Geography Department Weather Forecasting Contests in the 21st Century

Abstract

The benefits of weather forecasting contests within geography departments are reaffirmed. The greatly increased ease of conducting such contests in the new millennium is stressed. Some of the specifics of the forecasting contest at Salisbury University are discussed. In addition, the advantages of a departmental contest over a national contest are presented, and suggestions for future research are listed.     

Notes

Abstract

J. N. L. Baker. The History of Geography. Barnes &; Noble, Inc., 105 Fifth Ave., New York 3, N.Y., 1963. xxviii and 266 pages with table of contents and index. $7.50.

R. J. Harrison Church. Environment and Policies in West Africa. D. Van Nostrand Co. Inc., 120 Alexander St., Princeton, N.J., 1963. 135 pages with table of contents, maps, diagrams and general index. $1.45.

Richard M. Highsmith, and J. Granville Jensen. Geography of Commodity Production, Second Edition. J. B. Lippincott Co., East Washington Sq., Philadelphia 5, Pa., 1963. 515 pages with table of contents, maps, photographs, graphs and index. $7.95.

Oliver H. Heintzelman and Richaid M. High-smith, Jr., World Regional Geography. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1963, 2nd edition. 391 pages with table of contents, pictures, maps, diagrams, and index. $7.95.

Gerd Fraenkel with Lindley J. Stiles. Today's World in Focus: Israel. Ginn and Co., Statler Building, Boston 17, Mass., 1963. 122 pages with table of contents with black and white photographs with colored illustrations, appendices and bibliography. $1.40.

Thomas Sterling. Exploration of Africa. Horizon Caravel Books, 551 Fifth Ave., New York 17, N.Y., 1963. 153 pages with table of contents, maps, color and black and white illustrations and index. $3.95.

C. W. Harrison. Conservationists and What They Do. Franklin Watts, Inc., 575 Lexington Ave., New York 22, N.Y., 1963. 170 pages with table of contents and index. $3.95.

William Trout Chambers and Lorrin Kennamer, Jr. Texans And Their Land. The Steck Co., P.O. Box 16, Austin, Tex., 1963. 232 pages with table of contents, black and white pictures, colored maps, appendix, bibliography and index. $4.88.

Olive Burt. The First Book of Utah. Franklin Watts, Inc., 575 Lexington Ave., New York 22, N.Y., 1963. 66 pages with table of contents, general map of Utah, photographs and an index. $2.50.

Bernt Lloyd Wills. North Dakota: The Northern Prairie State. B. L. Wills, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D., 1963. 318 pages with table of contents, black and white pictures and black and white illustrations and index. $4.80.

Mary Foley Horkheimer and John W. Differ, (compilors and editors). Educators Guide to Free Filmstrips. Educators Progress Service, Randolph, Wis., 1963. 15th Annual Edition with 159 pages, table of contents and indices. $6.00.

Patricia Horkheimer Suttles, (editor). Educators Guide to Free Social Studies Materials. Educators Progress Service, Randolph, Wis., 1963. 402 pages with XV pages editorial comment and table of contents. $6.75.

C. B. Hitchcock and O. M. Miller. Nine Glacier Maps, Northwestern North America with Text. Special Publication No. 34. American Geographical Society, 156th St. and Broadway, New York 32, N.Y., 1960. 22 pages with table of contents, three appendices, one table, one locational text map, 15 photographs and nine separate topographic maps. $3.00.

Harry M. Caudill. Night Comes To The Cumberlands. Little, Brown &; Co., 128 Oliver St., Paterson 1, N.J., 1963. 394 pages with table of contents and black and white photographs. $6.75.     

An Assessment of the Use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in Teaching Geography in Singapore Schools

Abstract

In 1998, geographical information systems (GIS) were introduced to secondary schools in Singapore as a tool for teaching geography at the secondary and junior college levels. However, general observations and feedback from school teachers suggested that only a small number of secondary schools and junior colleges in Singapore were actually using GIS to support the teaching and learning of geography. The present research study was designed to establish the level of GIS usage and to investigate the reasons for the slow integration of GIS in the Singapore secondary schools. This article presents the findings of this research and provides some insight into the use of GIS in Singapore secondary schools.     

