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8/25/2015 Colorado Geographic Alliance Newsletter, Fall 2015
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Fall 2015NationalGeographic Bee
Each year thousands ofschools in the UnitedStates participate in theNational Geographic Beeusing materials prepared bythe National GeographicSociety. The contest isdesigned to inspire studentsto be curious about theworld. Schools withstudents in grades fourthrough eight are eligible forthis entertaining andchallenging competition.
Click here to learn moreabout and register for theNational Geographic Bee.
Encourage your students totake the Daily Quiz.
In This Newsletter:
Geography EducationNational ImplementationProject
Geospatial Technology inClassrooms
Report from NationalGeographic Grosvenor
Welcome to those of you who are new to the Colorado GeographicAlliance. COGA is a statewide educator's organization in which thecollective knowledge of experienced teachers of geography, geographersin academia, and professional geographers is shared to strengthen theposition of geography in Colorado schools. COGA works with the socialstudies, science, environmental, and technology communities to build onmutual objectives and to strengthen 21st century skills of Coloradostudents. We look forward to working with you over the coming schoolyear to strengthen your students' knowledge of geography and spatialconcepts.
National Geographic Grosvenor Teaching Fellowfrom Colorado"Daily living and happeningsbeing a passenger on a ship fascinated me and through thisexperience, I gained a lot ofunderstanding about all theaspects that go into dailyoperations on board a ship,which was a huge aspect ofthe entire learning experiencefor me." Amy Austin Amy Austin of Centennial Middle School in Boulder served as a 2015Grosvenor Teaching Fellow. She traveled to the Svalbard Archipelagoaboard the National Geographic Explorer this past June. While on boardshe took over 1200 photographs and videos and wrote two full notebooksof her experience, happenings, and impressions of this spectacular part ofthe world. Please take the time to look at her blog which features heradventures accompanied by journal entries and photographs. Look for announcements about the 2016 Grosvenor Teaching Fellowapplication soon.
Giant Traveling Map of Africa to Visit ColoradoSpringsNational Geographic's Giant Map of Africa will be part of the FREE CoolScience Carnival Day at the University of Colorado Colorado Springscampus on Saturday, October 3rd. You won't want to miss this
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Teaching Fellow
Giant Traveling Map ofSouth America to VisitColorado Springs
Planning for a Giant Mapof Colorado
Geography AwarenessWeek
Teaching with PrimarySources
Free Online ProfessionalDevelopment Course
Mars Camp
Change the Eqaution
Esri ConnectED
GeoMentors
GIS in the Rockies
NCGE 100th Anniversary
Upcoming Workshops
AAG announces newteaching award in honor ofHarm de Blij
Review of Social StudiesAssessment Legislation
COGA Facebook and Blog
Congratulations toFormer COGAAdministrator SaraSanta CruzFormer COGAAdministrator, Sara SantaCruz, has been invited toserve as a Peace CorpsVolunteer in Madagascar. She will be working on foodsecurity and forestryprojects. She plans todepart in February followingcompletion of her masters'degree in geography thisfall. Congratulations, Sara!
GeographyEducation NationalImplementationProject (GENIP)
opportunity to see a continent froma different angle. Schools ordistricts may borrow a map fromNational Geographic for a twoweekperiod. Check out the COGAwebsite to learn about the rentalprocess and to determine if yourschool or district might be eligiblefor map funding.
More Ideas for a Giant Map of ColoradoHow big should a giant map be? What features are essential for a map ofColorado? What is the most efficient way to share giant maps within thestate? COGA plans to develop a map of Colorado ideally several mapsto be located in various quarters of the state, but we need to hear frommore of you about how a map would be most useful for you as a teacher,parent, or community member. If you have not yet had time to share yourviewpoint, please complete the online survey by Tuesday, September 8. We would appreciate your opinion about your experiences with theNational Geographic Giant Traveling Maps along with any feedback orideas that we can apply to the program in the future. Thank you for your time.
