Mapping Images the Digital Way

I'm sharing the presentation that I created for my workshop at our recent conference in Manchester. My aim when preparing the presentation was to create slides with links to other useful web-sites and to provide one or two `how to ...' sections. These include `How to locate images that have been shared under the Creative Commons Licence' on Flickr' and a slightly updated version of creating a `Google My Map'.

Mapping images the digital way

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Getting ready for the GA Conference in Manchester

I've just about completed my presentation for the Geographical Association Conference in Manchester (17th - 18th April).

I'm running a session called `Mapping Images the Digital Way' as an introduction for teachers to the use of online image galleries and online mapping. The central aim is to create a `My Walks' map using Google `My Maps' and to introduce the Northumbria University website called My Walks.

I'm currently experimenting with the integration of the Google suite of programmes and this post is a result of `clicking on' the Blog link at the bottom of the Picasa 3 editing page. I think Picasa is one of the best of the free photo-editing tool and it now comes with some great new features, for example a simple tool to create a video from still images. Because it is so straightforward to use I will be recommending it for simple editing projects in the classroom.

As the focus of the session is on creating digital maps to display the location of photographs I will be demonstrating how easy it is to drag images from the online gallery onto the online Google Map. I intend to use my Dartmouth collection to demonstrate how easy this is.

Silvepura a village in India

I'm slowly trying to sort out my ideas and thinking about my visit to India. I've begun to add images to my Flickr India gallery.

As someone who likes to be able to locate places on maps one of my first activity has been to build a customised map of the locality of Silvepura using Google `My Maps' which you can see on the left. (Click on the link above to be taken to the website.) This is a work in progress and I intend to keep adding images to this and possibly some short personal `stories' too.


Cat and Caroline wrote a`blog' for the children in their school while we were still in India which gives a wonderful sense of our visit.

I kept a journal while we were in India and I'm slowly adding some of my journal entries to my other blog site, Primary Geography.

Originally I set this second site up because I wanted to learn how to use Edublogs. I think Edublogs is probably a more trusted site for use with children I decided to use this site as a way of sharing my experiences of people and places around the world and hope some of the ideas and entries might prove valuable.

In the Picture

Last Monday (9th March) saw me supporting a group of Wakefield NQT's to use digital images in their teaching of the humanities.

I have been developing activities around the use of ICT frames for some years now. The idea being that the teacher inserts an appropriate image into a pre-created ICT framework.

I wrote a CPD unit on this theme a couple of years ago which can be viewed at Geography Teaching Today website and I've added other resources at various times to the Geographical Association website under the heading Visual Geography

In my introduction to the day I shared with the teachers some thinking about the links between visual literacy and print based literacy, drawing on an chapter in the GA Primary Geography handbook that was written by Margaret Mackintosh. You can view the introductory PowerPoint below:

In the Picture: developing visual literacy through geography and history

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New networking site for Geography

My energies in terms of blogging have had to be shared out recently as the Geographical Association here in the UK now has a geography networking site and I've been busy sharing ideas, photographs and resources on this new Geography NING. This site now has almost 500 members from the UK and abroad - why not have a look. You will need to join before you can gain access, though this is a relatively simple thing to do. Click on the link above to be taken to the appropriate web-page >>> GEOGRAPHICAL NING

Teacher Study Visit to Silvepura in India

I've just returned from a teacher study visit at The Sangam in Silvepura (approximately 25 kms NW of Bangalore). This was my first visit to India and I've returned to the UK absolutely wowed and determined to go back.

The village of Silvepura is well away from the normal tourist haunts though the villagers are well used to seeing European visitors because of strong links between the village church and European churches.

Early on in the visit Imo Sahi (one of our hosts) suggested that we all went and found ourselves a spot in the village where we could observe the life of the village without necessarily having to interact directly. Perhaps we might sit and sketch she suggested. I'm not sure whether she's ever tried doing this in the village (or anywhere else for that matter) because the minute you start to draw you invariably collect a crowd of onlookers. These were my onlookers. Several of them contributed sketches of their own to my notebook. By the time this photograph was taken I'd resorted to taking photographs and showing the children their image in the viewer on the back of the camera. Both adults and children are very happy to have their photo taken so that they can have a look at themselves. Seeing themselves in the back of the camera proved to be an occasion to celebrate for everyone concerned.

I've returned with a huge number of resources which I'm now considering how to use. More to follow.

Crane Moor in the snow

Crane Moor in the snow, originally uploaded by wendyn56.

Being a part-time worker has it's advantages and meant that I could go out for a walk instead of struggling into the office in Sheffield.