
Learning Foundation: This 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 travelers 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.
George
Monbiot is the author of Captive State, and the investigative
travel books Poisoned Arrows, Amazon Watershed and No
Man's Land. He also writes a weekly column for the Guardian
newspaper. In 1995 Nelson Mandela presented him with a United Nations
Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. A large
collection of his thought-provoking articles can be found on his website
and would make good starting points for lessons on political and environmental
issues.
Encyclopedia
of the Sustainable Development: This excellent website has been
developed by the Atmosphere, Climate & Environment Information
Progamme, and is supported by the Department for Environment, Food
& Rural Affairs. The Encyclopedia is a one-stop source of information
on sustainable development.
Geography
Open Directory: The Open Directory follows in the footsteps of
some of the most important contributor projects of the 20th century.
Just as the Oxford English Dictionary became the definitive word on
words through the efforts of a volunteers, the Open Directory follows
in its footsteps to become the 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. Its directory on
Geography contains 1,059 websites: Cartography (89), Dictionaries
(4), Education (100), Geographic Information Systems (632), Geomatics
(883), Human Geography (63), Navigation (65), Organizations (21),
Physical Geography (21), Place Names (56), Publications (13) and Regional
Planning (378).
European
WebQuest: A collection of WebQuests on European issues. Subjects
include Europa (Janet Spalding), Western Europe Geography (Debbie
Joy & Brenda Tomlinson), Travelling in Europe (Gayle Mitchell
& Sandra Ellis), Travelling in Western Europe (Reanne Gruhn),
The Best Way to See Europe (Patricia Dube) and EuroQuest (Shannon
Hemmingson).
Inside
World is a collection of country and region websites providing
local news and information to a worldwide audience. Inside World’s
headlines are available on this site and you can read about the latest
stories online or you could sign up to receive a free daily e-mail
with current affairs, business, economy, politics and more for the
countries you select. Inside
World publishes a growing number of Country Portals. Each portal providing
site visitors a comprehensive overview of websites currently online
for the country of your choice.
Database
Europe is the product of an extracurricular project at a German
grammar school, the Albert-Schweitzer-Gymnasium Erlangen. It is being
compiled by students and teachers to enable non-computer geeks to
make use of the vast amount of information on the internet without
getting lost and tangled in its web. Database Europe concentrates
on geographical, economic, political and cultural information as this
kind of data undergoes permanent change, which is why teachers and
students often lack up-to-date material.
European
Quizzes: As part of the Spring Europe Project a collection of
quizzes can be found on Reinhard Bock's website. Countries covered
include Austria, Belgium, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Romania, Spain,
Sweden and Turkey.
Country
Profiles: This 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.
Geography
in Action: This website has sections on sand dune ecosystems,
the urban structure of Belfast, the ethnic geography of Belfast and
landscapes of Northern Ireland (including peat bogs and deciduous
woodland). There is a geographical issue section with, at present,
one based on aquaculture in the west of Ireland. There are a number
of geographical images available as well. A section on vernacular
rural housing may have a more specialised user base, but the remainder
is, I hope, accessible to and useful for teachers of geography and
pupils of geography from KS3 to Post-16.
Reclaiming
the Everglades includes a rich diversity of unique or rare materials:
personal correspondence, essays, typescripts, reports and memos; photographs,
maps and postcards; and publications from individuals and the government.
Major topics and issues illustrated include the establishment of the
Everglades National Park; the growth of the modern conservation movement
and its institutions, including the National Audubon Society; the
evolving role of women on the political stage; the treatment of Native
Americans; rights of individual citizens or private corporations vs.
the public interest; and accountability of government as trustees
of public resources, whether for the purposes of development, reclamation,
or environmental protection. The materials in this online compilation
are drawn from sixteen physical collections housed in the archives
and special collections of the University of Miami, Florida International
University and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
Geography
Pages: A large site featuring Geography resources, images and
classified weblinks for Key Stage 3, GCSE and 'A' level, plus some
Primary and SEN materials. Contains the details of a research project
carried out on the use of the Internet by Geography teachers. Updated
weekly, and produced by a teacher from Norfolk, UK. Recently, for
example, had a section on the East Coast Floods of 1953. Also has
a Panic button for his students to press if they get stuck on their
work!
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.
Alabama
Maps is an ongoing project of the Cartographic Research Laboratory,
which operates under the auspices of the College of Arts and Sciences
at the University of Alabama. The Cartographic Research Laboratory
has been creating computer generated maps since the early 1990's.
