You saw it here first! Oliver has a new website and he’s having lots of fun this summer!

Geotagging: A Social App for Geography Fun

Our knowledge of geography is becoming more sophisticated: If you own a smart phone, like the Apple iPhone 3G or some Blackberrys, the phone will automatically adds geotags – location information – to every photo snapped. But can Americans locate those places on a map? Not likely.

Echoing every major study of geographic knowledge in the U.S. or Great Britain over the last decade, Americans performed dismally on the 2007 Facebook application, “Traveler IQ Challenge.” Out of 193 nations, US players ranked 117th.

2006 surveys indicate that over 70% of US high school graduates couldn’t answer these simple questions correctly (See answers below):

1. What is the most commonly spoken native language in the world?
2. What is the largest Muslim country in the world?
3. What country is the largest exporter of goods and services?

Can Technology Help Teach Geography?

Children’s book author Darcy Pattison says, “I like writing stories for kids that incorporate maps and geography knowledge. I don’t know why I’m drawn to these stories, since I’m not a good navigator. Maybe it’s because maps are a form of storytelling, too.”

The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman, a story about a wooden man who travels across the country to connect a family. In the sequel, Searching for Oliver K. Woodman, Oliver starts cross-country again, but when he’s lost a wooden woman, Imogene Poplar, P.I. searches for him.

It’s not surprising, then, that the main character of her books, Oliver K. Woodman, is the subject of a new Flickr Map Project (www.oliverkwoodman.com/map-project) designed for elementary students.

The Project encourages anyone interested to take a paper Oliver along on their travels and photograph him at landmarks. The key is to geotag the photos and upload them to a Flickr group site: (www.flickr.com/groups/oliverkwoodman).

Geotagging is simply marking a photo as belonging to a specific spot on a map. While smart phones can geotag photos automatically, you don’t need that much technology to participate. In fact, Flickr’s method of geotagging by allowing users to drag-and-drop a photo onto a map is more educational for kids. To correctly geotag, a student must accurately locate a place on a map.

Interactive: Photos + Maps = Better Learning

There are 35 million + photos already on Flickr and even more on GoogleEarth, the other major online photo-geotagging site. Isn’t it enough just to send students to view those geotagged photos? No.

“Geotagging photos is a great interactive tool for learning geography,” Pattison says. “Like other social applications, it depends on the community to generate content. It encourages interest, participation, and facilitates learning.”

Students will be more engaged:

• “Aunt Jane took this picture in Athens, Greece.”
• “I took this photo at the best climbing tree in town.”
• “Our class uploaded and geo-tagged ten photos. Let me show you the one I geo-tagged.”

High interest character. Linking the activity to a favorite children’s book character like Oliver K. Woodman just adds to the fun. Teachers can use the FREE Lesson Plans (zip) available with the project to teach an integrated unit of language arts, math, social studies, art and more. The Oliver K. Woodman Map Project is a small step towards improved geographic knowledge through social apps and is perfect for the elementary school student.

Download the Pattern Now! (pdf)

Answers to Quiz: 1. Chinese, 2. Indonesia, 3. United States.

Resources:

• Kovanich, Kevin. Facebook app shows students’ lack of geography knowledge. Northern Star, Dekalb, Illinois. September 4, 2007.
• LaGesse, David. ‘Geotag’ Your Digital Pictures: Your digital camera can keep track of your travels for you. US News & World Report, December 18, 2008.
• Lipsett, Anthea. Geography: why in the world do we know so little. Guardian.co.uk, November 19, 2008.
• National Geographic Society. Young Americans Still Lack Basic Global Knowledge, National Geographic-Roper Survey Shows. NationalGeographic.com, May 2, 2006.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

What Do Writers Do All Day?

I’m just back from Illinois where last weekend, I taught a Novel Revision retreat to a fantastic group of writers. One of the humorous things that happened: One writer had a chapter in which a character wrote about a condominium, but the character couldn’t spell, so wrote, “. . . the condom. . .” When the author later decided to cut the whole chapter, it became a password for the retreat: Cut the Condom Chapter!

Then, I did a school visit at a local school yesterday.
Today, I’m trying today to prioritize what needs to be done.

• Speaking. I’ve been asked for proposals to speak at two upcoming events and those must be done today.
• Planning Fall Retreat. I’m still the director of the Arkansas SCBWI Fall Retreat. (The dates are September 25-27 — hold the dates and look for details soon!) Today, I will be talking to the editor we’ve invited to iron out details.
• Writing. Well, I’m still just a couple chapters away from finishing my WIP! And I have plans for another novel mss that I’m anxious to get to. Plus, there’s the odd picture book thrown in here and there. And a structured approach to finding ideas.
• Publicity. The paperback version of The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman comes out in May and I need to do several hours work on publicity for that.
• Life. Oh, yes, I have a life! Besides grocery shopping, cleaning house, etc. there’s also the looming tax deadline of April 15, my daughter’s wedding in May, and my son’s graduation in May.

How do we juggle all this? And people ask me, what do you do all day, since you don’t work?

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Coming in May: The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman in Paperback

Dear Friends of Oliver & Imogene:

Shhh. It’s a surprise! To celebrate the paperback edition of Oliver’s story, I have created a new group on Flickr.com,(http://www.flickr.com/groups/oliverkwoodman/) the photo sharing website, that will help teachers use the book more effectively in the classroom.

The point is for schools, teachers, and families around the US to post pictures of Oliver or Imogene in their towns. Teachers will then have an interactive map with photos from around the United States and the world!

Only two requirements: Each photo must be Geotagged, so it will show up on the Group Map. And if you post a student’s picture, you must have parental permission.

The official rollout of the website will be May 1. Before the party begins, I’d like to have some photos already included on the site.

How YOU Can Help

1. Join the Oliver K. Woodman Flickr Group.
2. If you have photos of Oliver or Imogene, then upload and geo-tag your photos! Even one photo from your town will add to the fun. Instructions for uploading and geotagging are available on the website when you join. But rest assured: it’s simple!
3. Ask one other teacher, librarian or family member to join, too. Forward this posting to a friend.
4. Visit the Flickr site on May 1 to see where Oliver & Imogene have traveled.

Thanks!
Darcy

P.S. Please forward this posting to just one other person. Even one more person adding one photo from a different location will help make a difference for Oliver.

P.P.S. Or Stumbleupon this posting to help others find the fun!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win