Dates for the events are June 13-14 in Dublin and June 20-21 in London. Both events will be held at the Google offices in those cities.

Teachers can apply online (closing date for applications is 30 April) and find out more in the recent Google Lat Long blog post.

At Digital Explorer, we’ve loved using Google Earth on our expeditions from the Antarctic to Morocco. Also have a look at our blog post 40+ ideas on using Google Earth and Maps in the classroom and our range of manuals to support the use of Google Earth and Maps in the classroom and beyond.

Look forward to seeing you at the events this summer.

In his third and last blog post on the oceans, Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, looks at the topic of sea ice, the possibility of an ice-free Arctic, and what this means for habitats, the climate, commerce and geopolitics.

As a child, I held the idea that the North Pole sat in the middle of a permanent whiteness. I don’t remember whether I thought it was frozen ocean or solid land. For me, the world had an ever-present white cap. This is changing.

Graph showing the change in the Arctic sea ice extent (Image credit: © NSIDC)

Current estimates are that the Arctic will be ice-free in the summer by 2036. After centuries of trying to navigate the fabled North West Passage, this geographical shortcut connecting Europe and Asia may become a forgotten obsession. Instead ships will ply their trade across the entirety of the Arctic Ocean, rather than hugging the edges of land.

2007 marked the lowest extent of Arctic sea ice on record and the years since have shown little evidence of bucking the trend. This change has ramifications not just for international trade but also in terms of climate, habitat loss, natural resource exploitation and geopolitics, as well as the livelihood and culture of indigenous peoples who have long made the Arctic their home.

A loss of sea ice will create a positive feedback loop in the climate system. The white ice of the Polar Regions reflects solar warmth better than the dark waters of the seas. This solar reflection is known as the albedo effect. The phenomenon can be replicated in the classroom by placing a piece of black card and a piece of white card in direct sunlight or under a lamp. Attach a thermometer to the back of each piece of card and observe the changes in temperature for each over time.

As the ice breaks up cracks appear – these stretches of open water are known as leads (Image credit: © Martin Hartley)

The sea ice also provides important habitats to Arctic animals and plants, all the way from the microscopic life that inhabits the brine channels, to larger animals such as polar bears and ringed seals. The plight of the polar bear is well-documented and can provide an emotive ‘way in’ for some pupils. The WWF have produced some good background and resources on this topic.

Reduced sea ice not only represents opportunities for shipping, which could provide a lower carbon transport infrastructure between Europe and Asia, but also opens up new areas for natural resource exploration. The Guardian has produced an interactive map of current endeavours and Shell has developed a website describing its attitudes and plans for the region. One current issue is whether the chemicals used to mitigate environmental damage from oil spills will work in such cold temperatures.

In terms of geopolitics, the Russian claims to the North Pole are well-documented. Many countries bordering the Arctic are surveying the continental shelves, used as a marker for delineating territorial waters. There was also evidence of increased military build-up in Resolute Bay in the Canadian Arctic, when I passed through last year and the Danish Army patrols in Greenland were featured in episode 6 of the excellent Frozen Planet series.

This move to bring the Arctic hinterland of Canada and Russia under further control and to increase commercial activity in the region has had a negative impact on the indigenous peoples living there. Survival International write:

Many of the Innu are still fighting to retain much of their traditional lifestyle, increasingly difficult as the government hands out their land in mining concessions, floods the heart of their territory for hydro power schemes, and builds roads which cut up the remainder. In April 1999, the UN Human Rights Committee described the situation of tribal peoples as ‘the most pressing issue facing Canadians’, and condemned Canada for ‘extinguishing’ aboriginal peoples’ rights.

Pen Hadow gets ready to drill through the sea ice to measure its thickness on the 2009 Catlin Arctic Survey (Image credit: © Martin Hartley)

There is still a need to collect more data on the changes to the Arctic sea ice, whether by satellite or by hand as during the 2009 Catlin Arctic Survey. For more about teaching about the changes happening to the Arctic sea ice, have a look at the GCSE data case study on sea ice and the Key Stage 3 resources on the Frozen Ocean.

In his second blog post on the oceans, Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, looks at the topic of ocean acidification and how it can be investigated in the geography classroom.

Ocean acidification is known as the ‘other carbon problem’. It is the process by which atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed into the oceans and through chemical processes increases ocean acidity. The graph below shows data from the Pacific Ocean showing this relationship clearly.

