Geography Education

Mass Sacrifice Found Near Aztec Temple

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 22:00:40 -0400

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 built their religious center in the same place. During the colonial era, the indigenous residents who spoke Spanish in Mexico City still referred to this portion of the city as la pirámide. Today more finds such as this one are continuing to help us piece together the past of this immensely rich, multi-layered place filled with symbolic value.

Tags: Mexico, LatinAmerica, historical, images, National Geographic, colonialism, place and culture,

See on news.nationalgeographic.com

Un-Fair Campaign

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:38:33 -0400

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 impact of society an issue quite visible, to the discomfort of many.

Questions to Ponder: In what tangible ways can you see ‘white privilege’ in our society? Is this ad campaign a good idea? What is the normativity and how does it relate to this topic?

Tags: race, racism, culture, unit 3 culture and ethnicity.

See on unfaircampaign.org

Mitt Romney would likely win if election today

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 09:01:40 -0400

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

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:50:32 -0400

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

Mon, 03 Sep 2012 08:25:16 -0400

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 matter is: Is it possible to save Syria from imminent disintegration?” This article orginally from a Palestinian news agency serves as a good material to start a discussion about centripetal and centrifugal forces

Tags: Middle East, devolution, political, unit 4 political and war.

See on examiner.com

Labor Day 2012

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 21:58:45 -0400

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 courageously fought for for workers rights.

Tags: Labor, industry, economics, unit 6 industry and video.

See on youtube.com

Can Europe Survive the Rise of the Rest?

Sun, 02 Sep 2012 15:36:27 -0400

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 time for the European Union to rediscover and restructure it’s raison d’être—it’s reason for being—if it want to continue to compete on a global level.

Tags: Supranationalism, Europe, political, unit 4 political and economic.

See on nytimes.com

Mapping the Nation

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 17:19:51 -0400

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 and history teachers alike. The chapters include:

The Graphic Foundations of American History
Capturing the Past Through Maps
Disease, Expansion and the Rise of Environmental Mapping
Slavery and the Origin of Statistical Cartography
The Cartographic Consolidating of America

See on mappingthenation.com

Isn't That Spatial? Overview of Online Spatial Thinking and Digital Maps Course

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 14:15:11 -0400

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 disciplines.

It will accomplish this through a series of hands-on activities where participants investigate a series of fascinating issues relevant to the 21st Century, including population, natural hazards, energy, water, current events, sustainable agriculture, and more. These activities will be supplemented by short readings and reflections that will build a community of educators focused on the value of investigating the world through a spatial perspective.” This promises to be a tremendous opportunity.

Facilitator (Teacher): Bianca Katz - Co-Facilitator Facilitator (Teacher): Joseph Kerski

Begins: 19 September 2012. Duration: 5 weeks. Location: Online. Cost: USD $75

See on youtube.com

In Bike-Friendly Copenhagen, Highways For Cyclists

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 13:03:33 -0400

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 on there efforst. As the Earth-Operators Manual Facebook Page stated, cyclists in Copenhagen daily travel 750,000 miles; enough to go to the moon and back.

See on npr.org

Create QR Codes for GPS Coordinates to Create Scavenger Hunts

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:43:29 -0400

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

Fri, 31 Aug 2012 08:35:37 -0400

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 Nobel Prize–winning economists and ecologists. As one critic recently put it, “Jacobs’s influence confirms that books matter. It isn’t easy to cite another writer who has had a comparable impact in our time.” A couple of years ago, she won the top American award for urban planning, the Vincent Scully Prize. This in itself was unusual, not only because she regularly vilifies planners, but also because with the exception of the Order of Canada and a few other prizes, she typically turns down awards—some thirty honorary degrees, including one from Harvard. Jacobs herself wasn’t interested in finishing university—she went to Columbia for just two years.”

See on brickmag.com

It’s a Small (and Cartographically Incorrect) World After All!

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 22:33:32 -0400

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 imaginations, the visions of folk cultures and global harmony behind this Disneyland ride. This fabulous map charts that vision.

See on bigthink.com

An Introduction to Twitter

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:36:08 -0400

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

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 16:45:18 -0400

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 BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19391809

See on aljazeera.com

Stratocam: Google Earth Imagery

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 13:20:03 -0400

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 I’ve added 13 of my favorite cultural and physical landscapes.

See on geographyeducation.org

The Impact of Religion on Politics

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 09:35:18 -0400

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 2012 presidential campaign in the United States: their faith and how voters perceive their faith. This video discusses Mitt Romney, Barack Obama and some past presidents’ religious beliefs. I feel this video handles very controversial topics in a thoughtful and fair manner given that it treats various religious traditions and political ideologies in a non-partisan manner. The geography of religion might play an significant role in the outcome of the 2012 election.

See on youtube.com

EARTH Masterpieces

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 01:08:55 -0400

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 spectrum. Some of these images are processed to show different bands so we can visually interpret data such as what is in the near infra-red band, skewing the color palette.

See on youtube.com

Interactive Map of Olympic History

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 15:36:52 -0400

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

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 13:21:35 -0400

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