September 2012
10 posts
Mass Sacrifice Found Near Aztec Temple
Below street level in Mexico City, archaeologists have found a jumble of bones dating to the 1480s. In the 1970s, construction workers unearthed numerous archaeological finds as the subway was being constructed. The Mexican government decided to clear the several block of old colonial buildings to reveal the Templo Mayor, the ancient Aztec religious center. Not coincidentally, the Spaniards...
Un-Fair Campaign
The University of Wisconsin-Superior is in one of the least ethnically diverse regions of the United States and the university is partnering with other local organizations across that region aimed at highlighting structural advantages within society for Caucasians. This campaign to make ‘white privilege’ visible has not surprisingly generated controversy and has made race and its...
Mitt Romney would likely win if election today
Rasmussen Reports - The best place to look for polls that are spot on… The Rasmussen Reports indicate the the boost from the Republican National Convention was sufficient (especially in swing states) to make Mitt Romney the frontrunner in the election were held today of today. How will that change in the next few weeks? See on rasmussenreports.com
William Pattison - 4 Traditions of Geography
This article is a classic; one of the most well-cited articles from the Journal of Geography. Tags: Geography Education, Geography, Unit 1 GeoPrinciples See on uwec.edu
Syria could Balkanize as Assad falls
Syria is destined to fragment into three separate sectarian states after the regime of Bashar al-Assad is extirpated, according to Mohammad Yaghi, a Syrian jour… “It no longer matters whether what is happening in Syria is a revolution or a conspiracy that preempted a potential revolution — or even a conspiracy targeting the ‘non-aligned’ countries. The substance of the...
Labor Day 2012
If you are a fan of the 40 hour work week, 8 hour work day, health benefits, child labor laws and this lovely thing called “the weekend,” you have the labor movement to thank. The Department of Labor has put together a page entitled ‘The History of Labor Day.’ This helps us understand that the benefits that we enjoy today are the legacy of generations of workers who...
Can Europe Survive the Rise of the Rest?
The European Union will never manage to compete with China and other rising powers unless it unites politically, scales up and becomes a genuine giant. This author argues that the main driving forces that led towards European unification in the decades after WWII are now gone or are diminished in importance. As many of the economies of Europe, especially southern Europe are struggling, it is...
Mapping the Nation
This link is a companion site to the book, “Mapping the Nation: History & Cartography in 19th Century America” by Susan Schulten. The author and publisher have made all of the images available digitally, making this a great resource of some of the important maps that shaped America and help mold the manner in which we conceptualize America. This is a great resource for geography...
Isn't That Spatial? Overview of Online Spatial...
Looking for a professional development opportunity? This Fall 2012 eNet Colorado is hosting a series of 5 webinars on spatial thinking. “The goal of Teaching Using Spatial Analysis 101 is to provide confidence, skills, and the spatial perspective necessary to foster spatial analysis in geography, earth and biological sciences, history, mathematics, computer science, and in other...
In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists
Bikers are everywhere in Copenhagen. And now the city is building new, high-speed routes into the city that will make it easier to commute, even from the distant suburbs. The transportation urban planning paradigm in Copenhagen is not exclusively structured around automobiles and the logistics needed for drivers. Copenhagen has heavily invested in cycling and they are reaping the rewards based...
August 2012
120 posts
Create QR Codes for GPS Coordinates to Create...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Create QR Codes for GPS Coordinates to Create Scavenger Hunts… Not everyone was access to a full class set of GPS units. As more students have smart phone capabilities, this is just one idea on how to leverage that technology. See on android4schools.com
A Conversation with Jane Jacobs
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education “Jane Jacobs is variously known as the guru of cities, an urban legend—“part analyst, part activist, part prophet.” In the more than forty years since the publication of her groundbreaking book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), her influence has been extraordinary—not only on architects, community workers, and planners but also on...
It’s a Small (and Cartographically Incorrect)...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Ever since my first visit to to Disneyland, I was intrigued by the the ride ‘It’s a Small World After All.” As a youngster, it was an opportunity to get in cool boat ride that I always regretted half way into the ride once the song was firmly chiseled into my mind. This blog post explores the curious and fascinating geographical...
An Introduction to Twitter
See on Scoop.it - Social Media Classroom Simple, effective tutorial to explain some of the mechanics to informed twitter useage. See on kulowiectech.blogspot.fr
Infographic: Palestinian homes demolished
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Report by an Israeli non-governmental organisation says 2011 was a record year for Palestinian displacement. This infographic comes from the group http://visualizingpalestine.org This corresponds with the UN’s recent statement that Gaza ‘will not be liveable by 2020’ given Israeli policies as reported by the...