Geography Awareness WeekExplore! The Power of Maps!Celebrate and explore the power of mapsNovember 15 21, 2015. Spatial thinkingthrough maps is one of the most importantskills that students can develop as theylearn geography and environmentalsciences.
COGA will be partnering with various organizations to host eventsthroughout Geography Awareness Week that include placebasedactivities to encourage participants to explore the world around them withmaps. If you have an idea for an event, please do not hesitate to contactAlex Sinchak, Geography Awareness Week Coordinator, [email protected]. See how National Geographic is celebrating 100 years of cartographichistory. Check out a suite of resources all about geography as a disciplineand even more tips and tools to plan your own GeoWeek celebrations! Read more about the history and purpose behind Geography AwarenessWeek.
Teaching Geography Using Primary SourcesThe Colorado Geographic Alliance continues towork with the Library of Congress Teachingwith Primary Sources Western Region (TPS)offering "Teaching Geography using PrimarySources" programs across the state.Workshops in both oneday and twodayformats are now available for presentation atschools and districts across the state.
Participants practice identifying and choosing primary sources for theclassroom, as well as using tools to analyze primary sources through a
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Congratulations to theresearchers at BSCS(Biological SciencesCurriculum Study) whowere recently awarded adata collection andvisualization grant by theGeography EducationNational ImplementationProject (GENIP). The fourpartnering organizations ofGENIP (NationalGeographic Society, theNational Council forGeographic Education, theAssociation of AmericanGeographers, and theAmerican GeographicalSociety) seek to know moreabout the health ofgeography in K12classrooms and teachereducation programs. Themembers of the ColoradoGeographic Alliance lookforward to benefiting fromthis important investigation.
GeospatialTechnology in theClassroom
Geographic InformationScience (GIS)encompasses computerhardware and softwaresystems that are used tostore, display, analyze, andmap information related tomultiple fields. These toolsinclude maps and globes,global positioning (GPS)units, and webbasedinteractive programs suchas Google Earth. Studentsin Colorado benefit from
geographic lens. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested inscheduling one for educators in your area. There is no charge for aworkshop.
Teaching Resources from National GeographicEducationNational Geographic Education Teaching Resources page provides ideas,lessons, and activities for K12 classroom settings to engage students ingeographic education. This site also offers Daily Ideas for educatorsalong with mapping, media, and other resources.
Aspiring scientists use Geospatial Technology toPrepare for Mars Landing
Following a week of immersion ingeospatial technology approaches in theclassroom, eight teachers in the ColoradoSprings area took what they had learnedand shared that with more than 50 middleschool students who were strengtheningtheir science, technology, engineering andmath skills by planning the colonization ofMars during the third ExxonMobil BernardHarris Summer Science Camp at UCCS. Lessons using GIS included analysis ofplants which might survive a harshclimate and investigations of how to setup a practical basecamp. The teacherswill incorporate GIS into their classroomsthis fall. Look for their lessons on theCOGA website soon. Read more about
the program on the UCCS website.
Change the Equation ProgramThe Colorado Geographic Alliance's "MovingGIS Into the Classroom" program has beenrecognized as one of seven new ColoradoSTEMworks database programs along withDenver Public Schools CareerConnect, Keep itClean Neighborhood Environmental Trios,KidsTek, RAFT (Resource Area for Teachers),St. Vrain Valley Schools STEM and Innovation Center, and UrbanAdvantage Metro Denver. Each program in STEMworks has beenindependently vetted and reviewed following Change the Equation'sDesign Principles for Effective STEM Philanthropy. Business leaders,funders and STEM advocates from across the nation use STEMworks tofind proven and highlyscalable STEM education programs to help themmaximize their impact on STEM education. Thanks to encouragementfrom the Colorado Education Initiative, COGA will continue to supportgeospatial technology in classrooms across the state. To learn moreabout Moving GIS Into the Classroom, click on this link. COGA is grateful to the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado and Esri, Inc.for providing seed money and continuing funding for this work.
Esri ConnectED: The ConnectED initiative
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learning how to usegeographic information andCOGA is working tosupport their teachers to beknowledgeable andcomfortable with thetechnology.