Geography,the Integrating Discipline: Explaining China's Population-Driven Geopolitics to Students

Abstract

This article demonstrates geography's role as an integrative discipline and its utility in connecting students to the world around them. A case study links China's demography and its geopolitics to the lives of U.S. students. The relationship of China's population pressures to its resulting economic growth, need for economic resources, and geopolitical efforts are examined using the concepts and holistic capabilities that are the academic strength of geography.     

Mentoring: A New Approach to Geography Teacher Preparation

Abstract

Geography teacher preparation is an ongoing problem for the discipline. Changes in certification requirements and federal and state educational policies have diminished the role of colleges and universities in educating teachers. At the same time, geography education reform efforts have resulted in higher standards and an increased quantity of geography in the curriculum, pre-service programs have failed to produce an adequate supply of highly qualified geography teachers. This paper suggests that geographers implement geography mentoring programs to improve the quality of geography instruction in early-career teachers. A model developed for the National Geographic Society is described. The model uses Teacher Consultants as mentors to assist novice teachers at the stage in their development when they are most ready to improve practice: between years two and five of their career.     

Mental Mapping: A Lesson That Creates Itself

Abstract

Mental image and place-preference maps of college students in Florida were created through a two-part lesson. The patterns revealed by these maps were linked to students' life experiences, census data on migration and income, and similar studies conducted in other states. Students prefer states with established migration links to Florida and better income/job opportunities. Because the maps could not be created without their input, students were wholly engaged in a lesson that uses concepts in population geography and cartography to fulfill several national geography standards.     

Editorial Notes and News

Abstract

Thubten Jigme Norbu. Tibet Is My Country. As told to Heinrich Harrer; translated from the German by Edward Fitzgerald. E. P. Dutton &; Co., 300 Park Avenue South, New York 10, N.Y., 1961. 264 pages with color illustrations. $5.00.

Miriam Schlein. The Sun, The Wind, The Sea and The Rain. Abelard-Schuman Limited, 6 West 57 Street, New York 19, N.Y., 1960. 38 pages with illustrations by Joe Lasker. $2.75.

Robert L. Pendleton with the assistance of Robert C. Kingsbury and others. Thailand: Aspects of Landscape and Life. An American Geographical Society Handbook. Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 60 East 42nd Street, New York 17, N.Y., 1962. xv and 321 pages with table of contents, photographs, maps, charts and index. $10.00.

Stuart R. Tomkins. Life in America: Alaska. Revised edition. The Fideler Company, Grand Rapids 2, Michigan, 1961. 128 pages with table of contents, photographs, glossary and index. $2.48.

Harry C. Rubicam, Jr. Men at Work in the Great Plains States. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York 16, N.Y., 1961. 123 pages with table of contents, photographs, notes and index. $3.00.

Winifred Hammond. Rice: Food for a Hungry World. Coward-McCann, Inc., 210 Madison Ave., New York 16, N.Y., 1961. 160 pages with table of contents, references, maps, photographic illustrations and index. $3.50.

John C. and Elsie F. Caldwell. Our Neighbors in the Philippines. The John Day Company, Inc., 200 Madison Avenue, New York 16, N.Y., 1961. 45 pages with table of contents, photographs and illustrations by Heidi Ogawa. 12.00.

Sidney H. Gould, editor. Sciences in Communist China. (Pub. No. 68) American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C., 1961. 872 pages with table of contents, tables and author, geographical and subject indexes. $14.00.

Gilbert F. White, editor. Papers on Flood Problems. Research Paper No. 70. Department of Geography, Rosenwald Hall, University of Chicago, Chicago 37, Illinois, 1961. 228 pages with illustrations. $4.00.

D. D. Harris and D. A. M. Lea. A Regional Geography of South Australia. Whitcombe and Tombs Pty., Ltd., 20 Bond Street, Melbourne, C. 1, Australia, 1961. 168 pages with table of contents, maps, diagrams and index. About $2.75.

Richard M. Highsmith, Jr., editor, and Jon M. Leverenz, cartographer. Altas of the Pacific Northwest: Resources and Development, 3rd edition. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon, 1962. 168 pages with table of contents, photographs, tables, plates and index. $5.00.

Wiliam Lytle Schurz. Brazil, The Infinite Country. E. P. Dutton &; Co., 300 Park Avenue South, New York 10, N.Y., 1961. 316 pages with table of contents, maps, supplementary reading list and index. $6.00.

Umberto Nobile. My Polar Flights. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York 16, N.Y., 1961. 288 pages with table of contents, illustrations, appendix and index. $4.50.

