New look three column blog

I was acquiring so many widgets that I seemed to scroll down the page forever and I've been thinking for sometime that it was time to re-structure the blog page.  I'd like to thank Three Column Blogger for the very clear instructions on how to amend the HTML code.  I've searched around the internet for help and this is the site I'd recommend.  I did have initial problems because my Twitter widget was too wide for the revamped site but having sorted that everything else seems to have worked OK.

NASA UK Snow map and Climate Change

I've just read this blog post from Robin Butler on the Ashden Directory Blog site.  It focuses on all of the interest generated around climate change by the recent publication of the NASA snowmap.  It's well worth reading.  You can access it on the Ashden Directory >>>> 

The Ashden Directory is a new find for me and well worth reading.

My Place, Your Place, Our Place

My Place, Your Place, Our Place 
Sustainability and community cohesion are ideas at the forefront of educational agendas but what do they mean in practice for learners in primary education? This family of courses explores the relationships between identity and place by drawing on some key geographical processes and understanding.

Find out more >>>>

Cool Tools for Schools

Thanks to Alan, a work colleagues (who will be in the thick of BETT right now), for sharing `Cool Tools for Schools'  on the pages of Webwatch in the latest edition of the GA Magazine. It's great to have a list of all of these useful WEB 2 tools in one place.Some of these I already use, for example I've just discovered ISSU for publishing which I think is amazing.

Create a virtual landscape

Create virtual landscapes with `This is sand' pixels drop like grains of sand or snow - change colour and create new patterns.  The gallery has some wonderful examples.  When it loads the page looks grey and blank - there's a small box on the top left - click on it for instructions.  Thanks to Bev on Technostories for this idea.

Jewel of Muscat - a new website

`Videos, photos and information on how Oman and Singapore are reconstructing a 9th-century Arab ship.'

It's great to find a website that can help children in the UK understand a little about how trade and exploration happened in other parts of the world.  This one focuses on the reconstruction and sea voyage of a traditional Muscat trading ship.  There's an interactive trading game that children will enjoy.  It will introduce them to trading ports in Asia that they might never have heard of.  The educational activities I looked at appear rather limited in scope - but this is still early days for this site.  There is much here to recommend and I think it will grow into a very useful resource.  Click here to view >>>

UK snow 2009 - field boundaries tessellate in the landscape below.

Snowy landscape, originally uploaded by wendyn56.

Taken on a BA flight from Manchester to Heathrow - see previous post.

River Thames - photographed on flight from Manchester to Heathrow

River Thames, London, originally uploaded by wendyn56.

We leave Crane Moor at 5am, black ice shining in the orange glow of the street light as we set off across the Pennines. Arriving in Manchester we find rain.

Flight from Manchester to Heathrow

Soggy greens and browns appear as we take off … quickly followed by field patterns that tessellate black and white below.

Twenty minutes into our journey the River Thames comes into view and familiar London landmarks appear below.

Finally we arrive at Heathrow airport – Terminal 5 where flashing screens and pink butterflies distract us while we wait.

(These photographs were taken in February 2009 en-route to India. They form part of the India collection that I'm slowly uploading to Flickr. I thought that teachers might find them useful as some of them show field and settlements patterns in the snow below. There are also some very useful images of landmarks along the River Thames.)

UK Snow - NASA satellite view from the University of Dundee

http://www.dundee.ac.uk/pressreleases/2010/prjan10/snow.htm

This must almost be a once in a lifetime view of the UK from space as it is so very rare for the whole of the UK to be covered in snow.

The satellite view from the University of Dundee can be downloaded from their website.  You will need to register to obtain a password.

Once you have your password try looking in the gallery section.  If you are a non weather techie, like me, I think you will still find some images that make you go WOW!!

Heights of Mountains, Lengths of Rivers

If you are studying Mountain Environments or need maps of the US or historical maps of the UK and Europe it would be worth checking out David Rumseys Map Collection.  It's a fantastic website and there is lots here that will interest primary and secondary teachers.

NEW Website: Global Gardens

This is a new website jointly produced by the Reading International Solidarity Centre and Tessa Willy of Roehampton  University.  It is very clearly set out and there are very useful links to other publications as well as framework that will guide you through developing a curriculum that incorprates the `global garden'.  Highly recommended.

http://www.risc.org.uk/gardens/globalgardens.php

BBC News Audio Slideshow: Life on the water

 

http://ne

ws.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8411943.stm

This is a really good short audio slideshow of the Can Tho floating market in the Mekong delta. Short stories of three (4) peoples lives.

Helping children to understand the diversity of India

The popularity of the QCA schemes of work has meant that many schools have introduced their children to Chembakolli.  Alongside this village study I've encouraged teachers to study Bangalore  as this is the nearest large city to Chembakolli.  Earlier in the year I visited the city as part of a teacher's study visit.  I've recently added some additional images to my Bangalore set on Flickr and I've also created a Google map to show the locations where photographs were taken.

View Snapshots of Bangalore in a larger map