Limestone Landscapes

A useful model for how to put together a piece of work on Richard Allaway's Geography all the Way site. This particular resource is free access, but others are part of the subscription site, which is well worth subscribing to.

There are several Limestone Landscapes included in the original resource, with a particular focus on a walk through the Yorkshire Dales around the classic Malham round.
Download a Google Earth file with some images and a sheet to go with the walk....

Scribble Maps - online and mobile applications...

This tool has improved since I first came across it some years ago - very nice easy shape creation and area measurement automatically done.
Check out the SCRIBBLE MAPS website for the links through, or download the application to a mobile device.

Google Earth Tour Builder

This was recommended by several people.
This video was made by Richard Treves - search the blog for more of his work...

Head to the Google Earth Tour Builder website to get started.

XKCD on mapping

OFSTED and GIS - a reminder....

GIS and OFSTED from GeoBlogs

Earth Observatory

One of the questions that I'm often asked when running the Google Earth courses is to talk about the sources of information that can be used in Google Earth.
There are lots of these of course.

Google Earth files are usually stored in KML or KMZ format. The two types of document are quite similar - when several files are zipped up they generally have the 'Z' ending.
Opening up large files will slow down Google Earth and may increase the chances of it crashing - it's not 100% stable on some of the machines that I've used it on.

Here's an example of the sort of site that you might come across: the NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY website.
This has a range of KML files which can be viewed in Google Earth.

New Google Earth stuff...

Coming over the next few days, some new posts which are related to a course I'm leading for the GA twice in the next month...

Leicester is the first date next Thursday...
I'm updating materials to make sure it's as up to date as possible and has some new ideas from my teaching...

I'm also going to be demonstrating ArcGIS Online.
I'll refer to Digimap for Schools
I'll have QGIS with me on a laptop too...

If you can't be there, there are other other courses running - contact Lucy Oxley at the GA and ask here where they are, and request one near you...

See some of you next week

Merry Christmas and a Google Earth New Year

As with the last few years, you can follow Santa's journey on Christmas Eve via the Google SantaTracker tool.
The site is already 'live', with some fun games and other content but don't forget that nothing much will be happening Santa-wise before Christmas Eve....

What does winter mean to you ?

That's a key question posed by the Pole of Cold team who are currently heading for Oymyakon, the coldest inhabited place in the world, to explore how communities cope with extreme cold. I've been thinking about this in the last few days, as we move towards Christmas which (when I was a lad) would guarantee freezing temperatures and plentiful snow....

We will be looking at the team's journey as part of the new materials I'm creating for the Google Earth courses that are definitely going to take place early in the New Year.

What's the coldest you've ever been, and where were you at the time ?

Please tweet me a reply to @GeoBlogs, or add a blog comment below. Thanks to those folks who have already replied in the few minutes since I tweeted the original question...

While we're on the subject of winter, have some free Mission:Explore missions which are all primed and ready should we get a white Christmas, which is looking quite unlikely judging by the shirt-sleeve weather we currently have in Norfolk...

Mission:Explore Winter

GA Google Earth Courses

Good news earlier this week that it seems the remaining GA Google Earth courses are likely to be running in 2014. The first is in January in Leicester.
One of my jobs over Christmas will be to refresh those courses, and add in any new findings since the last time they ran.
I also need to refresh my memory of ArcGIS Online and how to use this tool in the classroom...

Look forward to seeing some of you there...

Activity from Richard Allaway

Google Earth Longitude and Latitude Challenge by Richard Allaway

Tivy Education Medal

The Tivy medal is not awarded every year, and is awarded for outstanding contributions to Geography and education.
Previous winners that I could find were:

2008 - Jim Carson

2009 - Erica Caldwell

2010 - Anita Ganeri

2011 - Scottish Association of Geography Teachers

At the recent Scottish Association of Geography Teachers' Conference, Mike Robinson - the Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society read out a citation describing the person judged to have been worthy of being presented with the medal this year, and it turns out it was me!
It was presented by Professor Iain Stewart, who is the President of the Society.

Along with the medal, there was a very nice certificate of honorary fellowship.

What was equally important to me was to read and hear the comments of others who were there, who appreciated the work that I've created, and shared over the years....

GA course postponed...

Apologies for those hoping to meet up with me in a month or so in London for the first of the year's Google Earth and Free GIS courses. The first course has not recruited enough delegates to go ahead, so will be cancelled - more dates available later in the year - the other dates that are available are included on this poster here:

See you in Leicester in January perhaps ?

New from Richard Treves...

Google Earth for Teachers resources.

As featured on GEarth Blog.http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2013/09/great-google-earth-resources-teachers.html

Go HERE to find introductory page to the online login.

Click ENTER AS GUEST and browse away...

The Checklist document is a useful one for those who want to develop their skills in a particular way, or create perhaps a Google Earth course, with certificate, for students to follow in their own time (or as part of prep or homework tasks...)

Check the YOUTUBE channel too...

Another really useful Google Earth link, and a useful reminder of some of the recent changes and updates.
Also read this to see how Google Earth has changed...

New sky diving game

Thanks to Keir Clarke for the link to the game.
You'll need to use CHROME to play it...

Sky dive onto famous landmarks, and steer between checkpoints and catch stars for points....

Give it a go...