Its 3540 digitized maps offers a valuable resource for persons doing
research on the history of Alabama. The historical maps of Alabama
are divided into time periods ranging from 1803 to 1942, and can be
enlarged to focus in on areas of interest.
Spring
Europe Quizzes: Kim Neale of Abraham Darby School has created
a series of activities on the subject of Europe. This includes Trivia
Quizzes, Do you want to be a Millionaire? Hangman, Matching Exercises,
Challenge Board and Wordsearches.
First
School Years: Elementary Geography: The worksheets and resources
on this site are targeted primarily at Key Stage 1 ( 5 - 7 year olds).
Some may also be suitable for children in Early Years or lower Key
Stage 2. The printables are in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format.
The Geography section includes materials on Mapping Skills, Weather,
Around the World, Homes, Local Area and Jobs.
Weather
Online: Whether you want a quick-look forecast for your outdoor
events, or an appreciation of the many complex charts used to produce
these forecasts, Weather Online is an excellent source. The website
has hundreds of model output charts, displaying everything from Pressure
Patterns to Lifted Indices. Many of these are of a technical nature,
but are accompanied by complete descriptions allowing the user to
analyze and understand these plots in no time. Furthering the educational
theme of Weather Online are its weather features, which are updated
weekly. Weather Online amassing a huge number of these features, exploring
and explaining the many weather phenomena we see on our planet.
Country
Studies: This website contains the 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.
CREATE:
The Centre for Research, Education and Training in Energy is a not
for profit education organisation promoting 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.
USA
Information: This website has been produced by the United States
Department of State for foreign audiences seeking information about
American society. The material is organized under the following headings:
Facts, Geography & Travel, Economy & Trade, Government &
Politics, Laws & Treaties, Media, Education, Arts & Culture,
Information Technology and Civil Rights.
Geography
in the News: This 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. Updated regularly,
this dynamic and expanding website covers contemporary issues relevant
to GCSE and A level geography curricula that feature in the news.
Since launching in April major topics have included London's controversial
congestion charge, the perennial problem of flooding in the UK and
the facts and fables surrounding international migration. A wealth
of downloadable resources is available including, video clips, maps,
student activity sheets and teachers' notes. Users are able to interact
with the site in a number of ways. 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.
Newfoundland
and Labrador: The heritage of Newfoundland and Labrador is the
result of a unique combination of geographical and historical forces.
Located on the northeastern corner of North America, the province
is closer to Europe than any other part of the continent. It was perhaps
the first part of the New World to be explored by Europeans. Firm
archaeological evidence has shown that Norse voyagers reached Newfoundland
and Labrador around 1000 C.E. There are also strong indications that
Newfoundland was the site of John Cabot's landfall during his first
voyage to North America in 1497. This website provides information
of this area under the following headings: Natural Environment, Aboriginal
Peoples, Society, Economy & Culture, Exploration & Settlement,
The Arts, Government & Politics, Facts & Figures and Maps.
Mapsarea:
This website provides a portal of world maps and atlases. On the front
page there are links to some of the best map websites available on
the web. This includes National Geographic Society's Map Machine Atlas
and the University of Texas' map library collection. The site also
features a keyword search engine. In addition to maps, there are links
to map companies, map magazines and forums, and a large list of historical
map resources.
WorldAtlas:
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.
Milking
It: This Cool Planet Oxfam website focuses on world trade and
globalisation. It deals with issues such as international trade and
unfair trade, and how these can affect the lives of dairy farmers
in very different countries. This includes the case-studies of two
farmers from Jamaica and Wales. The website also includes differentiated
activities and interactive quizzes.
Slamnet:
A collection of geography Powerpoint presentations for primary school
students produced by teachers in Suffolk schools. Titles include:
Homes across the World (Jackie Derbyshire, Sally Rose, Martine Sills),
What do we know about where we live? (Amy Gray), "Handa's Surprise",
"A Walk Around the Farm (Becky Flint and Jo Smith), Geography
Through the Window (Sarah-Jane Sharman) and How has the seaside changed?
(Aileen Bale).
Sligo's
Coastline: "From
Skerrydoo to Carrickfadda, a Study of Sligo's Coastline" is a
schools heritage and ICT project, which seeks to promote high levels
of awareness and understanding of seashore heritage amongst participants.
