COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 116
August 30, 2002
INFORMATIONAL
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TO: |
Division Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction |
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SUBJECT: |
Geography Connects An Interactive Online
Geography Course Beginning October 7, 2002 |
Geography Connects, an interactive online course for
Virginia teachers, will be offered this fall.
This class supports the Standards of Learning for teaching World History
to 1500 AD. The class is free for
Virginia teachers who wish to earn up to 45 recertification points, or it may
be taken for three graduate credits through Old Dominion University.
The class will be offered on the Internet at http://geoconnects.pwnet.org/ and is
supported with a CD-ROM. Registration
may be completed online at that website.
Teachers may register from September 3 to September 25, and the class
starts October 7. The course ends on
November 15.
The goals of the course are as follows:
connect the events of world history to their
geographical foundations;
connect the vocabulary of historical events and
processes;
connect the tools and concepts of geography to
analyses of historical events; and
provide lesson plans, resources, and links for
classroom teachers.
The course consists of five components, each of
which is expected to take approximately three hours. Each component includes learning and practice activities, letters
from the instructor, resource links, a discussion board, and quizzes. The CD-ROM contains videos that explain the
subject matter being discussed.
Teachers will find many ideas, resources, and links that will assist
them in the classroom. The course
includes the following five topics: the
geography behind history, world political map, geography of religion, trade and
commerce as shaped by geography and technology, and ancient Egypt and the
Fertile Crescent.
Don Zeigler, a professor of geography at Old
Dominion University since 1980, will teach the course. He regularly works with Virginia teachers to
improve their ability to teach the Standards of Learning. Please contact him at dzeigler@odu.edu or at (757) 683-3841 for
information about earning graduate credit.
Although the course is the same for everyone, teachers enrolled in
Geography Connects for credit will be required to complete a lesson or unit
plan.
For more information, please contact Beverly
Thurston (mailto:bthursto@pen.k12.va.us),
specialist, history and social science, office of middle instructional
services, at (804) 225-2893.