COMMONWEALTH
OF VIRGINIA
P.O.
BOX 2120
RICHMOND,
VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 87
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Geography Connects An Interactive Online
Geography Course Beginning June 23, 2003 |
Geography Connects, an interactive online course for
Virginia teachers, will be offered this summer. 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' registration will end on June 9, and class starts June 23. The course
ends on August 1.
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; the 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 (bthursto@pen.k12.va.us),
specialist, history and social science, Office of Middle Instructional
Services, at (804) 225-2893.