Neatline is online software created by the Scholars' Lab in the U.Va. Library, and its creators hope it'll be a valuable new publishing and teaching tool for humanities scholars across disciplines.
Neatline is a digital toolkit for scholars who want to use maps and timelines to tell stories and make arguments about their subjects, said Web applications specialist David McClure, who helped build Neatline.
There are free downloadable and Web-based versions (with more limited functionality). This sounds like a great tool for taking GIS into new educational areas.
Research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development found that 13 per cent of schools failed to take children out of the classroom on a regular basis – placing Britain joint 27th out of 33 countries in an international science league table.
That, and an upcoming speech this week to the Prince’s Teaching Institute (a charity established by the Prince of Wales to improve teachers’ grasp of traditional subject knowledge) prompted well-known actor and geography supporter Michael Palin to chime in on the importance of geography, field trips and memorizing where places are. I wish I found his arguments more compelling than I did.
Teachers across Montana can learn about GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) at a free workshop set for Friday, Aug. 10, at Montana State University in Bozeman. Teachers who are selected for the program will receive a high-end GPS unit for their classroom, as well as educational resources, Office of Public Instruction renewal units and travel funds.
Teachers in grades 5-12 are eligeable; applications are due July 25.
