Join the National Humanities Center’s network of humanities educators from around the country in this great opportunity for professional growth and teacher leadership – apply now to join their Teacher Advisory Council for the upcoming school year! Applications are due May 6th.

March 20, 2019
7:15 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Offered in support of the VGA/ESRI Mapping Competition, but all Virginia ArcGIS Online users are welcome to attend.

To register send an email to vgamapstory@gmail.com by March 18

Flyer

Pictorial Maps: The Art, History, and Culture
of this Popular Map Genre

Library of Virginia
Saturday, April 27, 2019

Hosted by the Fry-Jefferson Map Society, the 16th Annual Voorhees Lecture and programs are free for Fry-Jefferson Map Society members and Semper Virginia Society members. There is a $10 fee for nonmembers. Additional programming throughout the day includes: pictorial map exhibition (10:00 AM–4:00 PM), map appraisals by Old World Auctions (10:00 AM–Noon), tours of the Conservation Lab (10:15 AM and 11:15 AM, registration required), and a workshop on “Exploring Maps in LVA’s DigiTool” (11:00 AM, registration required). Lectures by  Dr. Stephen J. Hornsby and Eliane Dotson (1:00 PM-3:00 PM.)

Box lunches are available for pre-order only.

Join us and register here: //bit.ly/2HHhvnZ

 Flyer

Recognizing the many ways GIS can enhance classroom teaching, VGA assembled a team of practicing teachers to create a series of best practice historical GIS Story Maps. The goal of this collection, Placing Primary Sources, is to provide K-16 teachers with interactive and dynamic classroom materials that highlight the role that geography played in shaping key events and episodes of American History.

Developed by teachers for teachers, each story map contains carefully selected primary sources that are embedded into a multi-layered ArcGIS Online Story Map.  A Teacher’s Guide and Student Guide that follow the inquiry process accompany each Story Map.

Chris Bunin, Albemarle High School, Project Director
Project made possible with support from the Virginia Geographic Alliance, The Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region, and Esri (Environment Science Research Institute).

 2019 Chesapeake Bay Institute:  An Interconnected System.  Today, Tomorrow, and Into the Future

The three-day institute (July 9 – 12, 2019) will take place at VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory in Wachapreague, Virginia and features a field experience to Tangier Island.  The Institute emphasizes the intersection of human-environmental systems by focusing on curriculum topics such as water quality, climate change, people, place, and aquaculture.  Participants will formulate questions, collect data, and use spatial analysis tools.  Professional training and the development of integrative course materials for (AP) Environmental Science, Earth Science, World Geography, and AP Human Geography curriculum.   The Institute will also integrate approaches using the National Geographic Geo-Inquiry Process as a framework and serve to enhance collaboration across curriculum content and pedagogy.  Online applications are due by May 1, 2019.  Cost is free to Virginia educators ($125 otherwise).

Should there be any questions, please contact Jamie Young (Jamie.Young@VBSchools.com) or Mike Allen (mallen@odu.edu) directly.

Participating in a National Geographic fellowship program for teachers, Judith Painter spent 14 days on an expedition to the Antarctic. Read more in this Roanoke Times feature article.

2019 conference proposals are now being accepted for the 2019 NCGE Annual Meeting, November 22-24, 2019, at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas. Proposal Deadline: March 3, 2019.

The National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) is co-hosting our 2019 annual conference with the National Council for Social Studies (NCSS) and the Texas Council for the Social Studies (TCSS).

All 2019 conference proposals, including proposals usually submitted through the NCGE website, will now be submitted through NCSS. Please note that while you will be submitting proposals directly on the NCSS website, NCGE will be receiving and reviewing all geography related sessions that are submitted.

More information on the submission process can be found here.

Explore Iceland’s changing landscapes and diverse environments, July 7-14, 2019. The institute is a graduate-level equivalent, short course in geographic inquiry and field methods for in-service teachers and education professionals.  Complete applications due January 15, 2019. For more information go to http://ncge.org/geocamp.

Alliance Coordinators and Leaders,

In an effort to enable the state geography alliances to continue to support the teachers in your states, NCGE has been asked to step into the role of national facilitator of the alliance network starting in 2019. The role of a national organizational body will evolve over time as the needs of the alliances change and opportunities present themselves; however, based upon input from the state alliances, NCGE’s initial role will be:

•Facilitating communication within and among the alliances;
•Coordinating the collection and distribution of alliance-created content where necessary, so as not to loose any valuable teacher-created resources;
•Hosting informational and networking meetings of alliance coordinators for the purpose of exchanging ideas, sharing successes and tackling challenges in supporting and promoting geography education in the states;
•Working with state alliances to identify funding opportunities to support professional development activities for teachers in your states.

The mission of NCGE is to help develop geographically literate students by working with and supporting educators across the U.S. To this end, we see the tremendous value of the grassroots network of K-12 teachers working closely with academic faculty the state geography alliances have developed over the years. Our objective is to support the state and local efforts of your teachers and to see the alliance network has an even greater impact in every state.

In addition, NCGE has waived the annual $1,000 alliance membership fee and is extending a $25 annual membership and renewal for all current and former geography alliance members. (Alliance members can visit the NCGE website, click on “Join Now.” Use the code: Alliance-25 at check out for the $25 membership for new or renewing member.)

A NCGE board member will be reaching out to you directly to assess the specific needs of your alliance and discuss appropriate next steps. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly at the information below.

Together, we can continue to allow the important work of the state alliances to continue and grow.

Sincerely,
National Council for Geographic Education

Ken Keller, President
Zach Dulli, Executive Director

What: 2019 Educator Academy in the Amazon Professional Development
When: July 1-11, 2019

Scholarships: $1250 Amazon Workshops Scholarships for K-12 Educators
Application Deadline: February 1, 2019
Get more info: http://amazonworkshops.com/educator-academy/

The July 1-11, 2019 Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru is a cross-curricular professional development workshop for formal and informal science educators. Highlights include:

• 21st Century Instruction: 5E Lesson Design ~ Inquiry-Based Exploration ~ STEM
• Inquiry Protocols & Resources: Vernier Software & Technology ~ Celestron Digital Microscopes
• Global and Cultural Perspectives: Service Learning ~ Sustainability ~ Global Education
• NEW! A specialized track for HS bio and environmental science educators with a focus on sustainability, conservation, and field work with the Maijuna indigenous community
• Work side-by-side with scientists and researchers on citizen science projects and field studies.
• Explore the ¼ mile long ACTS Peru Rainforest Canopy Walkway in one of the world’s most biologically diverse environments.
• Work with fellow educators to explore strategies for using the Amazon as a vehicle for incorporating STEM education, inquiry-based learning, and sustainability science education into your classroom.

Get the details and download a syllabus and scholarship application at: http://amazonworkshops.com/educator-academy/

NOTE: Last year they had very few applications and would like to make sure that the funding is utilized this year! 

Contact Educator Academy Director, Christa Dillabaugh, for more information:
Email: christa@amazonworkshops.com // phone: 1-800-431-2624.