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For 22 years, teachers and administrators, technology experts and industry leaders, students and parents from across the United States have gathered to collaborate, learn, and share innovative uses of geospatial tools and technology across the curriculum.

Join us March 4, 5, and 6, 2010, at the GeoTech 22nd annual "Technology in Education" Conference!

I knew that this day would come. I have been putting it off, ignoring it, pretending it wouldn't happen. I thought perhaps that if I didn't think about it, I wouldn't have to face reality. Sure, there were gentle reminders, the whispering in my ear that the clock was ticking. I brushed them aside, thinking "It's only October, it's only November, it's only..." But now the time has come.

It is time to write a blog about badgers.

Yes, badgers.

The gentle reminders? The ticking clock? Did you really think they were referring to the end of my internship? The reality is that I made a promise to my cousin Noah over a year ago, just as I began thinking about applying for this internship, that if I indeed went to work for National Geographic, I would write an article about badgers for him. He is a badger-fanatic, and feels that these furry guys just don't get enough press. I assured him that I if the opportunity presented itself, (not thinking it ever would) I would most surely write something about Meles meles.

Badger Victory #1: I got the internship.
Badger Set-Back #1: I was assigned to the Education Programs. "Sorry, Noah. Didn't get placed in the Magazine. Doesn't look like I'll be writing anything any time soon."
Badger Victory #2: The My Wonderful World blog. "Noah! I get to write for an NG blog! Badgers here we come!"
Badger Set-Back #2: I know absolutely nothing about badgers.

In the spirit of the holidays and the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, I am combining the two for this Five for Friday post- five ways to make your White Christmas green. Or, for those of you who live in warmer climes, five ways to make your Green Christmas greener.

1. Buy a re-plantable Christmas tree: I'd never heard of such a thing until fellow intern and green-queen extraordinaire Hilary told me her family does this every year. Although very few places in the United States actually market it, the idea is simple: Buy an evergreen with its root ball still attached, enjoy it for the holiday season; then return in to the nursery, plant it in your backyard, or donate it to a local park! Swanson's in Seattle, Washington is one such nursery that will take back the tree and re-plant it in Pipers Creek, a salmon habitat that needs conifers and other trees to maintain a healthy stream for the fish.

Another organization in the Pacific Northwest calls itself the "Original Living Christmas Tree Company." They pick up trees and replant them in watersheds all over the Northwest. They also have great tips on other ways to get a living Christmas tree if you don't live in the Portland, Oregon area.

Whatever kind of tree you buy, make sure it's real! According to the Environmental News Network, real trees are better for the environment than fake plastic ones. Check out the full story to read more.

2. Wrap gifts in recycled paper: My mother is the master of recycling wrapping paper (and ribbons) year after year. In fact, we have an entire closet in our house dedicated to wrapping materials, most of which have been used and re-used many times. Newspaper makes excellent (and often nicely-sized!) wrapping paper, especially if you use the Comics and other colored or graphic sections. Here at National Geographic, the Maps department frequently gives away old, rejected, or torn maps; I've been digging through the pile all semester, and plan to wrap all of my gifts this year in them! Ribbons and bows are also very easy to re-use. Grab a bag and see how many streamers, bows, and other gift-garnishes you can collect this year. You'll be surprised how fast your pile grows!

The holidays are a great time to explore the geography of a new travel destination, rediscover the geography of your local community, or take part in fun geography crafts and games at home. Try to plan at least one geography-themed family activity over the holidays. Here are a few ideas:

1) Play a geography trivia or board game like Brain Quest, World Wise, or Passport to Culture

2) If traveling, let the kids play navigator and program the GPS device. Or, go old-school and chart your route on a map.

3) Bake a cake or sheet of gingerbread. Using candy and icing, decorate it with a map of your holiday travel plans or an upcoming trip.

4) Bake a traditional ethnic treat, such as Danish rice pudding, able skiver pancakes, or potato latkes.

5) Instead of the traditional gingerbread house, build a global village out of candy! Make an adobe abode for warm-weather dwellers, an igloo, maybe even an eco-home. Get creative!

Here are some more holiday tips from National Geographic Kids:

Jim is the Director of Learning at Leap Frog, which designs and develops innovative and creative educational products. He loves "the 'ah-ha"'moment of learning something new, the feeling of mastery that comes with practice, and the way learning opens up new worlds to explore."

Geo-literacy is the ability to think, act, and communicate in geographic terms.  It provides a fun way to promote healthy physical development, practical skills for navigating everyday life, and broad understandings for success in a global world.  For young children, it starts with the places, people, plants, animals, and things they encounter everyday.

 Healthy Development.  Children naturally learn basic geo-literacy skills as they use their bodies to explore and make sense of their surroundings, from crawling towards a favorite toy to bicycling around a city park.  They build body awareness and spatial understanding as they go up, down, forward, backward, around, and behind.  Games and activities that include communicating about locations, directions, and positions further build these geo-literacy skills.  Parents can support them by using locational language ("your doll is under the coffee table") and by encouraging games like hide-and-seek or free play on a jungle-gym.