The project ran in 12 County Sligo primary schools from October 2001
to May 2002 and is an extension of 'Exploring the Field Fences of
County Sligo', a Schools Integration Project (SIP). Over 300 students
participated in the project which was coordinated and supported by
staff from Sligo Education Centre and The Heritage Office, Sligo County
Council. Students studied a number of topics relating to their local
shoreline including animals, habitats and plants, geology, history
and folklore, and man and the sea. The website which summarises the
work done by the students will prove a valuable resource for teachers
involved in a similar project. Most important of all the project can
serve as a model for schools in any coastline community who wish to
use ICT creatively in a heritage project.
Global
Teenager Project: 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.
Moving
Here is the ultimate database of digitised photographs, maps,
objects, documents and audio items recording migration experiences
of the past 200 years. The Exhibition section allows you to sample
the in-depth resources on Caribbean, Irish, Jewish and South Asian
migration. The Tracing Your Roots gallery will guide you through the
many different ways you can find out when and how your family first
came to England and where they settled. Collected together here for
the first time are documents, photographs, sound and film clips selected
by curators and researchers at archives and museums all over England.
These incredible fragments of history are presented by specialist
writers and historians and available for you to download.
Wildlife
Interest Group: The American Society of International Law's Wildlife
Interest Group website seeks to provide educational resources on the
role of international law in protecting endangered wildlife species.
These resources include the following: (1) The full text of hundreds
of wildlife treaties and declarations; (2) The full text of hundreds
of pieces of national legislation and regulations from virtually every
continent; (3) The most comprehensive set of links on the Internet
on wildlife science, law and policy issues; (4) A list of over 100
environmental law and policy journals; (5) A series of research of
bibliographies on species-specific issues, beginning with whales,
dolphins, and porpoises.
Geosense
is an online, one-two player geography based game. You compete against
an online opponent to place a city on a world map as quickly and accurately
as you can. It plays in realtime with a built-in chat. It is fast
paced and tends to keep kids interested while being educational. There
are no ads, banners, fees, etc.
Global
Wise: WaterAid is a charity 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.
Newcastle
upon Tyne: This website takes the form of a residential areas
case study for Newcastle upon Tyne. Surfers can locate the five selected
areas using an interactive map and are encouraged to research the
areas using external links to maps, air photos, council data and ward-based
national statistics. Each area has a webpage including photos, background
information and dedicated links. This website can be used with any
specification including urban patterns of growth and decline at a
local scale and policies to improve and regenerate urban areas.
Zoom:
From June until the end of November this year, primary school and
kindergarten children all over Europe are collecting Green Footprints
for a symbolic journey to the UN Climate Conference in Milan during
December 2003. Zoom invites them to carry out an activity week dedicated
to sustainable mobility and climate change, focusing on the fun of
movement and independent mobility. By zooming to school on foot, bikes
or scooters, the kids discover their daily journeys and experience
how this helps to treat the world's climate with care. For each journey
they make using a sustainable means of transport, they receive one
Green Footprint. Zoom aims that together the children of Europe will
collect enough Green Footprints, each representing one kilometre,
to make a symbolic journey, taking them 28,029 km from the EU headquarters
based in Brussels, to Kyoto in Japan, where the climate protocol was
adopted, and then to Milan, where the next UN Climate Conference is
taking place in December.
Climate
Prediction: Climate change, and our response to it, are issues
of global importance, affecting food production, water resources,
ecosystems, energy demand, insurance costs and much else. There is
a broad scientific consensus that the Earth is likely to warm over
the coming century, but estimates of how much vary hugely. This website
has been developed to allow a state-of-the-art climate prediction
model to be run on home/school/work computers. By taking part in this
experiment you can help to improve scientific forecasts of 21st century
climate.
From
Skerrydoo to Carrickfadda: This study of Sligo's Coastline is
a heritage and ICT project involving more than 300 pupils from 12
primary schools in County Sligo, Ireland. The children learned about
the flora and fauna of their area, conservation and pollution issues,
stories and folklore of the sea and the importance of the sea in the
local economy. Pupils also learned to use ICT as a presentation and
research tool. The project website is now also a resource for teachers
and can be a model for schools in other coastline communities wanting
to use ICT creatively in a heritage project. In awarding the Irish
project first prize, the judges of the European eLearning Awards,
said that the "project served as a great inspiration and source
of ideas that may be replicated".
