Geo-Literacy and Flicker!

I have realized that I really enjoy learning about geo-literacy. It is a great way to learn and discover new things about the world around you. Two things that come up in almost all of our definitions of literacy is the ability to read and write. When you think about it geo-literacy really does not involve the ability to read or write. Of course it would be useful to be able to read about geography but it is not critical. Geo-literacy is about knowing how the world works (both physical and social), how the world is connected, and the ability to make decisions to help the Earth. For example, you can look at a map of the weather and know what is going on without reading or writing. Geo-literacy has a lot to with viewing and occasionally some reading. Most of geo-literacy has to do with thinking, making connections, and your physical actions. You need to make connections of how the world works and what steps you need to take to protect it. From what I have learned so far it seems like geo-literacy could be a stepping stone towards reading. Geo-literacy allows you to gain knowledge without actually having to read. By looking at pictures, graphs and diagrams and you can see how different things appear on Earth and can help you make connections.

My digital literacy has improved since we started this project. Before we started this I had no idea Flicker even existed. Now I am learning all about the site and what it has to offer. So far I have learned how to start a project and how to invite other group members. I have also learned how to add pictures to a map. Flicker could be very useful when teaching children about the continents and how they differ. Instead of using a book as a visual you can use a picture map created on Flicker. The kids can interact with this site and click on all the different pictures instead of a teacher just reading a book. When using the Flicker Picture Map the only real traditional literacy being used is viewing. The students can look at the pictures to make connections with their lives and find similarities and differences. I can see my field placement students loving an activity like this. They enjoy learning about other places and because this activity requires very little reading my first graders, kindergartners and even preschoolers can benefit from this technology. They may be learning without them even realize they are learning!