David Rogers

Social media, such as Twitter, allows young people access to events around the world, as they happen.  This presents the geography teacher with a powerful opportunity to drive geographical enquiry.  The Slideshare embedded above supports a lesson I taught to a range of students a few weeks ago.  Apologies for the late posting, it’s been a busy few weeks! This lesson allows young people to evaluate Twitter as a source of information. The first images are taken from the Twitter language maps of London and New York .  They link to the work of Professor Paul Longley , who received a medal at the RGS(IBG) ceremony earlier this term. The images are a great starter, and the maps can be explored in detail from following the links. Next, we explored the use of hashtags and some (at least they were then) recent news events. The photo complete introduced the study area. I always enjoy these activities as it allows young people to use visual evidence and allows their im...

This is a post that has been fermenting for some time and is linked to some conversations on Twitter after securing a job as an Assistant Head Teacher. Some thought at the time that Twitter is some form of amazing job getting mega thing. Others still insist on calling it the best CPD in the known universe. I may embellish a little of course... But. This is the thing. Twitter is pants. It's the people who engage with others through twitter and the careful selection of who you interact with that makes twitter an amazing tool for connecting like minded professionals.  As the search above demonstrates, twitter is full of rubbish.  Also, this place is full of resource grabbing life sucking people who have always existed on Internet forums and the like. It's also full of muppets who are happy to badger and harass those who give up their own time for the greater good, Jo Debens and the set up of a Geography Dropbox being a prime and recent example.   There are also those who don...

This post supports today’s session.  The slideshare are embedded below – please feel free to get in touch if you would like to see where they fit in! Also, try to join the Partners in Learning Network for a lot of free resources, and follow the #ukiefuk and #itmeet hashtag for two conferences next week. Especially if you are interested in using technology to transform learning. Getting to grips with enquiry View more presentations from David Rogers . I’ve also included the responses from Twitter during the session, well worth adding to your followers list while you get started! Here is the video highlighted by Doug Belshaw that explains Twitter in education in just 60 seconds:   @GeoBlogs – Follow conferences with inspirational speakers e.g. #nc10 ; crowdsource ideas; get feedback on work. @paulhaigh – Split social into facebook and professional networking to another (e.g. twitter) and get personalised CPD for life @jobadge – Why bother with twitter?...

This post is aims to consolidate most of the information on using Social Media in the classroom.  Regular readers will find much of this familiar. The overview of the project is contained in this Virtual Classroom Tour submitted to the UK Partners in Learning network: Pirates and Social Networking View more presentations from David Rogers . The original lesson evaluation and story can be viewed at this post . This webinar given to European teachers and initiated by the Croatian branch of Partners in Learning also sums up how Twitter can be used to support learning. In particular, additional applications of the method are discussed. The webinar was recorded live, and starts 6 minutes into the recording, so you may wish to skip there! The file is available to download here . This post describe how the same methods were used to explore the Haitian earthquake. I have tried to share the technique widely, through this blog and also through face-to-face training sessio...

This photograph was taken the last time I was in Snowdonia.  I’m aiming to use the connections of Twitter for a textbook activity.  All I need is the answer to the following question: ‘What is unique about Mount Snowdon?’ Feel free to respond through a comment below, or through Twitter by tweeting me @daviderogers (don’t forget the ‘e’!) Many thanks :-)

I’ve wanted to start running for a while now, especially as many of those connected to me via Twitter run.  I’ve never got on with running, even in my hyper-fit teen years.  I asked for some tips and advice via Twitter.  Thank you to all who replied, here are the responses: The most common advice was to buy some good running shoes, to start small, and to run little and often. @ Keith_Fowler recommended Run , a shop in Worthing (who have a great, simple website). I’ll be heading there next week. Go even when you don't really want to. Use an App to record (added incentive) go steady - it gets easier - @ dughall . This is good advice which I can relate to through other outdoor activities. Start small - short distances , work up to longer distances - start with running 5 mins then walking 1 min to build stamina.  I love my Nike+ keeps me motivated to run further, faster, and more often! @ jdeyenberg Get decent shoes, do little and often. works for me, then s...

