Educator Spotlight: Pop Culture as a Gateway to Mapping

­­ Kelly Woodard, this week’s Educator of the Week, taught her students mapping skills using pop culture, emerging technologies, and perspective-taking strategies. She teaches 6th grade social studies at CREC Public Safety Academy in Enfield, Connecticut. You are the first teacher I’ve spoken to from a public safety academy. What is it like to work at a school with this particular focus? What’s really special … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Pop Culture as a Gateway to Mapping

Educator Spotlight: Exploring Human Geography Outside

Eric Carlson, this week’s Educator of the Week, is an American educator teaching human geography in Beijing, China. Eric is as passionate about geography as he is about teaching, and he uses his own personal travels to enhance his classes. In an effort to get his students out of the classroom and to bring geography to life, Eric created the Beijing Explorers Club, which tackles … Continue reading Educator Spotlight: Exploring Human Geography Outside

12 Things We Learned This Week!

What did you learn this week? Let us know in the comments or at education@ngs.org. This week, we learned… … that tea might be finished as the British national drink.   … how educators are reminding test-taking students that “there is no way to test all the amazing and awesome things that make you YOU.”   … that there’s a high school inside JFK Airport?!   … Continue reading 12 Things We Learned This Week!

GPS App Leads Israeli Soldiers into Palestinian Enclave

GEOGRAPHY An apparent error on a satellite navigation app led two Israeli soldiers into a Palestinian village. The ensuing skirmish left at least one person dead. (Washington Post) Use our great activity to get an introduction to GIS and its impacts on our everyday lives. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Read through our activity … Continue reading GPS App Leads Israeli Soldiers into Palestinian Enclave

100 Years Later, Einstein’s Theory Tested by Satellites

SCIENCE It’s a total fluke. No one was thinking about making the most precise test yet of general relativity when the European Space Agency sent a pair of satellites into orbit last year. But a botched launch put them in perfect position to test Einstein’s century-old theory. (Guardian) Use our resources to learn a little about the man behind general relativity. Teachers, scroll down for … Continue reading 100 Years Later, Einstein’s Theory Tested by Satellites