Stratocam: Google Earth Imagery
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Much like sites that you can rate items up or down, you can rate the best aerial photography via Google Earth screen shots. There are some beautiful images and places to be discovered through this site. The physical and human landscapes are both intermingled in this fantastic collection of images…be careful, it can be amazingly addictive. One this blog post...
The Impact of Religion on Politics
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education For the first time in U.S. history, a Mormon is on a major-party presidential ticket. The Wall Street Journal examines the changing role of religion in Ameri… Aren’t religion and politics supposed to be the two things we counseled not to discuss to avoid controversy? This video hits on something that plays are role for both candidates in the...
EARTH Masterpieces
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education The natural landscapes shown as captured by satellite imagery is as beautiful as anything artists have ever created. Some of the colors shown in the video may seem otherworldy. Most of those color anomalies are due to the fact that remotely sensed images have more information in them than just what we see in the visible portion of the electromagnetic...
Interactive Map of Olympic History
See on Scoop.it - Regional Geography You can see the effects of political climates over the history of the “modern” Olympics See on london2012.nytimes.com
Online Educational Tools
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education This is a primer on how to use online resources for geography students so they can learn more about the world by participating in global conversations (not just hearing about them). See on storify.com
Physical Geography
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education This a visually stunning video with clips compiled from the Discovery Channel’s series “Planet Earth.” See on youtube.com
Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech analyzed
See on Scoop.it - History and Social Studies Education Nancy Duarte analyzes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech using principles from her book, Resonate. Today is the 49th anniversary of this famous speech, arguably the most important speech in American history. May we rememeber his message forever. To hear the full speech,...
30 Shocking and Unexpected Google Street View...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Canadian artist Jon Rafman is an unusual photographer - he explores Google Street Views and takes screenshots of the most incredible sights here. See on demilked.com
Lack of sufficient services in Gaza could get...
See on Scoop.it - Regional Geography Gaza’s problems in water and electricity, education and health will only get worse over the coming years unless remedial action is taken now, a senior United Nations official warned today. The United Nations is playing a larger role in the reagion by asking for more humanitarian aid for Gaza and a change in the political status quo. See on un.org
AfriGadget: Recycling
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education A Cameroonian boy shows the recycled parts used to construct a toy RC car. I originally found this video on one of the coolest websites ever: http://www.afrigadget.com/ ; The website seeks to show people “solving everyday problems with African ingenuity.” While the developed world lives in a commercial, disposable society, Africans often need to...
Citing Sources: A Quick and Graphic Guide
See on Scoop.it - Social Media Classroom See on katehart.net
Women and Land Infographic
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Landesa partners with governments and local NGOs to ensure the world’s poorest families have secure land rights, which develops sustainable economic growth and improves education, nutrition, and conservation… Globally speaking, women are the primary agricultural workers yet rarely own land. See on landesa.org
Mapping Population Density
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education I found these cartograms from an article in the Telegraph and was immediately impressed. The cartograms originated here and use data from the Global Rural-Urban Mapping Project as to create the int… and this series of cartograms shows some imbalanced populations (such as the pictured Australia) and shows the cartograms of countries that have...
20 Classrooms From Around The World
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education We are all different…we are all the same. See on edudemic.com
Why should I be interested in Geography?
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education A video made by David Lambert et al showing why Geography is a key subject and the importance of understanding it in the context of our modern world. This is a creative video that promotes geo-literacy. It is an excellent way to kick off a new school year if you are looking for a ‘hook’ to demonstrate the importance of geography to students...
The Geography of Charitable Giving
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Ever wonder how charitable the people are who live in your area? It turns out that lower-income people tend to donate a much bigger share of their discretionary incomes than wealthier people, according to a new study. Questions to ponder: What are some reasons that Providence RI is the ‘least charitable’ metropolitan area in the United States...
Gendered Differences Development
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Being a woman can be much more difficult, based on where you live. See on news.nationalpost.com
Food shortages could force world into...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Water scarcity’s effect on food production means radical steps will be needed to feed population expected to reach 9bn by 2050… This article represents a good example of neo-Malthusian ideas concerning population growth and food production. The recent drought and subsequent food shortage/spike in global food prices has renewed interest in these...
Population clock for every country
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Real time statistics for current population of any country. Real time data on population, births, deaths, net migration and population growth. This site shows various demographic statistics for every country including some based on projections in demographic trends in the given country. If the current trends hold (which they won’t, but that is still...