Another interesting development today, and one more good reason to get involved in Microsoft’s Partners in Learning network .  I spent 45 minutes talking to Croatian teachers via Live Meeting all about the Pirates and Social Networking Project . Regular readers may know a bit already about the project already. and how it was selected by Stuart and Kristen to represent the UK along with four other projects in Berlin in March this year.  I have to say that the decision to get involved in Partners in Learning was a good one, and new opportunities always present themselves. You can find out more about the four projects here and here . The webinar (still sounds like a made up word re gardless of how many times I hear it!) is available to view by clicking the link below.  You will have to enter a few details. The webinar starts about 4min 50 in, and I start talking at around 7 minutes. The 30 minute (ish) talk is a good summary of the project and its impact. It’...

As a geography teacher it is really important that we cover what is happening now.  The recent events in Iceland are an excellent example of an opportunity to introduce ‘Floating Topicality’ (a term coined by Jeff Stanfield the Hampshire Geography Inspector) into the curriculum. This post aims to demonstrate that this is a relatively straight forward process if you are a connected teacher.  I define this to be a teacher that involves themselves in continuous CPD through online communities. There are plenty of great resources being put together by teachers out there.  I had to focus on getting some guidelines for Controlled Assessment together so didn’t have time to find resources myself.  The lesson went like so: As the class entered the room a Flickr slideshow of Iceland volcano images was playing.  In addition, a playlist of volcano related tunes were playing thanks to my Twitter network.  I also added a live feed via tweetdeck searches: #as...

The BBC's Newsround were due in today to cover a story about using Twitter to support learning. They didn't turn up, but we had great fun anyway! Two of the students acted as reporters during the lesson, so I'll let them sum up! The lesson required very little planning, the main point was to collect some questions beforehand: After some internet safety discussions, the students paired off and selected a lucky dip question: the tweets were printed off and cut up. My laptop case provided the 'hat' :-) The lesson was livened up by some great interaction via my Twitter account. Students used a netbook, connected to my classroom's wifi,to communicate. The live feed was displayed for the class to see. An unexpected impact was the personalisation of learning. If the initial questions was too difficult to explore, pupils soon chose a new question from the live feed. In addition, I used Ian the iPhone to snap pictures of good work that were broadcast on the live fe...

With the news over the weekend that Haiti is to have its debt wiped out, I'm going to explore events around the earthquake again tomorrow with Year 8. To do this I am going to need your help! What questions would you like answered by my classes? How would you like the information presented? You can send me your questions in two ways: Ideally, send me a Tweet @daviderogers , or Leave a comment here! I hope to Tweet live from the lesson tomorrow, so if you are online between 8:40 and 9:40 and fancy saying hello it would be good to hear from you! We will be entertaining some visitors from the BBC's Newsround team during the lesson - so let's show the media how social media can be used as a powerful learning tool!

Wasn't able to get to TeachMeet tonight. I have embedded the talk I would have given below.

I have been playing around with a new (to me) way to use a Personal Learning Network during lessons this week. I wanted a quick way of providing some formative feedback to pupils that wasn't necessarily dependant on getting a response. So, armed with the iPhone, I took photographs of work that I was pleased with. I then uploaded the photo using a Twitter App. My tweets and pics were then displayed to the class using a projector. This had a number if effects: Students' felt motivated and praised if a photograph of their work as used. Other young people in the class could see examples of good work, and use this information to modify or improve their own efforts. Some feedback was received 'live.' When this was communicated to pupils they became even more motivated to improve their work. What is important here is that there was no need for any live responses. Just the act of sharing the work during the lesson was enough for pupils' to feel praised and their work valued...

A return to the classroom today after a mega event: the Partners in Learning UK Innovative Teachers Forum . The event brought together like minded teachers and other professionals who have a love of learning. I was also impressed to see some students in one of the workshops. I was there to talk about my Pirates and Social Networking . There was a lot of interest in the project. I wish to clarify though, that the project is not about invading the social network that learners inhabit. Instead, the project uses a teachers Personal Learning Network as a model and data collection tool. The conference also had plenty of time to network. This is what a lot of similar events lack, instead relying on an almost relentless procession of keynotes and workshops. I really enjoyed having the time to reflect upon the workshops and conversations with others. This time to ponder means that it is more likely that ideas will be integrated into our Geography curriculum. There is a real buzz back at school ...

