Check Out the New National Geographic Education Site

National Geographic recently unveiled a new education section for students and teachers. This morning I spent some time exploring the new site and its great offerings. I was impressed by what I found on the new site.

National Geographic Education offers a great map making tool. Map Maker Interactive offers six themes on which users can create custom map displays. Within each theme there are subcategories to choose from. For example, you can select the theme Physical Systems Land then choose Tectonic Plates to display on your map. Map Maker Interactive also provides drawing tool and marker icons that you can place on your map. Overall, the ease of use and the variety of themes makes Map Maker Interactive an excellent alternative to creating maps on Google Maps.

The multimedia gallery on National Geographic Education offers a new option for a "teachers" view. The teachers view provides discussion questions, fast facts, and a list of key vocabulary terms associated with each video or slideshow.

National Geographic Education now offers a new collection of hands-on classroom activities addressing topics in geography and environmental science. The activities are targeted toward elementary and middle school students.