#662: Tectonic plate movement

Several animations: the first from ESRI

And one from Visual Capitalist:

Plate tectonic evolution from 1 Billion years ago to the present..mp4 from Visual Capitalist on Vimeo.

and finishing with this map which you can explore.

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/30/us/map-hometown-earth-continental-drift-scn-trnd/index.html

#604: QuickGIS

Andy Funnell has done a great job of collating a whole range of GIS tools into one place "for busy teachers" - and others.

It's called QuickGIS and is a Wordpress site that he has put together for the benefit of everyone.

Maps are shown in a series of categories.

A quick browse reveals some useful ones for teachers of all key stages. The 'Environment and Resources' tab for example takes you to various viewers and maps to explore ecosystems.

This ecoregions map is new to me, for example.

#183: Ordnance Survey survey on mapping and GIS

My hope would be that the new specification will involve an expectation of a deal of mapwork using the Ordnance Survey's mapping, plus ESRI GIS mapping and Survey123 for the collection and visualisation of fieldwork data. They may also need to use the MAGIC map, maps of National Landscapes etc and ensure that location and description of context is an important part when considering the range of habitats and how the landscape and Natural History of the UK has changed over the centuries.

I've been involved with the OS in numerous ways over the years: as a GetOutside Champion, author of support resources for Digimap for Schools and Digimap for Colleges / Mapstream. Also as an author of articles for Mapping News and other support for various campaigns and activities.

For many years Ordnance Survey has delivered support for education to encourage the awareness and use of high-quality geospatial data in the education sector and since 2020 this has been through an Education Plan, funded through the UK Government's Geospatial Commission (GC).
They are keen to gather evidence about how this has so far supported the work of teachers and consider what more they could be doing in this area. 

They would also like to understand what other training tools geography teachers currently access and the barriers that may be in place when using geographic information systems (GIS).

They are asking for 15 minutes (or so) of your time to complete a short survey. 

The survey is open to all geography teachers until Friday 8 December and the findings from it will help them to consider how to develop the Education Plan.

Complete the survey on this link.

#108: National Education Nature Park

📣 Exciting news for educators!

From 4 October, all education settings in England can join the National #EducationNaturePark!

This free programme helps young people boost biodiversity on their learning sites, develop green skills and connect to nature🍃https://t.co/bJYDy4T9bm pic.twitter.com/qprJFMqoxB

— Natural History Museum (@NHM_London) September 12, 2023

After a long period in preparation, the National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards site is going to be opening for schools to join in the coming week.

There is a free programme of events which will be provided. This is a programme which is associated with the development of the GCSE Natural History, but has been launched earlier than the draft specification.

An activity has been created to kick off the new resource. Join in on Wednesday the 4th of October.

Calling #teachers prepping for next week📚
Try the #EducationNaturePark Hidden Nature Challenge with your tutor or year group, PSHE, geography or science class, forest school or eco club🔎
Takes <20 mins, suitable for all ages 🧑🏾‍🤝‍🧑🏼
Join in on Wednesday 🗓️https://t.co/6n0dj8g8QI

— Jess Tipton 🌍 (@DrJessT_eco) October 1, 2023

Update 

The park featured on CBBC Newsround a day ago.

#28: National Nature Reserves Week 2023

 

There is a  week to celebrate National Nature Reserves in late May.

From the website:

National Nature Reserves are our most important places for nature, the beating heart of England’s landscapes. From Lindisfarne in Northumberland, to the Lizard in Cornwall. From ferny woodlands and ancient heaths, to glimmering wetlands and wild coasts. 

National Nature Reserves are not only precious, but as colourful and diverse as the wildlife and people who call them home.

These ancient and unique places are wildlife-rich, breath-taking, and play a vital role in securing our country’s amazing wildlife and geology. They are at the centre of landscapes and communities, providing the foundation and inspiration to work towards reducing the impact of climate change and increasing the resilience of our countryside, towns and cities for people and wildlife. They are at the heart of a growing nature recovery network. National Nature Reserves act as outdoor laboratories where learning, science and discovery come together. Time is running out for our wildlife and ancient landscapes. Our reserves are helping us to find the answers to tackle the threats of climate change and biodiversity loss.

From the very first six in 1952, there are now 221 National Nature Reserves in England. 

Almost two thirds of these are managed by Natural England, but also by over 60 different partner organisations including the National Trust, Wildlife Trusts, RSPB, local authorities and many other landowners and conservation bodies. These NNR partners all work together to ensure our most important places for nature thrive, and are protected for people to enjoy.

One useful activity would be to consider where your nearest National Nature Reserve is, and what format it takes.

To find them, you can use an interactive map produced by Natural England, and accessible from this link.

My nearest NNR is Foxley Woods, famous for its bluebells at the right time of year.

This is also an SSSI: a Site of Special Scientific Interest. 

These acronyms will also need to be part of the supporting materials for the new specification and we will be providing a list of them as part of the rsources we will be creating around the blog.