This is a picture of a meal I ate on the advice of a total stranger . This situation is all Ollie Bray's fault. Let me explain. After the SAGT annual conference on Saturday, I was on my own in Edinburgh. I was hungry. So I asked my Twitter network for recommendations. @digitalmaverick came up with The Advocate just off the Royal Mile. There, I enjoyed a very tasty pint of ale and Scottish Game and Blackberry Bangers and Mash. To me, this is a great way of using a social network. So what's it got to do with Ollie? In 2006 I sat through his 50 Ideas in 50 minutes workshop at the SAGT conference. I was impressed by his energy and one of his ideas was to start reading blogs. So I did. This led me to starting this blog, which is now close to having 20,000 reads. In turn, this led me down the road of Twitter and all things innovation and madness. Ok, so it's not all Ollie's fault. SLN, Alan Parkinson and Dan Raven-Ellison has lots to do with it also. Today, I repeat...

Twitter is a great resource to use in the classroom. However, it's very difficult to create a sustainable use of Twitter. By sustainable, I mean that a lesson could be used for each of our 10 classes across each year group in a secondary school with 1,250 pupils. That's a lot of good will from my Personal Learning Network. So how can we ensure that the use of Twitter becomes embedded in our curriculum? As a curriculum leader it is vital that any teaching initiative can be applied across the whole age and ability range. As an eLearner it is important that other curriculum leaders and staff see that any initiative can easily and effectively embedded into the curriculum. 'What do you mean sir, you're still learning?' Of course, using Twitter as a CPD tool for teachers is great, and I'm enjoying talking to pupils about how I use Twitter to develop my own learning. This role modeling should rub off as a model of professional behaviour and lifelong learning. The...

I have just been watching the excellent ICT resources on the Teachers TV website. The series is entitled 'Better learning with ICT' and will be an excellent resource for CPD. While watching this one , I noticed that ,my school has been included as a case-study of how to use online communities. To find the video, start the main enhanced clip and then select 'Online Communities: KS 3 Examples'. My class would be interested to know what you think! Many thanks to Tony Cassidy for the pirates idea, and to some of my Twitter contacts.

This post is being set up for a lesson tomorrow. Year 8! Use the comment function below to leave your thoughts and ideas on the following questions: 1. What do you want people to know about modern day piracy? 2. What issues need to be considered when producing information to share on the internet? 3. How could the information be presented while maintaining the geographical information? Image created using http://www.wordle.net and used through a Creative Commons License

Teachers TV are popping in on Thursday morning to talk about and film Twitter's use in the classroom. Wanting to avoid a recreation of the Cheese on Toast experiment, I will be using a more profound question linked to Year 8's work on Interdependence and Piracy. The idea of using Twitter is to provide a fresh perspective that reaches beyond the classroom and an opportunity to handle real qualitative data. I'll be tweeting a question later on today. I'm also going to tap into my Facebook network. It's a big ask - but it would be great if you could find the time to tweet / comment an answer. The question is: 'What are the first 5 words that you think of after hearing the term 'pirate'?' You can find me on Twitter here .

The Textbooks: everyone's guilty pleasure workshop is now available as 10 handy YouTube clips. The idea was to provide a resource that can be used for CPD. Here's my favorite clip: And also tip 2 that talks about Twitter The others can be found on the Folens website . Make sure you watch in High Quality to be able to see the slides.

It's coursework time for Year 10. During the first lesson I like to over emphasise the importance of the Introduction. The Introduction View more presentations from geogrocks . I also like to give some top tips for completing the project. This time I asked my Twitter network to share their top tip for completing coursework. This was a very last minute idea as I was about to start the lesson 10 minutes later. I receive a number of responses that I shared with the class. The engagement was excellent. In addition, the class seemed to value the fact that similar messages were coming from educators from around the country. The class were then asked to write their own top tip in less than 140 characters. The top tips shared can be found on the GCSE Coursework support blog Think you to those who replied so promptly. In the future, with a longer lead in time, I think that this technique could be a very effective use of Twitter.