COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
PRINS. MEMO NO. 1
January 7, 2003
ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE/SECONDARY
|
TO: |
Principals |
|
FROM: |
Patricia I.
Wright Assistant
Superintendent for Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Geography
Connects An Interactive Online Geography Course Beginning February 17, 2003 |
Geography
Connects, an interactive online course for Virginia teachers, will be offered
this spring. 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 January 6 to
February 6, and the class starts February 17.
The course ends on March 28.
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.