National Geographic Education

National Geographic Education holds a wealth of free resources and experiences for educators and students ranging from preschool to college levels. The site is arranged in three areas: professional development opportunities for educators, special programs and classroom experiences for students, and a free resource library with an interactive mapmaking tool.

The professional development programs for educators include online courses, links to a professional network, and grant and fellowship opportunities to grow and expand teaching and learning at varying levels of participation and engagement. The explorer classroom for young students has live and archived videos from scientists and educators working in the field in areas like conservation and animal protection or archaeology and paleoanthropology. These tools will make great additions to classroom lessons as they range from short snippets to longer versions and can be used across grade levels. The free resource library is a database searchable by grade level, content type, and subject. Content types include videos, photos, maps, infographics, recent and historical articles, primary sources, lesson plans and activities, as well as collections of resources related to a particular theme like Mesoamerica or AP human geography. Searchable subjects range from basic topics, like mathematics and chemistry, to more focused areas, like English as a second language and experiential learning. Each resource entry includes background information, general vocabulary definitions, and important connections to historical events and places. They are well-organized and designed in a format that is easy to read and navigate and which will facilitate access and understanding for both young and older readers. The resources also present information on intellectual property, including credits and user permissions in addition to extra information on related resources you might not have found in your initial search.

There is another resource here, the Interactive MapMaker Tool, which allows users to create their own interactive maps of regions around the world. The maps can be as broad and basic or as specific and focused as the creator wants, incorporating country boundaries, flags, and other more specialized elements like population, the countries of origin and destination of asylum seekers, animal movements, and weather patterns. The possibilities for the Interactive MapMaker Tool are very wide-ranging, but it is a bit complicated to use so students and educators will need to set aside ample time to explore the resource. Maps can be saved and bookmarked for future reuse or as an assignment to submit, making it a very useful tool.

National Geographic Education is an awesome resource that educators will be able to use in lessons right away, but which also maintains strong potential for exploring and then utilizing at a deeper professional level.