Graph showing relationship between atmospheric CO2, ocean CO2 and ocean acidity

That the ocean acts as a carbon sink may seem like a ‘good thing’. There is fifty times as much carbon in the oceans than in the atmosphere. However, the rapid increase in atmospheric CO2 since the Industrial Revolution has started to have significant impacts on ocean chemistry. The average ocean pH has dropped from pH 8.2 to pH 8.1 over the past 250 years. This may seem like a small amount, but represents a 30% increase in ocean acidity. Current models indicate that the average ocean pH will drop to pH 7.8 by the end of this century.

In teaching ocean acidification in the geography classroom, there are a number of steps. The first is to provide an overview of the issue, as the topic may be unfamiliar to many students. Good introductory videos have been made by the National Resource Defence Council, The Acid Test:

and another by Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Ocean acidification: Connecting science, industry, policy and public

It’s also a good idea to cover some of the basic concepts and processes behind ocean acidification. A simple classroom experiment can be downloaded from [de] Oceans or you could simply add a pH indicator to still and sparkling water and see the difference.

Seeing the effect after blowing through a straw on the pH of seawater (Image credit: © Digital Explorer)

You may have to talk to the science department to borrow some pH indicator and may even get some brownie points for your cross-curricular endeavours.

Then either look at doing a data case study (see the GCSE Geography booklet). The data case study contains excel spreadsheet as well as offline versions of over 20 years of ocean acidification data from the Pacific.

For Key Stage 3 you could look at possible impacts on the marine food web. Details of an Arctic food web lesson can be found in the Key Stage 3 Geography booklet, including the classic experiment of putting shells in vinegar.

The Arctic acts as a bellwether for acid levels in our seas and their impact on the marine ecosystem. Acidification is thought to happen here faster than anywhere else.

Catlin Arctic Survey scientist, Dr Ceri Lewis from the University of Exeter explains: ‘Within only a few decades, an increase in ocean acidity may cause seawater to become corrosive to the carbonate shells of the smaller marine creatures that are so abundant in our marine ecosystems, with potentially serious consequences for both them and the larger marine fish and mammals that rely on them for food.’

Ocean acidification provides a great topic for the geography classroom, and shows a clear link between an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and widespread environmental change.

In the first of three blog posts on teaching more about the oceans in geography, Jamie Buchanan-Dunlop, tells us why the oceans are so important and gives readers some ideas about teaching about ocean currents when teaching climate.

When Digital Explorer launched an oceans education programme, sponsored by Catlin at the beginning of the 2011/12 academic year, we thought it would be a relatively simple process. The oceans cover 72% of the planet’s surface, provide 50% of the oxygen we breathe, regulate the climate and are the #1 source of protein for 1 billion people. The oceans are a pretty important topic and one that you would expect crops up throughout exam specifications and national curriculum documentation.

There is no explicit mention of the oceans as a standalone topic in any of the national curriculum documentation for Key Stages 3 and 4 and only one GCSE offers a unit on the oceans. I was shocked. Not only are the oceans crucial to our future, they are also in a parlous state. The oceans have become 30% more acidic since the Industrial Revolution and 90% of big fish stocks have gone.

At Digital Explorer, our education model is based around expeditions, and we kicked off our oceans programme with the Frozen Oceans resources based on three years of research in the Arctic Ocean, from the Catlin Arctic Surveys. Over the next three weeks, we will be sharing blog posts about how to teach three oceans topics in the geography classroom: ocean circulation and climate, ocean acidification and sea ice.

Ocean circulation and climate

The global pattern of thermohaline circulation (Image credit: © Canuckguy, Robert Simmon, NASA and Robert A. Rohde)

One of the research focuses of the 2011 Catlin Arctic Survey was the Thermohaline Circulation (THC). This is the system of ocean currents driven by the differentials in water density caused by temperature (thermo-) and salt (-haline). A well-known aspect of the THC is the Gulf Stream, a current that brings warm water from the Tropics to North West Europe. It is because of the Gulf Stream that when I left for the Arctic in March 2011, the temperature in London was about 10°C, compared to -15°C at a similar latitude at the bottom of Hudson Bay in Canada.

In general, when learning about climate, we learn about the importance of latitude. To simplify, it is cold at the poles and warm at the equator. But this cannot explain why there is a 25°C difference between places at the same latitude and altitude. This enquiry could form the basis for a single lesson on the role of ocean currents on climate or even a series of lessons. Using the weather layer in Google Earth or Google Maps, have a look at temperatures along the same line of latitude and see if there are any differences.

