WV Mapping

I found this while searching for resources to use in class.  Might come in handy so I thought I would share the link.  

WV Mapping

Additional Pages

Check out the links at the top of this blog that will take you to other pages.  One page is dedicated to the geared steam engines that were used in the logging process in the late 1800's and early 1900's. 

The other page is dedicated to tree identification and historic aspect of the use of each tree.

Hope you can find something useful.  Keep checking back because there is more to come!!

Saturday Hands on Learning

On Saturday, April 28, we went to Ritter park in Huntington to learn about tree identification.  What I found most interesting during this hands on lesson, was the fact that I really don't know a lot about identifying trees like I thought I did.  I also learned a great deal behind the history of different types of trees as well as their uses. 

I've taken pictures of the different types and I'm in the process of creating collages (kind of like I did with the trains) for each type of tree.  So keep coming back and checking for updates.  With school winding down some now, I may have more time to devote to this project.  Please have patience!  I'm planning to use my blog and the pages attached to it for a "webquest" for my students next year. 

Guest Speaker

Tonight we had Bob Withers. author and railroad historian, talk to us about the history behind the railroads and logging in WV.  He explained the difference between traditional steam engines and steam engines used in logging.  As many times as I've ridden the train at Cass, I didn't realize that the trucks were different.  I've learned so much AGAIN about WV that I had no clue about!  I think this class is going to be just as interesting as the Coal project!

Neat Apps to use. . .

I found a couple of cool apps that I think would be awesome to use.  The first one is called camscanner.  You can take pics with your tablet and save it as a pdf.  Whether it is a document or an actual picture, I think it can be used in this class.  For instance, you can take a picture of a leaf and create a pdf to use in class for classification purposes.  It also comes with a link directly to dropbox.

WV Forestry and Rail Project

This is my first blog on my new project that I am working on for this summer.  I am really looking forward to learning about logging in WV and the railroads that are so common place in our communities.  Usually it's something so near and in our view every day of our life that we know the least about.  I'm looking forward to learning more about something that has a lot of history in my state.  I went to a site to look up lumberjack terms to come up with something "catchy" for my blog . . . I couldn't resist using "Yardmaster"!!