Wondering what yourstudents can do? Checkout geospatial technologylesson plans on the COGAwebsite, create projectsusing MapMaker at NationalGeographic, and get ideasfrom story maps developedthrough Esri, Inc.
GPS Units for Loan: Don'tforget COGA has ten GPSunits that can be loaned (forfree) to schools foreducational use. Click herefor info!
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Colorado Geographic AllianceDepartment of Geography and
Environmental Studies1420 Austin Bluffs ParkwayColorado Springs, Colorado
80918
Esri offers online mapping and analysis for allschools through ArcGIS Online COGA partners withEsri to assist teachers in figuring out how to useArcGIS Online Organizations to make maps andanalyze data. These specially configured school accounts offer whatbusiness, government, and agencies around the world increasingly findvaluable: a custom portal, vast galaxies of data, and a fleet of applicationssimple enough for grade school students yet robust enough for missioncritical or scientific work. Tying it all together is the chance to build, host,and share content in a safe and secure environment. Click here to create an account and gather instructional materials. Clickhere to learn more about the ConnectED Initiative.
GeoMentorsJoin the GeoMentors Community: A nationwide effort to improve GISeducation, by Candice Luebbering, Association of AmericanGeographers As part of the ConnectED Initiative, Esriis donating free ArcGISOnline organization accounts to every K12 school in the U.S. This gift introducesGIS software and geographic conceptsinto classrooms, allowing students tomap and analyze data with the sametechnology used by government andbusiness. GIS is a powerful educationaltechnology, but K12 teachers alreadyface considerable time constraints that can make it difficult to learn andimplement a new resource. To address this need, Esri and the Associationof American Geographers (AAG) are working together to develop anationwide volunteer network of GeoMentors. GeoMentors are knowledgeable GIS users who will facilitateimplementation of ArcGIS Online in K12 settings by volunteering theirtime and expertise to assist educators and administrators with theirclassroom goals using GIS. The GeoMentors program maintains onlinemaps and databases so collaborators can connect with each other,a curated collection of ArcGIS Online educational resources andcurriculum materials, as well as several online groups and social mediastreams for community engagement and interaction. To learn more about the program, visit www.geomentors.net. Are you aneducator who would like to work with a GeoMentor, or, are you interestedin being a GeoMentor yourself? Register today! Have questions aboutthe program? Contact AAG staff at [email protected]. Join ourGeoMentors community and help make a difference in K12 education withGIS!
GIS in the RockiesGIS in the Rockies creates a forum for business, government, andacademia to foster collaboration and education related to important topics,emerging trends and innovations across the geospatial community. Theannual conference will be held in Denver on September 23rd and 24th. Inaddition to presentations by geospatial technology professionals, COGAmembers Steve Cline from Windsor High School and William Gilmore fromEnglewood School District will be joining members of the Esri educationteam to share their work in the classroom.
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National Council for Geographic Education
National Council for Geographic Education Celebrates 100 Years Congratulations to two University of Colorado Boulder geographygraduates who were recently honored at the National Conference onGeography Education in Washington, DC. A Distinguished Teaching Higher Education award was bestowed upon Dr. Micheline van Riemsdijk,an Associate Professor at The University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Dr.Jung Eun Hong of the University of West Georgia in Carrolton washonored with the "Best Secondary Education Article" for her Journal ofGeography article on "Promoting teacher adoption of GIS using teachercentered and teacherfriendly design". Thanks to these fine Coloradoalumnae for their investment in supporting geography education across thecountry.
Want to be a member of NCGE to take advantage of great webinars,lesson ideas, and other resources? Join for a reduced rate as a partner through COGA. Individuals who join orrenew their NCGE memberships through the affiliate program will receiveall the benefits of membership, plus an additional conference registrationdiscount, for the annual membership rate of $50 (a savings of $45). Benefits of the program include access to webinars, the Journal ofGeography, The Geography Teacher, and NCGE Member Newsletter. Tobecome a member, click on this site and look for Colorado GeographicAlliance in the list. NCGE Future Geoleader Membership Program NCGE has developed a new Future GeoLeader Program to engage thenext generation of geography educators! The Future GeoLeader Programprovides NCGE membership at no cost to students who are currentlyenrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours in a graduate or undergraduateprogram at an accredited university. To apply for FREE NCGEmembership through the Future GeoLeader Program, please download theNCGE Future GeoLeader Membership Form.