Cities on Border With Mexico Burdened by Calls for...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education From San Diego to Brownsville, Tex., requests for assistance have become a drain on the resources of fire departments in cities on the United States border with Mexico. This is a poigant example of how site and situation impact the local geographic factors. See on nytimes.com
Top 12 Cities for Culture
See on Scoop.it - Cultural Geography Where are the most culturally rich cities in the world? The World Cities Culture Report has named its Top 12 choices. Do you agree with the picks? How do we rank “culture” in list such as these? What criteria is preferred and what elements of culture are ignored in this perspective on culture? See on travelandescape.ca
Gentrification spelled out:
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education As upscale, high-rise condos and hipster bars opened nearby, longtime customers joked: Is this really still “the ’hood”? Not anymore. In a gentrifying neighborhood in Washington D.C. that was historically African-American, Fish in the ’Hood was an iconic restaurant that captured the feel of the area. Just this May, the storefront restaurrant was renamed...
Man-Made Cities and Natural Disasters
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Patrick assesses the future of world order, state sovereignty, and multilateral cooperation. The 21st century is the dawn of a new era in human history: more people on Earth live in cities than in the countryside. The impacts of this new basic fact are far-reaching. One of those is that cities that are in particular environments are more prone to certain...
The hunger wars in our future: Heat, drought,...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education The physical effects of climate change will prove catastrophic. But the social effects — food riots, state collapse, mass migrations, and conflicts of every sort — could prove even more disruptiv… This is an inflammatory article that is from an environmental organization that is speculative in nature (in other words, take it with a grain...
The Geography of Underwater Homes
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education New data from Zillow shows fewer homeowners underwater, but the pattern varies widely by geography. The Sunbelt (especially California and Florida) have the highest percentage of homeowners that are ‘underwater’ and owe more than the home is worth. Also hit hard are declining metro areas area of the rust belt. Question to ponder: Why would...
Indo-European Languages Originated in Anatolia,...
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Evolutionary biologists say the first speakers of what would become the Indo-European languages were probably farmers in what is now Turkey — a conclusion that differs by hundreds of miles and thousands of years from a longstanding linguistic theory. This research potentially can explain much about the geography of languages and the distribution of cultural...
Flexible Urban Planning
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education mixed used train-tracks/market place… I’ve used similar videos in my classes and students are usually quite shocked to see how a city like Bangkok, Thailand operates. I’ve used this as a ‘hook’ for lessons of population growth, urbanization, economic development, sustainability, megacities and city planning. See on...
Save the Endangered Globe
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education What’s lost when we lose sight of globes? While I love digital images, sometimes a sturdy old fashioned three-dimensional globe is just what is needed. As the article laments, they are becoming increasingly rare. See on nytimes.com
Red State Reads, Blue State Reads
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education What political books are residents of your state reading? A new interactive map from Amazon shows recent book sales broken down by either “red” or “blue” political leanings. I do not this that “book sales” is a surrogate for “projected votes,” but this is revealing about the political landscape and especially...
Wild rice gene gives yield boost
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education A gene from wild Indian rice plants can significantly raise the yield of common varieties in nutrient-poor soils by boosting root growth. While many are leery of GMOs (with good reasons linked to health), it is important to recognize that there is society value to agricultural research that works on improving yields. This article would be a good...
In the Shadows of the High Line
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education The High Line has become a tourist-clogged catwalk and a catalyst for some of the most rapid gentrification in the city’s history. Earlier I have posted about the High Line, a project in NYC to transform an old elevated train line into a public green space (http://www.scoop.it/t/geography-education/p/1924895683/the-high-line ). This project has fallen under...
2600 years of history in one object
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education
TED Talks A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script, damaged and broken, the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism. At first glance this TED Talk appears to be more about ancient history, archaeology and biblical studies that anything modern. Yet as Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum...
USA Watercolor Map
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education Buy USA Watercolor Map art prints by Michael Tompsett at Imagekind.com. Shop Thousands of Canvas and Framed Wall Art Prints and Posters at Imagekind. This is nice…I’ll settle for the digital image to be a poster on my website. See on imagekind.com
Beyond 7 Billion
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education After remaining stable for most of human history, the world’s population has exploded over the last two centuries. The boom is not over: The biggest generation in history is just entering its childbearing years. The Los Angeles Times has produced an in-depth interactive feature centered around the impact of an increasing global population. With...
Gerrymandering: What is it?
See on Scoop.it - Geography Education This page is a quick primer for understanding how the decennial census leads to the incredibly political process of reapportionment of the congressional districts. It also defines the specific gerrymandering techniques of packing, cracking, hijacking and kidnapping. See on gerrymanderingmovie.com