Local Navigation.  From digital maps and Google Earth, to GPS-enabled cars, cameras, and phones, families are increasingly surrounded by geographic information and tools.  Parents can support children's geo-literacy by talking about the locations, directions, and places that children know best. "The sun is coming up, let's go to the East side of the house and see if the kitchen table is sunny yet."  "Let's go to the end of this aisle and turn right, I think that's where the oranges are."  "Look, there's our house on the satellite photo, do you see the green park?"  "Can you draw a map of your room that shows where you want the bed to be?"

Keep reading Jim's full post on his blog!
http://community.leapfrog.com/t5/The-Learning-Team-Jim-Gray-EdD/Geo-literacy-for-kids/ba-p/1476 

Special Note: My sister Kate lives and teaches in India. I told her about the Blog-a-thon, and she was inspired to have her students write about geography! Thanks for sending these, Kate!

I am an English teacher at Primrose School in Puducherry. We are in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, on the Indian Ocean. In the spirit of Geography Awareness Week, I gave all my students the creative writing assignment, "If you could fly, where would you go and what would you see?" I was curious how my students would describe their land from up above. Would they write about water buffalo glistening after the monsoon rains, women weaving garlands of jasmine blossoms to wear in their hair, or business men smearing white ash kum-kums on their foreheads in devotion to Shiva at the temple before they go to the office? My students' stories are as diverse as India itself. Enjoy!
--Kate Strassman

Barbaree, a 20 year veteran K-20 educator in English and technology, currently writes curriculum, teaches professional development in Curriculum Integration and GIS in Education and tutors students at her home base, Covington, LA.

"Why do I need to know this?"  How often have you heard that question?  Geography is not the first-reach resource for most English Language Arts(ELA) teachers, but I've found the use of geospatial technology quite powerful with my students.  As one of my 7th graders said, "Everything's mappable, Mrs. Duke!"   How do you teach your students to think?  I used geospatial technology cleverly laced among the traditional and required content to bring my ELA class into the 21st Century and get my students thinking!

Keep reading Babaree's full post on her blog!

If someone asked you to give up your entire weekend (Friday night included), wake up earlier and get home later than you do on a normal school or work day, and go sit in the basement of a hotel for most of the weekend,  you'd say "No way!"--Right?


Maybe I'm crazy. Or maybe I'm just a bright-eyed intern who doesn't know any better, but... that's EXACTLY what I did this weekend. And I loved every minute of it.

Next spring, NG Student Expeditions will launch a new program that brings middle and high school students to DC for a week-long look at our nation's capital. Last weekend nearly 40 teachers from around the country flew in for a preview of this exciting new tour.

Last week, geography educators from across the nation traveled to Puerto Rico for the National Council for Geographic Education Conference in San Juan (of course, no need to remind our geo-savvy audience--unlike some other friends who will remain nameless-- that Puerto Rico is within the political territory of the United States). After attending two previous fall-season conferences in Oklahoma City and Dearborn, Michigan, the tropical climes of the Caribbean were a welcome change of pace. Luckily, we avoided any September hurricanes and enjoyed a relaxing, yet productive, trip. My five favorite Puerto Rico experiences:

 

1. Mo' mofongo, please
I've had many a plantain (a fruit similar to a banana but more tart in taste) in my life, but I'd never heard of "mofongo" prior to my trip to Puerto Rico. Mofongo is made from under-ripe plantains that are mashed, fried, and served in a mound, often with meat or seafood. It's a pretty distinct-tasting dish--some people love it, others aren't so keen. Luckily, I was in the first category. I had mofongo no less than 3 times during my trip to PR. Have you ever tried mofongo? You can also find it, sometimes called "fufu," on the nearby Caribbean islands of Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and in parts of Africa, where it is believed to have originated.

 

2. My rainforest-castle on a cloud
On one day we took a trip to explore a different feature of Puerto Rico's physical geography: El Yunque National Forest, located in the northeastern part of Puerto Rico. It was quite a drive away from the coast along winding roads, through small towns and tropical fruit plantations. We climbed up a few thousand feet into a cloud forest, where we were treated to cool, fresh air and vistas of waterfalls--a nice transition from the hot, humid air at sea level! Did you know that El Yunque is the only tropical rain forest in the United States' National Forest System?
 

 

We're back with Anita and Roger Palmer of GISetc and Gary Lewis of the Geological Society of America for part 2 of their trip leading 19 educators and students in an investigation of Australia's singular geography and geology.

Our group could not imagine enjoying anything more than the time we spent in the Sydney Basin, but forge on we did!


After breakfast with the koalas at Sydney Wildlife World, we flew to the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia. We landed in Cairns (pronounced "Cans"), a beach town that is the launching off point for many adventures.