Webinar Schedule

National Conception Day... A Great Idea?

Wednesday, February 22, 2012
8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific

John Trites

Geography Teacher
Horton High School, Nova Scotia

In at least 1 region of the world it is perfectly acceptable to stay home from work one special day each year in order to try to conceive a child. If you are successful, and the birth occurs exactly 9 months later, you become eligible for prizes.
Numerous countries have attempted to influence the reproductive decisions of their citizens. Several of these government policies are well known, but there are also many lesser known but fascinating policies in existence. Some of these policies have included medals, reduced student loans, and even dating tips. This presentation will examine many of the policies throughout the world and highlight connections to other parts of the population units such as the Demographic Transition Model, Population Composition, and Population Movement.
John has been a high school geography teacher in Nova Scotia for 33 years and has been involved with the APHG course since it started. He was on the Test Development Committee for the first 7 years and has been involved in all the Readings as a Reader, Table Leader, or Question Leader. One of his and his students' favorite parts of the APHG course deals with Population Policies, and he is pleased to be able to share some of his ideas with you. Don't miss this imformative session.

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Tried & True: A Veteran Teacher's Approach to APHG Exam Prep

THURSDAY, March 22, 2012*
*this is the only webinar not on a Wednesday this spring*
8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific

Ken Keller

AP Human Geography Teacher

Danbury HS, Danbury, CT

Don't miss this session teachers to learn some established and successful methods on how best to prep your students to earn a score of "5" on the AP Human Geography exam. Emphasis will be placed on review methods to help students be successful on both multiple choice and free response questions. Participants will learn how to employ best practices related to teaching test taking strategies in the classroom as well as teaching their students some techniques to reduce stress and be more focused when they go to sit for the exam. An emphasis will also be placed on providing exam prep tips for teachers of 9^th graders.

Ken Keller has been teaching the course since its inception and has been an exam reader for the past ten years. Heteaches at Danbury High School in Danbury, Connecticut, and has been an exam scorer since 2002. He is a former member of the AP Human Geography Test Development Committee and servers on the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Curriculum and Instruction Committee. He has conducted numerous week-long institutes and one-day workshops, training new and experienced teachers of human geography, and he received the Distinguished Teaching Award from NCGE in 2004. Mr. Keller holds an MA in European History from Western Connecticut State University. Join us for a casual conversation on what works best for you and your students!

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The Geographic Advantage: Supporting Online Investigations in the Classroom

*PARTNERSHIP WEBINAR: FREE for EVERYONE!

Sponsored by Association of American Geographers (AAG)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific

Susan Gallagher Heffron

Sr. Project Manager for Geography Education

AAG

Washington, DC (via Australia)

Learn more about a free new resource, "The Geographic Advantage: An AAG Companion Website for Understanding the Changing Planet". This new web-based resource provides guided geographic investigations for students to illustrate the 11 research questions identified in the recent NRC report, Understanding the Changing Planet: Strategic Directions for the Geographical Sciences, at the K-12 level.

Dr. Susan Gallagher Heffron serves as the Senior Project Manager for Geography Education at the Association of American Geographers. In her current role, Heffron facilitates AAG projects for K-16 education with a special interest in K-12 teachers and learners. Her work includes facilitating the dissemination of research to inform classroom and online instructional strategies as well as effective teacher professional development experiences. Heffron completed a BA degree in Social Science Education, followed by a MA and PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Heffron taught at the middle and high school levels as well as higher education prior to her position at the AAG. She also served as a co-coordinator for Geographic Educators of Nebraska.

Join the discussion as she shares how students can explore geographic questions related to the themes of Environmental Change, Sustainability, Rapid Spatial Reorganization, and Technological Change. Each investigation includes a student activity that can be easily integrated into your existing course curriculum as well as additional resources for exploring and learning more about the research questions in the report. Don't miss the details on this rich resource!

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https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/699214110

Starting Your Own Geospatial Semester

Wednesday, April 4, 2012
8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific

Bob Kolvoord

Professor of Integrated Science and Technology and Educational Technologies, Co-Director of the JMU Center for STEM Education and Outreach & Interim Director of the School of Engineering

James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

Looking for ways to engage high school seniors with geospatial problems? Trying to find ways to bring geospatial technologies into the curriculum? Searching for different ways to engage students with Geography? The Geospatial Semester is a collaborative effort between James Madison University (JMU) and Virginia school districts. Students take a semester- or year-long course in geospatial technologies and pursue an extended, locally-based project. Faculty from JMU support the high school teachers and provide technical and project support. Best of all, students can earn JMU credit for their efforts. Currently in its 7th year, the Geospatial Semester has provided opportunities for students to get engaged with geographic thinking and geospatial technologies. In this webinar, we'll share details about the Geospatial Semester, examples of student work, and discuss how you can get the Geospatial Semester started in your locale.

Dr. Bob Kolvoord is a professor of Integrated Science and Technology and Educational Technologies at James Madison University. He also serves as the Co-Director of the JMU Center for STEM Education and Outreach and the Interim Director of the School of Engineering. His research centers on the use of data visualization and geospatial technologies by K-12 teachers and students, as well as how students' spatial thinking skills develop through the use of these tools. He's been active in developing curricula and providing professional development workshops for teachers for the past two decades, both in the US and abroad. With Kathryn Keranen, he is the co-creator of the Geospatial Semester and co-author of Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS (ESRI Press). In 2011, he was recognized by the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia's Outstanding Faculty Award (Teaching with Technology).

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Space, Place & Relationships: Exploring Spatial Cognition in 2012 and Beyond

DATE: Wednesday, April 11, 2012
8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central/6pm Mountain/5pm Pacific

Diana S. Sinton
Director of Spatial Curriculum and Research
University of Redlands, Redlands, CA

Nora S. Newcombe
Professor of Psychology
James H. Glackin Distinguished Faculty Fellow Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Welcome back Dr. Sinton and her esteemed psychology colleague, Dr. Newcombe as they guide us through the explorations of space, place and relationships. Psychologists, geographers, and educators have long studied how children and adults understand and use space, such as how we navigate, read maps, and manipulate objects in 3D. In this session we will review some of these complex questions and answers, and preview where this research agenda is going next. We will focus on topics particularly relevant to geographers and geographic education. Whether you're a researcher or educator, understanding more about these topics will infuse your endeavors with new perspectives. Don't miss it!

Diana Stuart Sinton is the Director of Spatial Curriculum and Research at the University of Redlands (California) where she leads LENS (LEarNing Spatially), a campus-wide initiative to integrate mapping and spatial perspectives into diverse academic disciplines. Her focus is the role for spatial literacy in higher education, a topic that she has written about in publications such as UnderstandingPlace: GIS and Mapping across the Curriculum (ESRI Press, 2007). At Redlands she helped to design a new Master of Arts in Education degree in Spatial Literacy Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education, and teaches its first course, Foundations of Spatial Thinking. She was a 2009-2010 SPLINT (Spatial Literacy in Teaching) Fellow at the University of Leicester (UK). Diana previously worked for NITLE, the National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education, where she developed mapping-based curriculum and taught workshops for faculty at many different universities. She has taught geography, GIS, and environmental studies courses at Alfred University and the University of Rhode Island. Diana holds a BA in Comparative Religions (Middlebury College) and MS and PhD degrees in Geography (Oregon State University).

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10 Tips for Easy Geotagging in Any Classroom