NewsletterFall2003

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The GAI has experienced Teacher Consultants (TCs) available to assist in 1-day teacher workshops. We can provide workshop training for geography-related activities you may wish to offer through your school district, or local Area Education Agency. For further information, please feel free to contact our office at 1/800-601-3899, or via e-mail at: jane.gillen@uni.edu

Provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 are designed to increase the number of low-income students participating in AP classes and taking AP tests. This includes AP Human Geography. National not-for-profit educational organizations and associations with experience in AP services are now eligible for receive competitive grants. Grant applications for providing AP services are presently available FY 2003. For more information from the Department of Education, contact Madeline Baggett at 202/260-2502 or at: Madeline.Baggett@ed.gov

[Editor’s Note-----Tim Strauss, Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Northern Iowa , Cedar Falls, is currently chief reader designate for the AP Human Geography course and is scheduled to become chief reader in July 2004.]

Dr. Jerry Croft, Adjunct Professor of Geography at the University of Iowa and GAI Steering Committee member, announced he will be teaching the AP Summer Institute offered by the Belin Blank Center at the University of Iowa in Iowa City in the summer of 2004. The course will be held July 12-16, 2004, and one semester hour of graduate credit is available. This is their third year offering this course and it has been very successful so far. Last year, four new schools added AP Geography to their course offerings. For more information, please contact the Belin Blank Center at: 1/800-336-6463.

The Alliance is very, very lucky to have a visionary adventuresome and creative director at its helm. It is also very lucky to have other university professors who have the similar qualities active on its steering committee. Dr. Kay Weller, the Alliance director, with Dr. Rex Honey, University of Iowa and Dr. Ramesh Dhussa, Drake University as well as Don Peterson of UNI spent countless hours of time and energy to apply for a Fulbright-Hays grant to study the diversity of India up close and personal. The grant called for participation by active Alliance Teacher Consultants (TCs) and when asked for letters of recommendation in the fall of 2002, I was very excited about the prospects of traveling to and learning about India. Then came the SARS outbreak through China and eastern Asia with rumors of an outbreak in India, and I was questioning the intelligence of going into the thick of it. Then came the war in Iraq and I began questioning whether we would even get the grant, let alone be allowed to fly over one of the hottest spots on the planet. BUT when the grant was awarded in March, Kay said that we have to forge ahead as though we ARE going and deal with whatever comes our way. So we did, everything calmed down and now I am happy to relate to you some of our experiences, our lasting impressions and our future goals from this project. The Alliance also participated in a Fulbright-Hays Program to Nigeria in 1999 with Drs. Weller and Honey as well as several other professors and teachers. Seven of those teachers returned to participate in the India Program, which is a strong testimony of the confidence they place on the Alliance leadership. They are Anne Hoeper, Davenport; Chris Joslin, Des Moines; Kathy Sundstedt, Waverly; Kim Daughetee, Dubuque; George Kuhter, Tama; Natasha Cooper, Indianola and Dan Walsh, Cedar Rapids. Joining them and Dr. Dhussa were Lavonne Christianson, Mechanicsville; Steve Oaks, LaPorte City; Kelly Block-Davidson, Maquoketa; Tami Huegel, Forest City; and Luke Juran, Dyersville. Within this group is a wide range of international travel experience, including China, Japan, Turkmenistan, Australia, and New Zealand, most of Europe and several African and Middle East nations. For some this was the first experience outside of the United States, Mexico and Canada. Each of us has developed our own sense of place through this experience and consider ourselves fortunate to have been a part of it.

In planes, trains, cars, jeeps, buses, camel carts, elephant howdahs and by foot, we traveled through the northern half of India through the states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajastan, Madhya Paradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarth, Orrissa, Bihar, Jharkand, Himal Pradesh West Bengal, Haryana and a tiny corner of Punjab. We saw three of India’s largest cities and we visited villages of 500 to 50,000 people. We drove by rice patties, rivers, streams, and jungles. We stayed in 4 star hotels with international clientele and in the beautiful downtown Dumka deluxe Raj Hotel whose stars were missing until further notice. We ate in elegant restaurants, private homes and washed down our peanut butter sandwiches with tomato soup and tea from vendors on the trains. We met professors, workers and soccer teams. We laughed together, got tired, got sick, got crabby; we shared stressful times and relaxing times. We bonded as a family at the Simla wedding ceremony of Tami and Mr. Arbol. We shared photos and made memories. We also made plans to return. This program was intended to “see and experience” the high points of India. It gave us a foundation of information on history, culture and life in modern India. Our future plans are to return to the southern half of the subcontinent to discover the differences between north and south, but also to spend time in a minimum of cities so that the experience will be deeper rather than the broad overview we had this time.