Another useful starter for teaching THC is the trailer for The Day After Tomorrow.

This Hollywood disaster film has as its central premise the shutdown of these ocean current systems, causing widespread climatic change. The timescale is highly improbable as is the scale of the impact, but as an exercise in counter-factual geography, it is quite fun! If the Gulf Stream were to shut down, there would be a cooling over a 50 year period, and potentially as much as 8°C in parts of North West Europe.

The Arctic Ocean plays a crucial role in the thermohaline circulation. It is in these waters that the cold, salty water sinks rapidly, causing a dragging motion that sustains the flow of surface water from the tropics northwards. The mechanics of this motion and the behaviour of different densities of water can be demonstrated using a simple classroom experiment. The physical properties of the Arctic Ocean are changing and further changes could disrupt the ocean currents (for more information download the Thermohaline Circulation Fact Sheet).

To know whether the ocean currents are at risk of slowing or even stopping is the subject of much current research. Scientists are taking measurements of the direction and speed of the oceans using a system of buoys. You can downloada Google Earth file that shows the current position of over 3,000 buoys and click on each one to see live data.

The oceans are fundamental to a sustainable future for our Blue Planet and we hope that you enjoy using [de] Oceans in your classroom.

It’s not that I am necessarily against the teaching of computing in schools. Running an organisation called Digital Explorer, it would be pretty contrary if I were. However, statements such as Ed Vaizey’s comment that knowing how a computer works should be “on a par with a knowledge of the arts and humanities” don’t really help.

It would be great if this latest fad in the national education conversation actually highlighted the good practice that exists in UK schools rather than repeating how poor everything is.

There needs to be a three-pronged approach to the issue of ICT in schools:

First, a decision about which items of ICT usage should be taught through other subjects (if they still exist in a years’ time). Examples could include:

• Use of word processing in English
• Use spreadsheets and databases in Science and Maths
• Internet research and analysis of reliability of sources in History
• Video conferencing with partner schools in MFL
• Digital photography and video in Art
• Online and social media safety in PSHE
• Blogs and digital mapping in Geography
• Use online campaigning tools in Citizenship

You get the idea. Pupils use digital tools to learn and communicate their ideas throughout the curriculum, a bit like previous national strategies on literacy and numeracy. This is already happening in many schools. It may well save time and energy for teachers if levels of competence in using various tools were agreed between departments. This would mean that as a Geography teacher you would know what your GCSE class should know about using spreadsheets and creating and interpreting graphs (they learnt this in Key Stage 3 Maths of course!).

Second, decide what should go into a computing class. ICT is probably a misnomer as this subject develops. This is where I become a bit stuck. What would I expect an intern to be able to do, when they come to work for Digital Explorer?

• An understanding of how to write a blog post and use html tags
• Formatting a range of digital media for use online, using tools such as image and video editing software
• An understanding of media sharing platforms and their relative benefits
• Use of digital mapping
• Basic coding (I taught myself how to write simple games in Basic using a Spectrum many moons ago and I think that this introduction made it easier for me to pick up using coding languages such as kml later in life)

I would like to be able to adapt and fix hardware in the same way that I would like to be better at car maintenance. I would love to be able to write little scripts that made life easier for me. In short, computing appeals to my creativity. I want to be able to make stuff. I find joy in the translation of lines of code into a wondrous digital environment.

The third aspect is rather more prosaic: infrastructure. Are there enough computers in working order for ICT to become a regular facet of teaching and learning across the curriculum? Will our attitudes to mobiles change with most students bringing a pocket to computer to school every day? Who will come to teach coding? Out of 28,000 new teachers in 2010, just 3 had computing-related degrees. I don’t blame them, when they can be out making a mint in the digital economy. Gove, do something clever, like subsidise company NI contributions if digital employees volunteer in schools once a week.

A caveat to end: technology is a tool not an end in itself. Digital Explorer uses technology because it enables us to share stories from the far-flung corners of the planet with classrooms across the world. Technology allows us to create and share content with a new ease. It cannot and does not replace the physical, personal and emotional journeys that lie at the centre of our work. This new emphasis on digital literacy in education must remember that young people still need to communicate and learn about ‘something’. My favourite example of innovation in ICT was the example of a school a few years ago now that had scrapped ICT classes completely and instead taught the Citizenship curriculum full-time, using ICT as a tool to support and extend the development of young people as engaged citizens. Now there’s an idea.

