Australian Curriculum Geography Consultation Forum

SAVE THE DATE - GTAQ AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHY CURRICULUM FORUM

On Thursday February 9th GTAQ will be hosting a forum discussion to provide members with the opportunity to provide feedback on the Draft Australian Geography Curriculum. The discussions at this forum will guide GTAQ in their official response to the Australian Geography Curriculum. All GTAQ members and other interested geography teachers are invited to attend.

The forum will be held at 4:30pm, at the Royal Geographic Society of Queensland, 237 Milton Road, Milton.

Please RSVP by Wednesday 8th February via email - rnich101@eq.edu.au for catering purposes.

We also encourage regional members who cannot attend the Brisbane meeting to hold their own consultation and provide this feedback to GTAQ. These members should also contact Rebecca Nicholas for a consultation package designed to help them organise and synthesize their findings.

If you are unable to attend and would still like to provide some feedback, go to The Australian Curriculum Consultation Online page and complete the online survey. The draft F-12 Australian Geography Curriculum can be found here, or a printable copy can also be downloaded here. To access the curriculum or survey, you will need to register on the Australian Curriculum site.

Please bring a copy of the F-12 Australian Geography Curriculum and any comments to the forum. Refreshments will be provided.

Geography Websites of the Moment November 2011

As a regular occurance we'll be putting up a post that highlights the most useful, inspiring, relevant, informative, distinctive and fun websites out there related to our wonderful subject. Now, what were you about to do with the next hour or so? Enjoy!

Population Reference Bureau’s 2011 Population Data Sheet

Every year the Population Reference Bureau collates a range of global demographic data and presents their Population Data Sheet to millions of waiting educators and demographers. The 2011 version can be accessed as a pdf document but you can also use their interactive map application to view the data in a different format to the traditional table. 

Gapminder

Gapminder is an amazing data visualisation tool that really sets the standard in terms of viewing development data over time. Creator Hans Rosling is a mini-celebrity in his own right and his wonderful presentations on a range of engagingdevelopment topics can be found on the TED website.  Take time out to explore this site after watching Hans in action.

WWFWildfinder

The WWF Wildfinder site is a simple spatial tool that allows you to search for an animal species in order to generate a Google Map showing the extent of that species. You can view a variety of basemaps, including satellite imagery and links are provided off to other WWF resources related to some species.

GeoscienceAustralia’s natural hazards portal

We’re coming into that time of the year when we batten down the hatches, bring in all the loose stuff floating around the yard, clean out the gutters, prepare our escape plans and generally prepare for the worst. Yes, it’s hazard season! The good thing about this time of the year is that there are always opportunities to reinforce the content you have covered in class by looking at what is happening across our state and country. Geoscience Australia have put together this hazards ‘portal’, which consists of links through to all of their resources for students that are related to natural hazards. There is great information and it is very appropriate for secondary students; very useful for research tasks or even as a tool for you to grab figures and other resources for use in class.

MapZone – Ordnance Survey

The UK’s Ordnance Survey is essentially the UK equivalent to Australia’s Geoscience Australia. Here they have collated a range of resources for teachers and students related to the teaching of Geography. There are notes, games, figures, diagrams and other information to help you and your students grasp general spatial concepts such as scale and latitude and longitude. There is a lot of content that is of very high quality, just don’t get too distracted by the games!

AGTA 2013 Conference - Geography's New Frontier

The AGTA 2013 Conference page has gone active on the AGTA Website at http://www.agta.asn.au/conf2013/index.htm

The conference titled, ‘Geography’s New Frontier’, will be a crucial event in relation to the introduction of the Australian Curriculum for geography in 2013 (to be held in Perth from January 7th-10th 2013)

The information on the AGTA website at shows that we have international speakers of significant note presenting keynotes at the conference. They include the leading geographical educators from the UK; Professor David Lambert (CEO of the UK Geography Association) and Professor Simon Catling (Primary Geography specialist from Brookes Oxford University). The work of these two gentleman has been very influential in the development of the Australian Curriculum for geography over recent years.For more details on David and Simon go to http://spatialworlds.blogspot.com/2011/11/without-geography-world-would-be.html

Please consider putting in a workshop proposal and/or expression of interest for this conference as they are wonderful networking opportunities with a wide range of high-quality presentations in all fields of geography education.  Although January 2013 seems a long way away, the time  will go fast and it will be on again for AGTA at the Perth conference.

National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2012

Date Claimer for your 2012 Calendar

Entries for the 2012 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition close on the 29th February 2012. The competition will run between 26th March and the 4th of April across the country.

Full details are sent to all secondary schools in mid January, and are on the competition website from late December

Interested primary teachers can use the information on the web or contact us directly.

For information on why you should enter your students in the competition, or for promotion in your school, click on the following link - National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition Poster.

Nathan Wolfe's Jungle Search for Viruses

This is a great video that may be useful when teaching the Geography of Disease.

