Some educators believe that geography is subject that should go hand in hand with the STEM push.
Geography used to be a subject that was taught throughout the nation but somewhere along the line it got put on the back burner. Now, in California, educators are finding ways to bring the subject back and their methods may be of interest to parents and teachers beyond the West Coast.
Tags: education, K12, geography education, STEM.
Source: www.educationworld.com
“This video forms a lively introduction to A Different View and the themes within it. A Different View is a manifesto from the Geographical Association. It makes a compelling case for geography’s place in the curriculum. But the world changes, and so does the curriculum. A Different View, and the supporting materials on this website, are designed to be used in any context where geography is taught, explained, encouraged or promoted.”
Tags: education, K12, geography education.
Source: animoto.com
Where did the idea of free movement of people come from? The precursor to the EU was formed as European leaders came together in the wake of the Second World War, wanting to prevent another catastrophic war. The idea was that allowing people to move across the continent – from countries where there were no jobs to countries where there were labour shortages – would not only boost European growth, but would help prevent war by getting people to mix more across borders.
“The founding fathers of the European Community wanted it to be a construct that also had a political integration and for that you needed people to move because the minute people crossed boundaries and borders, you had deeper integration… So it was both a social as well as an economic aim.
Tags: Europe, supranationalism, economic, mobility, political, states, migration.
Source: www.bbc.com
GeoGuessr is a geography game which takes you on a journey around the world and challenges your ability to recognize your surroundings.
Source: geoguessr.com
I’ve shared GeoGuessr before but they now have country-specific quizzes (this is for the United States). When I was a child I used to wonder if woke up somewhere far from home, would I be able to know where I was just by looking at the places around me (I was a geo-geek from way back when). GeoGuessr is the closest thing to finding yourself lost in the world and needing to figure out where you are without being wisked away. GeoGuessr will display 5 locations in GoogleMaps “StreetView” and you have to guess where the images are located. You can pan and zoom in the StreetView to explore the landscape and find more context clues as to where that location is. It is a fantastic exploration exercise.
What’s the epitome of summer for a lot of Americans? It’s communing around a grill, with friends and family, waiting for a slab of meat to cook to juicy perfection.
In Peru, people like to gather around heat and meat, too. Except the heat — and the meat — are buried in the ground. It’s called pachamanca, a traditional way of cooking that dates back to the Inca Empire. The pit cooking technique has evolved over time but remains an important part of the Peruvian cuisine and culture, especially in the central Peruvian Andes all year-round for family get-togethers and celebrations.
Tags: food, folk culture, culture, indigenous, South America, Peru.
Source: www.npr.org
“Maps bring the horror of Hiroshima home — literally.
Alex Wellerstein, a nuclear historian at the Stevens Institute of Technology, created a NukeMap that allows you to visualize what the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions would look like in your hometown. Kuang Keng Kuek Ser at Public Radio International has also developed a version, using slightly different estimates.
Here is what Little Boy, the Hiroshima bomb, would look like on Wellerstein’s map if detonated in New York City.”
Source: www.washingtonpost.com
“As the proud publisher of both Journal of Geography and The Geography Teacher, the official publications of the NCGE, we couldn’t be more excited to join the NCGE in Washington, DC for their 100th Anniversary Conference. We will be offering NCGE members and attendees FREE ACCESS to specially selected content which reflects core themes of this special meeting: Korea, Pedagogy, Educational Policy, Spatial Thinking, and Technology – 100 articles for 100 years!” http://bit.ly/celebrate-geoedu
Source: explore.tandfonline.com
The National Council for Geographic Education is having their 100th conference this week (#NCGE100). The Journal of Geography has recently TRIPLED its impact factor and The Geography Teacher is growing from 2 issues a year to 4. These are fabulous resources (and great reasons to become a member of NCGE). The link above is a collection of great articles over the years linked to the themes of the conference; here are free articles from the Journal of Geography and some free articles/lesson plans from The Geography Teacher.
Tags: NCGE, geography education, teacher training.
One reason why geography has languished in the curricula of many American schools is that so few people understand the nature of the discipline or its relevance to our everyday lives. What is geography? What is its unique perspective? What do geographers do? Why is geography important? Why should we teach (and learn) geography in the schools? These are questions that have gone largely unanswered in American education. This brief essay presents an easily taught, understood, and remembered definition of geography.
Source: apcentral.collegeboard.com
This poster nicely summarizes this classic essay on what geography is and what geographers do…it’s a perfect article for student to read.
Tags: education, K12, geography education.
China has been feverishly piling sand onto reefs in the South China Sea for the past year, creating seven new islets in the region. It is straining geopolitical tensions that were already taut.
Source: www.nytimes.com
Last year this was an intriguing story but now the geopolitical drama is growing as more countries are literally building islands out of reef outcroppings to strengthen their claims to the South China Sea. This is the most comprehensive article that I’ve seen on the escalating situation.
Tags: borders, political, conflict, water, China, East Asia.
GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 
