Digital Maps

There are a number of sources of free digital maps of the UK. I have been using Multimap www.multimap.com as this now includes Ordanance Survey Maps and aerial photos of the UK. For some locations there are also higher quality aerial photos in the Bird’s Eye view section. The terrain feature in Google Maps http://maps.google.co.uk/ is also worth a look. Other sources of maps include  MS Live http://maps.live.com/ and the Ordanance Survey site which also includes games and activities to improve children’s mapping skills. www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

To create our own maps we used the map making activity on the Teacherled website  www.teacherled.com/2008/06/01/map-maker/ before looking at World Maps through Google Earth. http://earth.google.com/

 

Environmental Issues

Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gasses you produce in a year. If you have been wondering how much that is, you can work it out with BP’s carbon footprint calculator.

At the end of the process, you are given the number of tonnes of CO2 you generate in a year and can compare this to your country’s average. Click “What you can do” and “Quiz” on the left of the site to find suggestions on ways you can cut down your CO2 emissions.

On a similar theme the Climate Cops from NPower help teach children about saving energy in a fun and engaging way. There is also a site for adults with energy saving tips.

BBC Learning Zone

Another great resource highlighted by Ictopus is the BBC learning Zone which:

“provides rich audio-visual material for use in primary and secondary schools and colleges. These short videos have been selected to match the curriculum; they can be used in many ways, from the stimulation and engagement of students to the delivery of very specific learning points. Try searching by subject and topic or by keyword”.

Topic Box

Regular visitors to the Coxhoe Durham or Snaith Primary websites will appreciate just how useful it is to have all those online educational resources in one place. I have just read about a new one called Topic Box on the Little Miss Teacher blog and have been to have a look around. The brightly coloured and easy to navigate website aims to electronically replace those dusty old plastic storage boxes which look promising but generally fail to deliver. Already there are 2131 resources in 174 different topics which can be rated by anyone who downloads them. Tell your friends and let me know if you come across any other similar sites.

 

Primary Geography Resources

I had a quick look at the Global Eye website at the Wiltshire Primary Geography Conference today. It has lots a good detail about different countries and focus topics. The latest addition is all about the Nile and focuses on Water. Click on ‘back issues‘ and you have access to an archive of previous issues covering a range of countries and topics.

Museum Resources

www.show.me.uk is a collection of free online games and interactive content from  the UK’s museums and galleries. There are sections for both parents and teachers and information about the museums and galleries in your area. The site contains a diverse range of content such as the art and design tips from the Birmingham museum and art gallery:

http://www.schoolsliaison.org.uk/kids/landscape.htm

Other historical resources can also be found at the Wiltshire History Quest:

http://www.swgfl.org.uk/Wiltshistoryquest/contents.html

supplied by freefoto.com

A Village in India

Many thanks to the ICT subject leader at Priestley Primary School for recommending the following link which allows students to explore the real village of Arampur in India.

http://virtualvillage.wesleyan.edu/