I am Elliott Murray, one of the chosen few who was given the incredible opportunity to visit Pakistan late last year. This year, I traveled over 3 months, across 3 countries in Asia, Thailand – Cambodia and India. I should point out that this is the first solo traveling project I have ever done, it would be very fair to say that the Pakistan expedition was a great starting point that gave me the confidence and thirst to explore more of the world.

In Thailand I spent one week volunteering at a self sustainable environmental community, consisting of 12 or so people from around the world. A lifestyle I had never been close to, and being fed on a daily diet of deep fried and oven baked dinners back home, was indeed a shock. Still, an interesting experience that taught me about how an alternative group of people live their life. We then did one week solo travel of Thailand. Pakistan taught me that their is no generalisation that can be made about a whole country, or community, that is always true, and that to learn about these things intimately, one must explore for oneself.

We then flew to Cambodia where we had arranged some time working at an orphanage for disadvantaged children in a small, remote village. We taught English, and knew that even our limited expertise of teaching was doing a great amount of good amongst this small community. Before Pakistan I was cynical in that I always believed if we where to ever make a social change for good, it must be achieved en masse. I then learned how small intimate projects change a selected group’s minds for tomorrow, who may indeed themselves take it upon themselves to re-teach what has been taught, to 20 more, and hence the cycle continues.

Finally I arrived in India, where I traveled independently. What I loved most was exploring other people’s cultures – drinking tea (or chi) with the locals, speaking with them and telling them of all the places I’ve seen in their country, and just understanding what their culture consists of. Whilst traveling I did see many tourists who would keep to themselves, and not be as talkative with the locals, and stay rather in their own bubble (taking private taxi’s opposed to local buses, staying in hotels with a price that could only be for foreigners etc etc..) which is fine, and maybe I would too have been comfortable traveling that way a few years ago, but since Pakistan I yearn to explore countries intimately, and find out what it’s real side is like.

Visiting Pakistan taught me to realise a country is always more than a 10 word headline, and that before passing judgment with a personal opinion, you must embrace it personally. It was without a doubt a huge part of my life, that has shaped the way I look at our world.

This is response to the news that climate change is to be dropped from the national curriculum.

My immediate and emotive response to this is that the government has this wrong and must immediately change their policy and include climate change within the science curriculum.

On reflection, I think that the following points should be taken into consideration.

Primarily, we need to shift our understanding of what the National Curriculum is and move back to it’s original intention. The National Curriculum is now viewed as a prescriptive measure that binds teaches, rather than laying out an entitlement for all our young people.

Should young people in this country have an entitlement that they can and learn from professional educators about climate change and sustainability? The impact of people on the planet and the choices we make? I believe firmly, ‘yes’.

The second issue is where in the curriculum these subjects should be taught. Should it be the science curriculum? Or should more emphasis be put on basic scientific processes? Participants in this debate, do not seem to have pointed out that this debate only concerns the science curriculum and not the curriculum content for other subjects such as geography. The relationship between people and planet and the processes involved could best be taught through the rigours of geography.

Last, the detractors of teaching climate change at all have used the faddish argument. Climate change is the issue du jour and as such can be included as a prescribed topic, but schools are free to include it as a topic or case study. My gut feeling on this is that far from being the issue du jour, climate chage, the increasing energy in our planet’s atmosphere is here to stay as an issue we need to understand properly.

Digital Explorer fully supports a pupil entitlement through the National Curriculum that allows for an understanding of climate change through robust, evidence-based classroom teaching. We look forward to seeing the government’s advisers recommendations for the teaching of geography.

What would I want from an education if I were to start again and does our education system deliver this?

- enough skills so I know that I can compete in a tough job market (or at least a good start in this regard)

- personal growth both as an individual and as part of a team or community

- the knowledge and skills to be able to keep myself healthy

- the opportunity to learn and develop my actions so that they are in tune with a more sustainable world

- develop a close group of friends, whom I can rely upon

- learn to value myself

- develop my creative outlets

What would you want from life and education to face our future, uncertain or otherwise?

You can follow their progress on their expedition website. Digital Explorer is working with the teams to see how we can develop their ability to communicate their experiences and become role models for the wider school community.

The expeditions will be using Digital Explorer’s [de] blogs platform.

With the final episode of the Pakistan episode launched last week, it’s time to celebrate the achievements of the young people as they start on their journeys and to thank all the funders, supporters and collaborators who made this possible.

Special thanks to the financial backers of the project, who put their faith in us to deliver something. I hope that they have watched the video below and are proud of what they have allowed to happen.

Now the long journey to find the funding for the next one…