Learning
Science Through Play: This website shows various science projects
made by 2- 5 year old children. Daily life at the Iðavöllur
Kindergarten in Iceland revolves around play, activities, work and
cooperation which works towards giving the children the opportunity
to learn, to discover themselves and to explore their boundaries,
both on their own and also with the help of others. Teachers at this
kindergarten consider education and development as integral and therefore,
when they work on projects they try to bring together as many aspects
of the curriculum as possible, together with the development of the
person.
Global
Mappings: This interactive website, Global Mappings: A Political
Atlas of the African Diaspora, demonstrates linkages between transnational
black politics, social movements and world historical events of the
20th century. The website is the culmination of a two-and-a-half-year
partnership between faculty, graduate students and technical staff
at Northwestern University. Certain software is necessary to view
the site. Most important is a current version of the Macromedia Flash
player.
Isle
of Skye: The Skye Museum of Island Life is a group of seven thatched
cottages exhibiting life on the Isle of Skye in former times. The
exhibits relate mainly to the village life of ordinary people, but
there are also items connected with the crofter rebellions in the
nineteenth century, items used by Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora
MacDonald, weapons from the age of clan warfare, and even Stone Age
axeheads used by Skye's earliest inhabitants. The websites take
you on a tour through the museum in words and pictures.
Valuing
Places is a CPD-led curriculum development project to explore
how our teaching about places at key stages 2 and 3 can develop pupils’
understandings of global interconnections. From October 2003 to December
2005, groups of teachers will be planning and evaluating classroom
activities, and the GA is seeking Regional Co-ordinators to support
these groups. The project regions are North-East, North-West, East
Midlands, West Midlands, South-East, East Anglia, South-West and London.
There will also be an inclusion group, offering special school colleagues
the opportunity to explore significant place-based issues appropriate
to their settings. An honorarium of £200 per day plus expenses
is available, and there is a small budget to support each region’s
work. Towards the end of the project each region will be asked to
hold a continuing professional development session, funded by the
project, for local colleagues.
British
Geological Survey: This section of the British Geological Survey
site provides information on geological topics aimed at schools and
the general public. This includes: Fossil Focus (facts about the major
groups of animals commonly found as fossils), Holiday Geology Guides
(an introduction to the geology of some classic sites and to the building
and ornamental stones used in some of our most historic buildings),
Rocks in Your Eyes (Jane Robb's personal account of some of her geological
experiences) and Soufrière Hills Volcano (an account of the
Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat
that began erupting in 1995).
Geological
Timechart ( reference material setting out the geological timescale
and geochronological terms used by the British Geological Survey)
. The BGS Geological Timechart aims to provide colourful reference
material for use in schools, colleges and the home, setting out the
geological timescale and geochronological terms used by the British
Geological Survey.
Virtual
Geology: Rocks form the Earth's hard outer layer or crust. They
are a mixture of different minerals such as quartz, calcite, feldspar
and olivine. Although there are hundreds of different kinds of rocks,
they fall into just three main groups : igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
This simple grouping is based on how the rocks formed. The Virtual
Geology Menu so far includes Igneous Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks and
Sedimentary Rocks.
Geographical
Association: The GA website has been redesigned to make it more
attractive and easier to navigate. The GA website incorporates teaching
advice, professional development opportunities and valuable online
resource materials. The resources index covers each phase of education.
There is also information on projects and a forums section. Two new
features include Geography in the News and Unlocking the Archives.
These sections draw on contemporary research and the Society's heritage
resources.
GeoResources has now
made available a Baseline Assessment Pack for Year 7 Geography pupils.
The author, David Rayner, is a full time Head of Geography at a secondary
school in Kent and has written and trialled the pack in his own school.
It is already being used in around 60 schools across the country and
has received a lot of praise from geography teachers, senior management
and OFSTED. The pack provides a wide range of options so that schools
can choose what suits them best. All sheets are photocopiable and
can be marked relatively quickly (answer sheets and overlays are provided).
There is the option of converting the assessment scores into a National
Curriculum Level for those teachers that wish to use it. Further details
and an order form are available from the GeoResources website.
EPSA:
The European Primary Schools Association (EPSA) was created by four
primary school teachers, (2 UK, 1 Italy, 1 Netherlands). The association's
website provides free resources, ideas and information for any primary
school teaching about Europe. There is a large selection of maps,
flags, crests, and other images to download, including outline masters.
There is a large section giving details about how to make links in
Europe - and what to do once the links have been created. There are
also some outline details of primary level education across Europe.
