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GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

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September 2016

DON’T PANIC — Hans Rosling showing the facts about population

Source: www.youtube.com

Over the years I’ve shared many video clips featuring Hans Rosling and the Gapminder resources (click here for archived links).  For many this is going to but a rehash of previous videos, but this in the 1-hour long version of global population data (2016 Population Reference Bureau).  Clearly he is a proponent of lowering fertility rates–here he paints the optimistic view that population growth growth and development can be balanced in a future that is more ecologically and economically sustainable.  

 

Tags: population, statistics, media, models, demographic transition model, development.

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Most Young Americans Can’t Pass a Test on Global Affairs—Can You?

A new survey finds that even college-educated Americans have a lot to learn about the world around them. Take our quizzes to see how much you know.

Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

In a joint initiative from National Geographic and the Council on Foreign Relations, they polled college-educated Americans and (not surprisingly) they found that their global literacy was lacking (see the full report here).  This is why geography courses are needed in all general education programs–you can’t be a competent world citizen without understanding the basic geography and global affairs. 

 

Tags: geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples, National Geographic.

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Earth Temperature Timeline

Source: xkcd.com

This infographic is a fascinating way to put into context the very recent trend of rising global temperatures.  This is worth scrolling all the way through to make the ending all the more meaningful.  Oh yeah, and August 2016 was the hottest month in recorded history…only 11 months of record-breaking temperatures.  

 

Tags: XKCD, art, infographic, physical, historical, environment, climate change.

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Environmental Possibilism Vs. Environmental Determinism

“Environmental possibilism and determinism are theories, put forth in order to comprehend and understand the role played by the physical environmental conditions in the emergence and progress of any human culture or society in a particular location.”

Source: www.buzzle.com

This article outlines differences between environmental determinism and environmental possibilism.  Authors such as Robert Kaplan (Revenge of Geography—see a review here) and Jared Diamond (Guns, Germs, and Steel) have been accused of being too environmentally deterministic.  Read Jared Diamond’s retort to his critics here. 

 

Questions to Ponder: In what ways does the environment shape human culture(s)?  Why is Jared Diamond critical of skeptics who use the phrase ‘environmental determinism?’Why might some of Kaplan’s ideas as well as the ideas of classical geopolitics be considered ‘environmental determinism?’ Can the role of physical geography be overstated in culture, economics or politics? Give three examples when it might be inappropriate. 

 

Tags: environment, religion, culture,  unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

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Creamed, Canned And Frozen: How The Great Depression Revamped U.S. Diets

During the Depression, cheap, nutritious and filling food was prioritized — often at the expense of taste. Jane Ziegelman and Andy Coe, authors of A Square Meal, discuss food trends of the time.

Source: www.npr.org

Peanut butter and school lunches became fixtures of American culture during the Depression.  On the flip side, our modern preference for freshness is a reaction against the Depression’s obsession to find ways to preserve food for longer amounts of time.  

 

Tags: food, economic, food distribution, historical, podcast.

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Climate Comparison Maps

“Triton1982 makes maps by comparing each of the city’s highest and lowest average temperatures against the Koppen classification system.”

Source: www.triplem.com.au

Many maps are shared on Reddit, and this series of maps help make some far off places easier to relate to.  I think these cross-regional comparisons can also help students also see that countries can have a great degree of internal variety.  

 

Tags: Australia, Oceania, mapping, visualization 

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The Real Reason Leaves Change Color In the Fall

Tags: environment, biogeography.

Source: www.youtube.com

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Remembering September 11th

Video and Photographs of the event. All media is from the internet and not my own. I compiled all media from the internet and edited them together to tell the story of the deadliest attack on America.

Source: www.youtube.com

The compilation above was created by a teacher who realized that now none of his students were alive to remember how emotional it was for people to watch the horrific news unfold.  Additionally, this video of how Canadians helped the U.S. paired with this lesson plan from the Choices Program will help students explore the human dimension of the September 11 attacks as will this lesson from Teaching History. For a geospatial perspective on 9/11, this page from the Library of Congress, hosted by the Geography and Map Division is a visually rich resources (aerial photography, thermal imagery, LiDAR, etc.)  that show the extent of the damage and the physical change to the region that the terrorist attacks brought.  The images from that day are a part of American memory and change how the event is remembered and memorialized in public spaces (if you want a touching story of heroism, the Red Bandana is moving). .

 
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Sinkhole looks like an abyss, recharges aquifer

At this sinkhole, about 500 cubic feet of water per second is disappearing into the earth, the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool every three minutes, according to an engineer with the Edwards Aquifer Authority. For as much water reaches the aquifer at this spot, far more infiltrates through porous rock across South-central Texas.

Source: www.mysanantonio.com

Not all water runoff goes to rivers, lakes, and oceans.  Some water percolates into soils that can absorb water (aquifers) but there are some soils such as clay that can’t absorb water (aquicludes or aquitards).  In this dramatic example (see video), the water is not absorbed by the resistant rock, flows through a sinkhole to recharge the aquifer below.    

 

Tags: physical, geomorphology, water, erosion.

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