The sights of India are the best discovered on our website (www.uni.edu/gai) where there will be bountiful photos of many, many aspects of the India that we experienced. I would encourage you to visit the site of our corporate travel diary too to get the day-to-day experiences of the trip. The subtleties though must be shared personally and if we write that one does get used to cows in the road, traffic driving on the left-hand side of the road, the beeping of horns and the clamor of people, animals and traffic everywhere, you will understand it better with photos and lessons presented with personal winter workshops in 2004 that will compare Iowa to India. Other opportunities to learn more about the program will also be presented at local, regional and national conferences later in the year or by contacting the GAI office.

Visually, what set apart the panorama of life in India from anywhere else I have traveled, was the incredible colors of women’s clothing, whether watching cattle or planting rice, working hours in banks or hotels, whether living on the street or in high-rise apartment buildings, every one wore saris or shalwar kameezes of the most incredible colors, patterns and fabrics. They stood out as jewels in any setting-whether the most squalid or the most ostentatious. Out of hundreds of thousands we must have seen, I am still looking for two that are alike. They were the eye candy in an impersonal world of over one billion inhabitants. And lest you think, it was all a fashion show, we also learned of how Gandhi led the nation in those pre-Independence years to spin their own cotton, to wear homespun clothing called khadi and to boycott British textile goods as the British were taking Indian cotton to England where it was spun and resold back to India as fabric, making Indians dependant on British goods and Britain all the wealthier for it. Since independence in 1947, Indian textiles have regained a place in quality throughout the world as I must say, even the khadi shirts I bought have beauty in their simplicity.

A search for quotations about India, led me to a lesser-known book by Mark Twain entitled Following the Equator. Written in the 1890’s as part of a work tour, there are 25 delightful chapters on his experience throughout most of the same places we visited more than 100 years later. It is incredible how similar his experience were to ours and I wish I had read the book before we left.

The one difference of opinions we have though concerns the Taj Mahal. It is truly the most beautiful manmade structure I have yet to see. You have to remove your shoes to walk around and in the tomb and I swear the marble caresses your feet. You can feel the beloved ness of the building and the gardens. A microcosm of peace and enchantment… (Right outside the vendors and the squalor snap you back to reality in a hurry though!) It is said to be perfectly symmetrical and we even tried to mimic that as we lined up for the professional photograph we had taken in the garden there. But Twain had a hard time deciding if it was truly the beauty of the Taj that he was seeing or the expectation of beauty that had been planted in his mind by countless other authors touting its perfection. He felt he would have to return to it 10-12 times or more in order to really see it through his own eyes. I think it was stunning the first time but I would not be averse to trying out his theory to see if it grows more beautiful with each visit. In fact, for many of us, it is a place we would most like to revisit if given the chance. In more modern times, India’s winner of the Nobel Prize for literature, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote that the Taj was “a teardrop on the face of time” and I cannot think of a more fitting description.

India is definitely not a destination for the faint heart and we had serious bouts with a variety of ailments, but would we go back? The majority of the group responded positively especially to the town of Dumka where we got to witness a “local boy done good” when Ramesh returned to his hometown with a rousing welcome by many of his childhood friends. Nearby Dumka we also got to visit a village and a school for the local indigent people, the Santals. We were treated so kindly and lovingly by the people there, several of us would like to go back to document and learn more about the people and their village life. We felt there we were seeing a small slice of real Indian rural life. Perhaps it was the calm and quiet childhood stories by Ramesh but there is something about Dumka that calls us back.

In conclusion, the members of this traveling grant team are intellectually wealthier and wiser from this experience and appreciative of all the Geographic Alliance and its’ leaders did to share this with us. I want to end with a paragraph from Twain’s book, Following the Equator, as it sums up my lasting impression of the diversity of the place.