Upcoming WorkshopsIntegrating the Social Studies Across Colorado HistorySaturday, October 10, 2015, 8:30 am to 4:30 pmHistory Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver
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Professional development designed to enhance skills in teaching the coreconcepts and tools from history, geography, economics and civics that areemphasized in Colorado's 4th grade social studies standards. Four leadingsocial studies organizations collaborate to bring this daylong workshop toelementary teachers. An expert in each subject area will guide teachers inunderstanding how each discipline views the world and, more specifically,Colorado. Presentations will blend content and pedagogy and will shareresources to take back to your classroom. To register, call 3038662394 or email [email protected] you are interested in hosting this workshop at your school or district,please contact April Legg at 3038662394. Rocky Mountain National Park Teacher WorkshopSaturday, October 17, 8:30 am3:30 pm History Colorado Center 1200 Broadway Denver, CO 80203 Join History Colorado, the Library of Congress Teaching with PrimarySources team, the Denver Post Newspapers in Education program,National Park Service, and National Park Trips for a great day of learningabout Rocky Mountain National Park and other Colorado parks duringRocky's 100th birthday!Lunch and a light breakfast provided. Limited to 40participants. Cost $25. To register, call 3038662394. Learn more here. Maps Still Matter, hosted by Joseph KerskiLooking for a fun and easy way to introduce friends, family, and coworkers to the wonders of GIS? Or wish to know a bit more yourself?Consider taking the "Maps Still Matter" course offered through theUniversity of Denver's Enrichment Program. The full course descriptionand link to register is here. Offered over 3 evenings in September 2015,this facetoface course provides lively handson demos and discussion. To learn more, see this video.
FLOW Education: Facilitating Learning through Outdoor WatershedEducation This course is designed for classroom educators (grades 48) to learnabout watersheds and outdoor education using the Chesapeake Baywatershed as an example. The course introduces technologies forinvestigating watersheds and helps you plan and implement outdoorexperiences. The next session is September 16 October 28, 2105. Clickon the National Geographic site to register.
Colorado Department of Education offersElementary Arts Integration Sample Units from The Scoop
This spring, a collaborative group of elementary classroom and artseducators and community arts partners developed integrated units basedon sample instructional units. These arts integration specialists usedexisting units in drama and theatre arts, visual arts, social studies andcomprehensive health to create integrated units for grades 1, 3 and 4.
The primary design specification for this development was to maintaindiscipline integrity of the content areas used. In the coming months,educators and arts specialists will create additional arts integrated unitswith the goal of having one integrated sample at each grade level K5.Expanding upon the arts integration portion of this project, additionalpractitioners from a variety of content areas will develop integrated units
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for elementary and middle school grade levels. These additional units willbe published in the 20152016 school year. For more information, visit theCDE website.
Association of American Geographers announcesnew teaching award in honor of Harm de Blij
The AAG Harm J. de Blij Award forExcellence in Undergraduate GeographyTeaching is a new annual award thatrecognizes outstanding achievement inteaching undergraduate geography, includingthe use of innovative teaching methods. If you
know an undergraduate teacher who should be honored with this award,visit this site to learn more.
Colorado Council for Economic Education Providesreview of Social Studies Assessment LegislationThanks to our education partners across the state in areas such ashistory, civics, science, the environment, and economics, COGA is ableto accomplish more that it could on its own. Below is a review from theColorado Council for Economic Education (CCEE) which discusseschanges ahead for the state social studies assessment in elementary,middle, and high schools.