Robert Engler. The Politics of Oil: A Study of Private Power and Democratic Directions. The Macmillan Company, 60 Fifth Avenue, New York 11, N.Y., 1961. viii and 565 pages with table of contents, notes and index. $7.50.

Edwin Thompson Denig. Five Indian Tribes of the Upper Missouri: Sioux, Arickaras, Assiniboines, Crees, Crows. (Edited and with introduction by John C. Ewers.) University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1961. 217 pages with 12 illustrations, 1 map, editor's bibliography and index. $4.00.

J. P. Cole and F. C. German. A Geography of the USSR: The Background to a Planned Economy. Butterworth Inc., 7235 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington 14, D.C., 1961. x and 290 pages with table of contents, appendixes, notes, glossary, bibliography and index. $8.50.

Jane and Paul Annixter. Horns of Plenty. Holiday House, 8 West 13th St., New York 11, N.Y., 1960. 203 pages. $2.95.

Richard J. Ward and Lawrence A. Hoffman, editors. Readings in Economic Geography from Fortune. Henry Holt and Company, 383 Madison Avenue, New York 17, N.Y., 1960. 130 pages with table of contents, maps and graphs. $1.50

Helen Wolff Vogel and Mary Leonard Caruso. Ocean Harvest: The Future of Oceanography. Alfred A. Knopf, 501 Madison Avenue, New York 22, N.Y., 1961. 14 pages with illustrations by John Kaufman. $3.00.

The New Rand McNally Pocket World Atlas. Cardinal Edition. Pocket Books, Inc., 630 Fifth Avenue, New York 20, N.Y., 1961. 295 pages with table of contents, maps covering 169 pages and index. 75 cents.

Lowdon Wingo, Jr., Transportation and Urban Land. Resources for the Future, Inc., 1775 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Washington 6, D.C., 1961. 132 pages with table of contents, figures and appendices. $2.00.

Paul Fenimore Cooper. Island of the Lost. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 200 Madison Avenue, New York 16, N.Y., 1961. 256 pages with table of contents, map of King William Island and selected bibliography. $4.00.

Rhoads Murphey. An Introduction to Geography. Rand McNally and Company, P.O. Box 7600, Chicago 80, Illinois, 1961. 699 pages with table of contents, illustrations, chapter-end bibliographies, questions for further study, statistical appendix and index. $7.75.

Jordan A. Hodgkins. Soviet Power: Energy Resources, Production and Potentials. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1961. 190 pages with table of contents, maps, tables and 34 pages of appendix tables. $5.25.

Andrew A. Freeman. The Case for Doctor Cook. Coward-McCann, Inc., 210 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y., 1961. 315 pages with table of contents, sources, notes and acknowledgments and index. $5.75.

Frances H. Kohan and Truda T. Weil. Juan's Adventures in Mexico. Noble and Noble, Publishers, Inc., 67 Irving Place, New York 3, N.Y., 1961. 183 pages with table of contents, chapter study helps, illustrations and suggested reading list. $3.00.     

Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days: Helping Teach the National Geography Standards

Abstract

Consistent with developments in American education pedagogy, geography educators have made great strides exploring a wide range of high- and low-tech methods for teaching and learning geographic concepts. This article draws on a qualitative analysis of essays in which college students discuss tenets of the National Geography Standards in the context of Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days. Most of the students in this study reported that not only did their knowledge of the world increase after completing the course assignment but that their interest in the discipline increased as well.     

A National Survey to Examine Teacher Professional Development and Implementation of Desktop GIS

ABSTRACT

This article examines the results of an online national survey of K–12 educators who attended a series of GIS training workshops conducted by the authors between 1998 and 2004. Data from the self-report survey (N = 186) suggest new information about potential changes in instruction and assessment patterns following GIS training. The survey provides insight for those designing GIS-based professional development, while simultaneously describing relatively little change in instructional methodology. The survey confirms some classroom implementation constraints from an earlier national implementation survey, identifying a lack of time for teachers, variable skill levels among students, and software complexity.     

A Seventh Grade Problem Study of Czechoslovakia

Abstract

Computer technology has a rich history in geography education. The Internet represents the latest in technological advancements that continue to have important effects on geography curriculum and instruction. Many geographers are involved with Internet-based instruction, which some educators believe has potential to facilitate changes in how we teach and even what we teach. This article describes how the Internet is being used by some geographers for instructional purposes and discusses opportunities for improving teaching and learning with the Internet.