“This is indeed India! The land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition, whose yesterdays bear date with the moldering antiquities of the rest of the nations--the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered an ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.”

For your opportunity to experience India, we are pleased to announce our upcoming “Warming Up to Geography” winter workshops: I is for Iowa and I is for India” January 30-31, and February 27-28, 2004. See the following registration form on page 6. These two weekend workshops promise to be educational while in a relaxing setting. One hour of credit or CEUs are also available when attending both weekends. Register early as space is limited. We hope to see you there!

The Chinese American Cultural Bridge Center (CACBC) invites you to join educators from all across America as we travel to experience the Ancient Middle Kingdom together! Educators and their families will have the exciting experience of witnessing the arts, culture, geography, history, economics and government of China firsthand, as well as have the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas about education and culture with Chinese educators. In addition, each educator will be provided with background and educational materials, to assist in bringing China alive in the classroom!

This 15 –day journey starts in Beijing, and winds through Zhengzhou , Kaifeng, Luoyang, the Shaolin Temple, Xian, to its completion in Shanghai. Participants will witness the ancient relics, as well as the modern changing face of China. For a complete itinerary with pictures, please visit the CACBC website at: www.cacbc.org/Educational_Tours/EducatorsTour.htm.

Because CACBC is a nonprofit organization, we are able to offer this 15-day tour for $3,435 (compare to National Geographic 17-day tour for $6,450 (2003 price)). Price includes International airfare from CA, 4-star hotels, all meals, transportation, guides, and sightseeing! Please visit Educators’ Tour information & policies to find information on our early bird, and group reservation discounts.

Deadline for reservation: February 15, 2004. Spaces are limited, and acceptance is based on a first-come first-served basis.

Qiu Min Ji, the executive director of CACBC, has extensive experience teaching in the U.S. and China, and has conducted a variety of educational tours to China. Her staff is composed of educators with many years of American classroom experience in the social sciences and the arts. They are able to organize content, present instructional ideas, and assist in creating educational materials and lessons for students.

School had barely let out by June 12, but twenty-two K-12 teachers were already back in the classroom at UNI, learning and preparing for the fall. They were attending a two-day Explore More workshop jointly sponsored by the GAI and IPTV. Created by IPTV, Explore More is an issues-oriented curriculum that entices students to solve problems through critical thinking and investigative activities. The issues presented are genetic engineering, the future of energy, working landscapes, and water quality. The core of the materials is a set of four videos and an extensive website with learning centers for students and resources for teachers that include lesson plans, teaching strategies, discussion questions, standards correlations, and web links. The workshop, which was lead by Lynn Wilson and Brian Bauer from IPTV, gave teachers an overview of the materials and an opportunity to further investigate one issue by using the videos and website to develop a lesson plan. In developing a lesson plan on watersheds for 8-12^th graders, I viewed the water quality video. I liked how it was chunked and best viewed in bits and pieces. Each video includes background information such as water use and pollution, interactive animations such as the water cycle, and stakeholder clips. The web site has downloadable files of video discussion questions, the video script, and a set of general guidelines and strategies for using videos in the classroom. I am impressed with the depth of information and the numerous links the website provides. This fall IPTV continues to engage students and teachers with related broadcasts, web events, and videoconferencing sessions where students can present and discuss their opinions and speak with peers and issue experts. These opportunities support the project’s goals of engaging students in relevant problems by providing compelling content for investigation and formulating view points. For more information, check out their web site at: <www.iptv.org/exploremore>.

Experience the natural power, grace and beauty of the Mississippi River aboard the elegant Twilight riverboat. Not only will you enjoy the fine dining, pampering and picturesque scenery, but you’ll also learn more about the geography and history of the great river from the experts. Plus, an added bonus is that you also earn one hour of University of Northern Iowa graduate or undergraduate credit at no extra cost! What better way to earn college credit while cruising the mighty Mississippi!

You’ll board the Twilight in Le Claire, Iowa, and cruise up the river to Galena, Illinois, where you’ll spend the night at Chestnut Mountain Lodge. Throughout the trip, you’ll attend relaxed and informal workshops away from the traditional classroom.

Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience the mighty Mississippi as never before. Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up today—seats won’t last long!

Check-in: 8:00 a.m. June 13, Public Boat Landing in Le Claire, Iowa. You will return to the landing June 14 around 7:00 p.m.

Cost: $249 if you register by May 1, 2004; $299 after. Includes workshop sessions and materials, one hour of UNI credit or CEU’s,
Twilight cruise fare, including riverboat activities, one night double occupancy lodging and breakfast, lunch and dinner both
days.You may request a private room for an additional fee. (See below.)

Mr. ___ Ms. ___ ____________________________________________________________
Name

_______________________________________________________________________________
Home Address

_______________________________________________________________________________
City State Zip

_______________________________________________________________________________
E-mail

____ Regular registration, double occupancy ____ Registration with private room
$249 by May 1, 2004; $299 after May 1 $299 by May 1, 2004; $349 after May 1

____ Check here if you do not want the above information included on a roster distributed to participants.

____ Check here if you have any special needs, including dietary. We’ll call to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

The Geographic Alliance of Iowa requests this information for the sole purpose of registering you for this program. We do not routinely release any of this information to anyone outside our institution without express permission. We do ask that you fill out all the registration items that apply to you.

The University of Northern Iowa is an equal opportunity educator and employer with a comprehensive plan for affirmative action.

Dates & Time: June 21-27, 2004

Features: TC presentations & topics for all grade levels
Inclusive price-lodging, food, & 3 hours credit
This unique workshop will be a rolling classroom, touring Kansas by van
Buffalo Soldiers, Cattle drives and Archeological Digs will be featured.

Advantages: Fees are inclusive of meals, lodging, & 3 hours credit or CEUs
Work will be completed in one week
Small group of 10 participants
Work with David Chalfant (guest speaker at Louisiana Purchase
February 2003 workshop)
Hands-on field work

Benefits: Earn 3 hours college credit or CEUs
Interdisciplinary in nature—history, geography,
earth science and anthropology
Relaxing and informal workshop

Location: Depart from UNI and return

Cost: By June 1, 2003: $299 After June 1, 2003: $349

REGISTRATION FORM:

Mr. ____ Ms. ____ Grade Level(s) Taught: __________

Name_______________________________________

Home Address__________________________________

City____________________ State____ Zip__________

Phone__________________ Fax__________________

E-mail______________________________________

____ Check here if you do not want the above information
included on a roster distributed to participants.

____ Check here if you have any special needs, including dietary.
We’ll call to discuss how we can best meet your needs.

*Sign up today! Enrollment is limited. Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration is confirmed when payment has been received.

FAX: 319/273-7103

MAIL: J. GILLEN - UNI SABIN 11
CEDAR FALLS, IA – 50614-0406

PHONE: 800/601-3899 OR 319/273-5952

____ REGISTER ME: Regular registration - Double occupancy room

____ PRIVATE ROOM REQUESTED - I would like my own room and have included an additional $30 per night.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
I’m interested in receiving ____ CEUs OR ____ 3 hour UNI credit

PAYMENT INFORMATION:
____ Make check payable to: UNI Geographic Alliance of Iowa
____P.O. or Requisition #__________________________

The Geographic Alliance of Iowa requests this information for the sole purpose of registering you for this program. We do not routinely release any of this information to anyone outside our institution without express permission. We do ask that you fill out all the registration items that apply to you.

The University of Northern Iowa is an equal opportunity educator and employer with a comprehensive plan for affirmative action.

Geographic Alliance of Iowa’s Calendar of Events

November 2003

16-22 Geography Action Week:
“Kids Take Action! Be a Habitat Hero”

December 2003

January 2004

30-31 – “I is for Iowa and I is for India” Warming up to Geography workshop
Ramada Inn - Waterloo

February 2004

27-28 – “I is for Iowa and I is for India” Warming up to Geography workshop – Ramada Inn - Waterloo

