David Rogers

These photos were taken the last time I had the pleasure of walking in the Cairngorms. I'm hoping that the weather will be a little different this time around! The objective is to summit all 18 Munro's in the range over a 4ish (flexibility being the key). Can't wait for a little bit of wilderness! The expedition will be a warm up before heading to Skye and then taking on the 3 Peaks Challenge. There will also be a couple of teaching outcomes. I have (for the first time) planned my route using Anquet mapping software. Our actual track will be recorded using a GPS during the trip. The resulting comparison will be used to teach some map skills. I intend to explore the decision making process along the expedition route. The other projects are very much in progress. Using GPS information to make a GE file showing signs of human use in on of the most remote areas of Scotland. We should not come across a settlement for the length of the expedition. We'll be taking along a ca...

What would happen if you were to follow the journey made by a writer many years ago? What changes would have occurred? What would be the same? Would the culture of each place still be distinctively different today? I'm hatching a plan based on this book by Mark Twain. . . . .

The Apple Store on 5th Avenue - 24hour mac goodness! These days I wonder if pupils will identify Apple as the 'Big Apple' rather than New York? Just back from a trip to New York and turning my mind back to my looming MA dissertation. I have to say that I love going to the US because, to admit some of my dirty pleasures, it's about the only place in the world where I can enjoy a McDonald's or sip an ice cold Coke without thinking about how I've sold out to the American machine. I was also pleasantly surprised to experience the newish NY fashion of the decent pint of beer. To be honest, US ale is pants. However, I did enjoy some truly tasty ales - and not all accompanied by a huge stack of ribs or a burger. For example the Brooklyn Brewery and Heartland Brewery. Still not as good as real ale though! New York and the States has an immense sense of place - huge iconic images abound and I'm sure that most UK pupils will be more familiar with some of the New York lan...

It's time to catch up on the blog! This shot was taken at the end of a very long day traversing some of the Mammores range near Fort William. The range has a lovely ridge that stretches for miles. The great thing was the fact the we saw no one all day! This is us looking over a lovely loch. I really enjoy our trips into Scotland and this time I was allowed to turn my back on the looming Ofsted menace! What better way that 3 great hill days, a day on the mountain bike and a day inside the Ice Factor (it decided the rain that day!) I've also been keeping an eye on the SAIS blog for the area. I have been using the images and news to show classes just how quickly the weather can change in our upland areas!

Well, the new half term has arrived with a vengeance! On Friday I head off to Goa. You may remember that the young enterprise team I mentored: S.O.N. ,won the Linvoy Primus Enterprise Challenge. Their prize is a trip to Goa. I am really looking forward to the trip as the boys will be making some of their own videos, one of which will be uploaded to a new website that I am looking into. More on that on my return! I also hope to really use what I learnt on the recent Google Earth training to create resources that can be used with the rest of the school! The visit is being facilitated by missionaries in Goa and will include visits to orphanages and villages. Indeed, the team is required to provide a meal for an entire village out of their own funds. Anyway, last week it was a trip to Paris. Here's a little mystery. What does this represent? A few clues. A hunchback could have been found very close. The underground looks like this. Anyway, I'm going to continue to download some ne...

Wow! What a few weeks it has been. I'm afraid to say that I have been too busy to post but have vowed to get up to date this evening. One of the issues that has stopped me posting is that I have been unable to get photos uploaded - I've now solved this problem by using Picasa 's 'BlogThis!' function. I'm probably behind with this but if you don't use this method to upload photos to your blogger weblog I highly recommend it! Right, well the last post was all about skiing. I thought I'd put a little more detail. This first image shows Poutine. It's chips, cheese and gravy and is a traditional dish of Quebec. I have to say that I felt my arteries closing as I ate this but it was very very tasty. It got me thinking about how I should be eating locally inspired and sourced food wherever I am in the globe. This next photo shows the conditions near the top of Jay Peak by the Thursday. I have to say that I have never experienced snow like it! On the Monday...

Well I can say that I've defiantly caught the skiing bug. This week was my third trip in two years and after being introduced to powder skiing is it time to buy my own boots? I have to say that Jay Peak saw 25 inches of snow while we were there. Anyhow, I did get thinking about how skiing could be used to introduce many geographical ideas. Why are there french signs in a USA ski resort? Mountain Weather - I studied this at undergraduate level. Is climate change a problem for Jay Peak? - not last week! Diversification - How can ski resorts guarantee income all year round? Jay Peak have built a golf course. The environmental impact of skiing. Are the economic benefits worth it? How does skiing connect people across the globe? Where are our skies made?

Well, the school ski trip heads off tomorrow with me on it so I won;t be able to post for a while. We're heading to Jay Peak in Vermont - a part of the world that I have never ventured to so I'm very much looking forward to it! Hopefully there will be lots of geography related issues and I am keen to compare the impact of the ski industry in the area and how this will contrast to the European resorts (by the way did Scotland have a ski season this year? I usually venture up for a bit of winter mountaineering but couldn't this year!) I hope that everyone on their Easter break is having a great time!

I've spent the last few days on a Media / Leisure and Tourism trip to Disneyland Paris. The trip, put together by Study Experiences, focused on the marketing of this huge organisation. I have to say that the photo above sums up the experience! The roller coasters of course were great fun, although having to go to McDonald's to find the only decent coffee was a low point! Of course, as a Geographer I was on the look out for useful resources and opportunities. The Disney organisation is a great example of a TNC The selection of Paris over Spain is an interesting case study in location decision making From the top of one of the roller coasters the new developments are clear alongside traditional farm buildings and building sites And finally, the eventful weather of Thursday made the journey back an adventure! I hope to get some of these resources together at various points over the year. As for the marketing, the trip offered a wealth of information linked to the assignments of bo...