Geography
Department: The
site is published by the author, R. Prutton who is Head of Geography
at The Wrotham School in Kent. The site is primarily run as a resource
bank for the pupils (Key Stage 3 - 5), but now contains many resources
that teachers can use, the powerpoint presentations are constantly
being added. The photo gallery makes fieldwork images easy for pupil
access. The site is being updated every month and is starting to have
worksheets and paper based resources added to it. So visit it regularly
for updates. Teachers are encouraged to send the website resources
for publication.
Pick
A Trail: The Wilderness Society was established in America in
1935. The organization campaigned for a Wilderness Act. Passed by
Congress in 1964 it set aside selected areas in the "national
forests, national parks, national wildlife refuges, and other federal
lands as units to be kept permanently unchanged by humans; no roads,
no structures, no vehicles, no significant impacts of any kind".
The Wilderness Society has now developed a Pick
a Trail website. It offers general information about backpacking and
hiking in the United States and different trails in other countries,
such as the United Kingdom. Information on each trail includes a brief
sketch of the host country, including basic climatic information,
local topography, and the type of terrain that each trail traverses.
ENO-Environment
Online is a global web school for environmental awareness. Four
environmental themes (dimensions of sustainable development) are studied
within a school year (Social, Natural, Cultural Environment and a
sustainable way of living ) on a weekly basis. ENO Program is a strong
and active network of schools. It has been running since 2000 and
it is administrated by the city of Joensuu, Finland. The main idea
is to lay emphasis on local environment and see it in a global aspect.
Information is gathered from local communities and shared together
in the website. At the end of each theme there is a campaign week
when students share their results and raise them up in their local
communities.
InsideWorld
is a collection of country and region web sites providing local news
and information to a worldwide audience. You can also use the site
to access the latest stories. InsideWorld provides country background
information for many countries and regions. Information covers topics
like economy, government, demographics, geography and more. You can
also sign up to receive a free daily e-mail with news about the countries
you select.
Country
Portals: InsideCountries features a growing number of country
portal sites. These portals are designed to give you a comprehensive
overview of the websites available for that specific country. Covered
topics include: business, news, travel, education, government, and
much more.
Online
Atlas: This website
provides a choice of physical or political maps of each part of the
world, which may be selected by clicking on the appropriate continent.
It is possible to zoom in further to an individual country or region
for a more detailed map. The reference section provides a set of online
specialist maps covering world history, volcanoes, time zones and
aerial images.
World
Atlas: This website is organized into six channels: Plan A Trip,
Map & Travel Store, Explore with Maps, Get Directions, Learn &
Play, and Business Solutions. It also includes a free online atlas.
It covers seven continents, twelve regions, 190 countries, and 50
US States, including maps, flags, and statistics. You explore these
maps by clicking on one of two globes: Political World Atlas and Physical
World Atlas.
SchoolNet
Global: This project started in 1998. Since then over half a million
young people, aged 4 to 18 have been involved. Many have recorded
their thoughts and feelings about life in the 21st Century, on over
54,000 web pages. They write about their own lives, homes, interests,
wild ideas, hopes and dreams and how they will make the world a better
place.
NationMaster:
Luke Metcalfe admits that the idea for NationMaster arose as he was
surfing around the CIA World Factbook. As he points out: "It's
a great read but I felt the individual figures (like number of TV's,
or kilometres of coastline) didn't mean much on their own. They'd
be more illuminating if they were placed alongside other countries
and shown relative to population. So I decided to put together a website
that allowed users to generate graphs based on numerical data extracted
from the Factbook." Metcalfe's objective is to make it easy to
engage with the indicators that shape global commerce, health, politics
and ecology.
Learn
Geography: A collection of online geography tests for secondary
school students. Subjects covered include Flood Disaster, Earthquakes
& Volcanoes, People Everywhere, Exploring England, Environmental
Geography, Geography Skills, Rivers, Coastal Environments, Investigating
Brazil, Limestone Landscapes, Weather Patterns, Shopping, Crime and
the Local Community, Development, Mining, Tourism and Globalisation.
National
Geographic: Since its inception in July 1996, National Geographic
magazine’s award-winning online edition has provided visitors
with exciting exclusives that bring the intriguing stories of National
Geographic magazine right to your desktop. Each online feature includes
a Web-exclusive photo gallery and a full bibliography and list of
related Web sites provided by the National Geographic Research Division.