Virus hunter Nathan Wolfe is outwitting the next pandemic by staying two steps ahead: discovering deadly new viruses where they first emerge -- passing from animals to humans among poor subsistence hunters in Africa -- before they claim millions of lives.

Free PD Event - Our Community, Our World - Rebuilding Societies After Disasters

The past year alone has brought an unprecedented number of disasters throughout the world, with millions of people having been affected. We've seen floods in Queensland and Vitoria, floods in Pakistan, Brazil and the Philippines, an earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as earthquakes in New Zealand and china.

Many of us have had first-hand experience of the tremendous amount of turmoil, disruption and heartache associated, with the after effects lasting not just a few weeks, but rather years and sometimes decades.

In the past ten years, disasters have killed an average of 98 000 people each year and destroyed the homes and livelihood's of millions more. When there is a loss of infrastructure, a lack of drinkable water, roads are destroyed, families are displaced without shelter, with many at risk of malnutrition and diseases such as cholera and malaria, the enormity of the task at hand can seem overwhelming. And the impact of a disaster is not evenly spread, as unequal power relationships can meant that women and children are disproportionally affected and their differing needs are not always addressed.

So what happens when the cameras stop rolling? what happnes in the wake of disasters and what can we do to help mitigate the impact of these? How do we ensure that local knowledge and communities are acknowledged and included as crucial to effective responses? And what are the potential obstacles when it comes to rebuilding not just homes, but people's lives?

BRISBANE EVENT FEATURING:

• Trish Broadbridge - Founder of REach Broadbridge Foundation


• Dr. Chiung-wen (Julia) Hsu - Associate Professor at Naitonal Cheng Chi University, Taiwan and former Journalist for China Television Company


• Caitlin Wilson - Director of Humanitarian Emergency Response, AusAID


• Major General Richard Wilson AO - Chari, Queensland Reconstruction Authority


• Terri Begley (Moderator) - Presenter, Mornings on 612 ABC Brisbane

Date: Tuesday 15th November 2011
Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm (entry from 5:30pm)
Venue: State Library of Queensland, Stanley Place, South Bank
Free Entry - Please RSVP by clicking on the following link - RSVP

GOLD COAST EVEN FEATURING:

• Dr. Chiung-wen (Julia) Hsu - Associate Professor at Naitonal Cheng Chi University, Taiwan and former Journalist for China Television Company


• Andrew Judge - Chief Executive Officer, SurfAid International


• Judy Moore - Humanitarian Advisor and former Senior Relief Coordinator for World Vision's Global Rapid Response team


• Tim Cox (Moderator) - ABC Gold Coast's Breakfast Presenter

Date: Monday 14th November 2011
Time: 6:00pm to 7:30pm (entry from 5:30pm)
Venue: The Arts Centre, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise
Free Entry -Please RSVP by clicking on the following link - RSVP

SPECIAL FREE EVENT FOR SCHOOLS - Gold Coast

Date: Monday 14th November 2011
Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Venue: The Arts Centre, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise
Free Event - Please RSVP to alicia.rennie@worldvision.com.au

For more information on the speakers or the event, go to One Just World.

2013 AGTA Conference - Register your Interest

The final draft of the Australian Geography Curriculum was realeased on Thursday the 20th October and with the final curriculum documents to be released in October 2012, the conference will be a great opportunity to gain new insights and ideas to assis you with implementing the new Australian Geography Curriculum. With these developments we believe the conference theme, 'AGTA 2013 - Geography's New Frontier', aptly describes the opportunities the new curriculum will offer geographical educators. Perth and Western Australia may also offer you the opportunity to explore some new frontiers.

The four-day event is to be held at Perth College between Janyary 7th-10th, 2013. International and Australiasian Geography teachers and academics will be invited to the conference to participate in a stimulating education program of presentations, hands on workshops and field trips. We anticipate an unprecedented attendance at the conference in response to the need for professional learning as a result of the requirements of the new F-12 Geography Curriculum. 250 teachers from around Australia attended the last AGTA conference held in Adelaide, South Australia.

As well as the academic program, an exciting social program highlighting some of the best of Western Australia is being developed. Pre conference tours (2nd-5th January), a Swan Valley tour, (6th January), a Welcome BBQ, (6th January), the legendary AGTA Games - state versus state and a Conference Celebration Dinner are all being planned. All participants will be provided with a range of free resources and materials including all AGTA Conference keynote and workshop materials provided by presenters.

The bi-annual AGTA Conference is the premier school geography educator's professional development event in Australia. AGTA 2013 will be a pivotal and crucial event in the implementation of the Australian Curriculum Geography. We would encourage you to set aside these dates in January 2013 to attend AGTA 2013. WE would love as many geographers around Australia participate in this watershed happening for school geography.

Details of AGTA 2013 will be live on the AGTA conference website by mid November and on line registrations will open by April 2012. We will keep you regularly informed with program updates and details via the website and regular emails. The AGTA 2013 committee looks forward to your participation.