March 2004

14-19 100^th AAG Annual meeting –Philadelphia, PA

April 2004

17 – Steering Committee meeting - Marshalltown

May 2004

June 2004

10-11 Iowa’s Special Agriculture Workshop

13-14 Settling Mississippi River Communities Workshop

21-27 Wagon Wheel Imprints
On the Land Workshop

		*Geography News* Volume 26 Issue 2 Fall 2003 Coordinator’s Corner Kay E. Weller, GAI Coordinator
In This Issue		The fall colors are in full bloom and everyone is busy with a myriad of activities. The GAI is no exception. I have just returned from NCGE in Salt Lake City as I write this. This past summer, I was fortunate to travel with a group of 15 educators to India to experience firsthand the sights and sounds of that country. In March 2003, UNI was awarded a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant for the purpose of curriculum development. Our proposal was entitled “Creating a Sense of Place through India’s Diversity: Geography Curriculum Development Project.” We departed on July 15, and returned to the U.S. on August 12. We traveled by many and varied means, experienced the culture, people, and places of India. We were fortunate to have with us Dr. Ramesh Dhussa, a native of India, to travel with our group. Much valuable information was obtained, and we are busily assimilating the material gleaned from our trip which will be placed on the GAI website. Please take note of Chris Joslin’s article on the following pages for a more detailed account of this summer’s trip. Along those lines, we are offering “Warming up to Geography: I is for Iowa and I is for India” winter workshops on January 30-31, and February 27-28, 2004. These two weekend workshops will be held at the Ramada Inn Convention Center in Waterloo. By attending both weekends, you can earn 1 hour college credit, or CEUs if desired. Geography is a great discipline to use as a vehicle for reading in the content area. A good opportunity for learning how to do that will be explained at this workshop. Additional programs offered in 2004 include Iowa’s Specialized Agriculture workshop June 10-11, which will include a traveling classroom by van to various agriculturally-related sites in Iowa. This workshop may include touring wineries, visiting an earth worm farm, a Quail farm, and heritage seeds. Back by popular demand, we will be offering a Mississippi River workshop aboard the Twilight river boat on June 13-14. Finally, our culminating summer activity will run June 21-27, involving traveling to Kansas and features Buffalo Soldiers, cattle drives, and archeological digs. Please see the following pages for registration information for each of these programs. I hope you are able to take advantage of these upcoming activities as together we continue “spreading the word about geography.”
1-2	Coordinator’s Corner
2	Reminder Advanced Placement Human Geography
3-4	Creating a Sense of Place through India’s Diversity
5	Educators’ Tour to China! Explore More Workshop
6	Warming up to Geography: I is for Iowa and I is for India
7	TC Profile GAI Honors
8	Iowa’s Specialized Agriculture Workshop June 10-11, 2004
9-10	Mississippi River Workshop June 13-14, 2004
10	Staff Credits
11	Wagon Wheel Imprints on the Landscape June 21-27, 2004
12	Calendar of Events

I is for Iowa and I is for India Workshop Registration: Mr. ____ Ms. ____ Grade Level(s) Taught: __________ Name_______________________________________ Home Address__________________________________ City____________________ State____ Zip__________ Phone__________________ Fax__________________ E-mail______________________________________ ____ Check here if you do not want the above information included on a roster distributed to participants. ____ Check here if you have any special needs, including dietary. We’ll call to discuss how we can best meet your needs. *Sign up today! Enrollment is limited. Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis. Your registration is confirmed when payment has been received.	FAX: 319/273-7103
	MAIL: J. GILLEN - UNI SABIN 11 CEDAR FALLS, IA – 50614-0406
	PHONE: 800/601-3899 OR 319/273-5952
	____ REGISTER ME: Regular registration - Double occupancy room
	____ PRIVATE ROOM REQUESTED - I would like my own room and have included an additional $30 per night.
	PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: I’m interested in receiving ____ CEUs OR ____ 1 hour UNI credit
	PAYMENT INFORMATION: ____ Make check payable to: UNI Geographic Alliance of Iowa ____P.O. or Requisition #__________________________
	The Geographic Alliance of Iowa requests this information for the sole purpose of registering you for this program. We do not routinely release any of this information to anyone outside our institution without express permission. We do ask that you fill out all the registration items that apply to you.
	The University of Northern Iowa is an equal opportunity educator and employer with a comprehensive plan for affirmative action.

Volume 26 Issue 2 Fall 2003

Coordinator’s Corner

July 2004