Teaching Comparative

Buzztracker

Melody Dickison, who teaches at Wayne High School in Huber Heights, OH, found Buzztracker. She wrote about her discovery on the AP government and politics "electronic discussion group."

Buzztracker is terrific. As Melody wrote, this web site maps world news daily.



To the left of the map on the main web page is a list of "Today's Top Locations," which offers the sources of the news stories they are tracking. As you roll your cursor over the red circles on the map (on the Buzztracker site), the names of the places appear. If you click on a circle, a list of news stories pops up.

For instance, on Friday morning, 19 September, eleven stories show up when I clicked on the Beijing circle.

* (5) AlertNet EU wants explanation of widening China milk scandal
* (3) People's Daily French president lauds Beijing Paralympics
* (2) AlertNet RPT-Foreign firms gain from China milk powder scanda...
* (2) AlertNet EU expects full accounting of China milk scandal
* (2) Xinhua News Photographer behind tiger photo scandal to stand ...
* (2) People's Daily Photographer behind tiger photo scandal to sta...
* (1) The Guardian Rescue relieves last banks standing
* (1) DNA India Jankovic knocked out of Pan Pacific Open
* (1) AlertNet Singapore advises recall of China-made yoghurt bars
* (1) Xinhua News Wen's UN visit shows China's support for developm...
* (1) The Star Parents, kids crowd hospitals in wake of China's mil...

It's a list begging to be sorted by somebody's criteria. How well would your students be able to pick out the stories relevant to government and politics? It would be a good exercise and one that offers repeated opportunities for practice.

Check out Buzztracker. You might find it a useful part of your news reading regimen.

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Thanks, Melody.

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Labels: pedagogy

posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:22 AM