10 Ways to Engage Students in Exploring Geography with Technology

Geography is essential for student learning because it assists students in learning and expanding their vocabulary. Geography is divided into five different themes: 1) Location, position on the Earth's surface, 2) Place, natural and cultural characteristics, 3) Relationships within places, humans, and environments, 4) Movement, humans interacting on the Earth, and 5) Regions, how they form and change.

There are numerous innovative ways to teach geography in the classroom. One way is through current events. Students can look through a local, national, or international newspaper to look at current geographic events. Students can also browse the Newsela website. This website has current articles that allows students of all learning levels to participate. If students are on a lower reading level or have reading comprehension difficulties, they can switch the text level to a lower level. 

Teachers can also teach geography by displaying a picture. Students can look at the picture and talk about what they see in the picture and what the picture is trying to say; one picture can display a thousand words. 

After viewing this slideshow, I learned additional ways to engage students in exploring geography with technology in the classroom. I chose ten ways that I felt would most engage students and that I would use and implement in my future elementary classroom:

1) Picture Reveal: Students have to answer questions. Every time a question is answered correctly, a part of the picture is revealed. Each revelation will entice the students to try and answer the questions correctly because they will want to know the image hiding behind the picture. 

2) Map from Memory: Students work in groups and have 20 seconds and view and study a map or diagram. They then return to their group and draw what they remember. This is a great way for students to retain an image in their mind because they are forcing themselves to concentrate and practice memorization through seeing and drawing. 

3) 5 W's: Students look at an image and and ask a series of questions that contains: who, what, where, when, and why. The lesson is focused on the students answering those questions. This exercise allows students to analyze and make predictions about an image based on clues.

4) Noughts and Crosses: The teacher divides the class into two groups and asks nine questions. Using a tic-tac-toe board, whenever a group answers the question correctly, they place an x or an o on the board. This a fun and educational way for students to learn and review. Students get really competitive among one another too.

5) Stop Disasters: This simulation games allows students to prepare for natural disasters while on a budget. It really teaches students about the devastation and costs that natural disasters impose to the world, as well as the reliability certain areas of the world have on certain products or objects to survive.

6) Survey Monkey: This surveying device allows the teacher to obtain immediate feedback. Students can answer questions and the teacher can see which responses are the most popular.

7) Model: Physical features can be molded and modeled with plasticine. This model allows students to visualize a concept or object that is being taught and is also tangible. 

8) Bingo: This activity can be used for review. The teacher can read vocabulary definitions and the students have to mark their boards if they have the correct vocabulary word. 

9) Dominoes: This activity allows students to see that one thing causes another event and is a continuation. A teacher can set up dominoes and label each domino as a certain cause that leads into a specific event.

10) GeoTube: These are geography videos that are on youtube. These provide students with another way to obtain geography information.