Geographic Resources & Ideas: Some Geography resources for the Holiday Break

Here are a few resources to peruse any enjoy over our well-deserved break. Be safe everyone.

Useless Northwest Christmas Geography

Useless regional trivia that you can use to annoy your friends and family this weekend. Below, you'll find all the geographic place names in the Northwest that include the word Christmas.

http://daily.sightline.org/2011/12/21/useless-northwest-christmas-geography/

Track Santa on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is just around the corner and I want to make you aware of a very FUN way to spend the evening. Instead of imagining Santa flying on his sleigh along his route, this Christmas Eve you can watch Santa fly around the world by using the Google Earth Plug-in. It's super easy. To get ready download the Google Earth Plug-in:

http://www.google.com/earth/explore/products/plugin.html

Start the countdown to Christmas Eve at http://www.noradsanta.org/en/

On the NORAD website, kids can play holiday-themed games (a new one is released each day) and get updates from the North Pole as Santa prepares for his big sleigh ride.

On Christmas Eve, return to the NORAD website to track Santa using the Google Earth Plug-in.

6 GREAT VIDEOS ON TEACHING CRITICAL THINKING

Critical thinking is a skill that we can teach to our students through exercise and practice. It is particularly a skill that contains a plethora of other skills inside it. Critical thinking in its basic definition refers" to a diverse range of intellectual skills and activities concerned with evaluating information as well as evaluating our thought in a disciplined way ". All of our students think in a way or another but the question is , do they really think critically ? are they able to evaluate the information they come across ? are they capable of going beyond the surface thinking layer ? Can they make connections between what they learn and the outer world? Can they question the status quo of their knowledge ?

Critical thinking is part and parcel of what is called critical theory and hence critical literacy. We have posted several articles on this topic and we invite you to have a look at the following links for further information :

1- A Quick Guide to 21st Century Critical Thinking Skills for Teachers
2- What Does Critical Thinking Mean in Education
3- Great Critical Thinking Poster for your Class
4- 7 Great iPad Apps to Improve Kids Critical Thinking
5- A Clever Tip to Easily Develop Students Critical Thinking

What we have for you today is a great series of videos on critical thinking. As a teacher, you can use these videos with your students to start a discussion on what it means to think critically and introduce them to the concept of logical fallacies. The videos are animated in such a way that your students will find it easy to grasp hard concepts .Enjoy

http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/12/6-great-videos-on-teaching-critical.html

Port of Cleveland readies to welcome the new generation of Great Lakes freighters

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/12/port_of_cleveland_welcomes_the.html

A sense of place

Geography matters as much as ever, despite the digital revolution, says Patrick Lane

This is one article within an Economist report on the relationship between Technology and Geography

http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21565007-geography-matters-much-ever-despite-digital-revolution-says-patrick-lane?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/a_sense_of_place

Great cartoon

http://greenmonk.net/2010/01/07/what-if-we-create-a-better-world-for-nothing/

Climate change and the end of pasta

The supposed debate among scientists over climate change has melted faster than the polar ice caps. National Science Board member James Lawrence Powell looked at all the related peer-reviewed scientific papers over the last several years. Twenty-four of those articles rejected the notion of climate change. Out of 14,000.

So let this be clear: There is no scientific controversy over this. Climate change denial is purely, 100 percent made-up political and corporate-sponsored crap.

It's still easy for many of us to ignore the issue of climate change, but every now and then a headline makes us take notice. This one did it for me: The End of Pasta.

http://kottke.org/12/12/climate-change-and-the-end-of-pasta

Who Coined the Phrase Geographic Information Systems?

Roger Tomlinson, also known as the Father of GIS, is famed for being a pioneer in the field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). A great Canadian Story

http://gislounge.com/phrase-geographic-information-systems/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gislounge+%28GIS+Lounge%

How Fast Could You Travel Across the USA in the 1800s? (Check Out These Old Maps)

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/public-transportation/how-fast-could-you-travel-across-usa-1800s/

WALL OF FILMS

Thanks to an OAGEE Member from Ottawa Erin Levy French and Geography Teacher

Longfields-Davidson Heights Secondary School

Nepean, ON

TONS of great social science videos we tend to use or may want to??? free and in full length online!

Check them out

http://www.filmsforaction.org/walloffilms/

Overeating Now Poses a Bigger Global Health Threat Than Hunger

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/12/overeating-now-poses-bigger-global-health-threat-hunger/59967/?utm_term=alew

Landfill Harmonic film teaser

from Landfill Harmonic PLUS 1 month ago

Landfill Harmonic is an upcoming feature-length documentary about a remarkable musical orchestra in Paraguay, where young musicians play instruments made from trash. For more information about the film, please visit facebook.com/landfillharmonicmovie.

http://vimeo.com/52711779

25 rules of social media netiquette

by ALEX in ETIQUETTE | NETIQUETTE | USENET

http://coolcatteacher.visibli.com/share/mfSEgn

A map of environmental threats to the Great Lakes

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/12/17/Map-shows-threats-stress-on-Great-Lakes/UPI-78191355788012/#ixzz2FPtiTV6B

The Toronto Park Lot Project
an exploration of the earliest days of the TOWN OF YORK, founded 1793 by John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (The Town of York was incorporated 1834 as the City of Toronto.)