If you are interested in addressing educational issues at the national levelas the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is discussed inCongress, please email [email protected]. National Geographic, along with the National Council for the SocialStudies and the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is working tosecure competitive grant funding for American History, Civics, Economicsand Geography in the ESEA reauthorization. Additional information isavailable from the Colorado Council for the Social Studies Facebook pageand the National Council for the Social Studies Advocacy Action Center.
A number of education issues were intensely debated during the 2015Colorado legislative session social studies in action! Included amongthem was Senate Bill 15056 which reduces by twothirds the frequency ofthe social studies assessment, part of the Colorado Measures ofAcademic Success (CMAS). CCEE is sharing a brief summary of the"social studies testing bill," as well as some key provisions from theactual text of the bill which became law on May 20, 2015. Summary of Senate Bill 15056The testing of social studies (SS) has been altered. Henceforth, until thelaw is changed again:
SS will be tested once in elementary, once in middle school andonce in high school;SS cannot be tested in grade 12 [most likely grades for testing: 4,7, 11; CDE will determine];Each school will test (the specified grades) once every three years(can request more frequent testing)
Senate Bill 15056 (partial text of billapproved May 20, 2015)("Department" is CDE) (III) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER A STATEASSESSMENT IN
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SOCIAL STUDIES TO STUDENTS ENROLLED IN PUBLICELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT THESTATE. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL SELECT THE SPECIFIC GRADES INWHICH TO ADMINISTER THE STATE SOCIAL STUDIESASSESSMENT, ENSURING THAT STUDENTS TAKE THE STATESOCIAL STUDIES ASSESSMENT ONCE IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL,ONCE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND ONCE IN HIGH SCHOOL; EXCEPTTHAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL NOT ADMINISTER THE STATESOCIAL STUDIES ASSESSMENT TO STUDENTS ENROLLED INTWELFTH GRADE.THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE SOCIAL STUDIESASSESSMENT IN A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF PUBLICSCHOOLS EACH SCHOOL YEAR, ENSURING THAT ITADMINISTERS THE SOCIAL STUDIES ASSESSMENT IN EACHPUBLIC SCHOOL AT LEAST ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. A SCHOOL DISTRICT, FOR ONE OR MORE OF THE SCHOOLS OFTHE SCHOOL DISTRICT THAT ARE NOT INCLUDED IN THEREPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE, OR A CHARTER SCHOOL THAT ISNOT INCLUDED IN THE REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE, MAYREQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT ADMINISTER THEASSESSMENT IN THE DISTRICT SCHOOL OR CHARTER SCHOOL. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ADMINISTER THE SOCIAL STUDIESASSESSMENT IN THE REQUESTED SCHOOL IN THE SCHOOLYEAR FOLLOWING THE SCHOOL YEAR IN WHICH IT RECEIVESTHE REQUEST. The Colorado Council for Economic Education thinks it is important forsocial studies teachers to be aware of the rules of the game and hope thisis helpful to you as you begin the 201516 school year. Thanks to our partners at CCEE for this perspective.
COGA Facebook and BlogFollow us on Facebook!Our Facebook page posts upcomingevents that are open to the public. Youcan also find interesting links to photogalleries and articles on geography.
Check out our Blog as well!COGA's blog shares workshopopportunities and professionaldevelopment sessions for educators aswell as geography education resources.
Colorado Geographic Alliance
VISION:Changing our understanding and
experience of the world
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MISSION:To instill and nurture spatial awareness
and geographic literacyVALUES:
Inspiring passion for Earth and its inhabitantsConnecting people with geographyHonoring inclusivity and diversity
Exploring physical and human environmentsDeveloping spatial perspective
CONTACT COGA:Colorado Geographic Alliance
[email protected] of Colorado Colorado Springs
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies1420 Austin Bluffs ParkwayColorado Springs, CO 80918
7192555217
Ideas for upcoming newsletters? Great topics, links, or upcomingevents you'd like COGA to share with geography educators? Let
us know! We're here to [email protected]
This project is funded in part by a grant from the National Geographic Society Education Foundation.
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Colorado Geographic Alliance | Department of Geography and Environmental Studies | 1420 Austin BluffsParkway | Colorado Springs | CO | 80918