The “On Assignment” features allow visitors to step into
the world of National Geographic writers and photographers as they
share their best, worst and quirkiest adventures encountered in the
field. Multi-media “Sights & Sounds” presentations,
animation, video, audio clips, photo galleries and exclusive printable
maps allow visitors to go even deeper into the story. Online forums
invite users to speak their minds on hot topics and global issues
plucked from the pages of the magazine. The National Geographic magazine
collectors’ editions also include educational, interactive features
such as a hieroglyphic translator in the “Treasures of Egypt”
site and an “Exploring Space” trivia game. Archives of the
past eight years of the online edition and “Flashback” vintage
images are also available.
Global
Witness: In 2002 Global Witness was nominated for the Nobel Peace
Prize. The organization campaigns to achieve real change by challenging
established thinking on seemingly intractable global issues. We work
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. There are a wide range of reports available on the
website including Time For Transparency (coming clean on oil, mining
and gas revenues), A Conflict Of Interest (an uncertain future of
Burma's forests), For a Few Dollars More (how al Qaeda moved into
the diamond trade), The Usual Suspects (how the Liberian Government
supports arms trafficking and mercenary activities in west Africa),
Logging Off (how the Liberian timber industry fuels Liberia's humanitarian
disaster and threatens Sierra Leone), All the Presidents Men (the
devastating story of oil and banking in Angola's privatised war) and
Deforestation Without Limits (how the Cambodian government failed
to tackle the untouchables).
Zoom:
From June until November
2003, children aged 4-10 years old from all over Europe are asked
to make a symbolic journey to the Ninth Climate Change Conference
in Milan. For one week they explore their daily journeys through fun
and movement, and learn about sustainable mobility through play. More
than 80,000 children from all over Europe collected half a million
Green Footprints to protect the global climate as part of the Zoom
campaign. ‘Zoom – Kids on the Move to Milan’ brought
together children from fifteen countries, who collected a total of
544,008 Green Footprints to protect the global climate. A Green Footprint
was awarded for each journey made using a sustainable means of transport
– on foot, by bike and scooter, or by bus or rail. Zoom is financially
supported by the European Commission's Directorate General for the
Environment.
Our
Own Voice: Launched in March 2000 as a 3-year project jointly
implemented by Plan Haiti, Radio Nederland Training Centre (RNTC)
and the Panos Institute. "Our Own Voice" is a component
of a wider programme, of Plan entitled "Child Rights and Participatory
Media in Civil Society," which currently involves children from
El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua. Through this programme,
groups of child journalists in various local communities produce regular
radio magazines, which are being broadcast through local radio. Children
are trained as reporters and assisted in their covering events of
interest to community development or child rights. They are further
expected to carry out awareness campaigns on child rights issues and
produce comic books and posters.
Wildlife
& Countryside Services: This organization provides a wide
range of products & services on a wildlife, gardening and education
theme, including: environmental education services; advice on school
nature areas and nature studies; wildlife garden & pond construction;
supply of native UK wildflowers, shrubs, trees, seeds & bulbs;
nestboxes; free e-mail advice; links to lots of other wildlife, conservation
and eco-friendly web sites. Whether you want help with an existing
project, or help and advice with a new one, Wildlife & Countryside
Services will do what it can to help.
Migration:
Rates of migration vary widely between regions. Rural districts in
the north-east gained around 800 people in 2001-02, while their counterparts
in the south-west gained 29,500 new residents. Net migration from
urban to rural districts is estimated at 115,400 people in the 12
months to June 2002, and the overall trend towards rural life has
been taking place for the last 15 years. Fourteen million people (28.5%
of the population) now live in England's rural areas. This is causing
housing problems. In 2003, 37% of the rural population spent more
than half their income on mortgage payments, compared with 26% of
urban residents. However, for many people living in rural areas, buying
a house on their low income is out of the question.
Exploring
the Environment: This website is being developed by Wheeling Jesuit
University as part of the NASA Classroom of the Future Project. Supported
by NASA's Information Infrastructure Technology and Applications Program,
Exploring the Environment is a series of interdisciplinary, problem-based
leading modules for students. The project enables students to address
real-world problems related to weather, population growth, biodiversity,
land use patterns, volcanoes, water pollution and global warming.
Excellent section for teachers which provides module notes and advice
on planning, facilitating and assessing.
Do you
want to have your website listed in our web directory? If so, send
a brief description (about 150 words) and the URL to spartacus@pavilion.co.uk.
