GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

“In this exclusive, unedited interview, ‘I Am Malala’ author Malala Yousafzai remembers the Taliban’s rise to power in her Pakistani hometown and discusses her efforts to campaign for equal access to education for girls. Malala Yousafzai also offers suggestions for people looking to help out overseas and stresses the importance of education.”

For younger audiences, hearing someone their own age discuss educational opportunities (or the lack thereof) based on gender can leave a profound impression. Today, Malala is a Nobel Peace Prize winner (deservedly so), as she’s become an icon in her own right as she champions developmental opportunities for girls in cultures that historically have not had equal offerings for young women.  Watch this documentary to see who she was before she was thrust into the international spotlight. 

Tags: development, poverty, gender, Pakistan, media.

“No one has found out how to help Denmark’s falling birth rate. Until now. Spies Travels announces a competition where you have to make a baby to win.”

Source: www.youtube.com

“This 18-stanza poem by Kit Salter, beautifully captures the importance of geographic thinking in any history/social studies curriculum.  This was shared by Dr. Vernon Domingo and the slides of his keynote address titled, Integrating Geography and History are available here.”

Source: rigea.org

“Secession movements seem to be everywhere: from the Kurds in Iraq, to pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists, to Scotland’s aim to break up the UK. How does secession actually happen? Let’s look back to South Sudan’s successful secession effort to see exactly how new countries gain independence.”

Source: www.youtube.com

What does it take to actually secede from a country?  This video takes the example of South Sudan to highlight the necessary requirements to successfully secede and then gain full independence. 

Tags: South Sudan, political, sovereignty, Africa, states, unit 4 political.

“Though it may come as a surprise to outsiders, the journey to Mecca is a manifestation of globally moderate Islam.”

The Mecca region of Saudi Arabia has recently been in the midst of Hajj season. The Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, is strongly encouraged of all Muslims who have the means to undertake it. Importantly, by bringing together 2 million to 3 million people from across the globe, the Hajj pilgrimage is a manifestation of the diversity and moderate nature of global Islam. This image of the Muslim world as cosmopolitan and reasonable stands in stark contrast to the militant Islamist fundamentalism we more regularly hear about in media coverage — with the Islamic State and Boko Haram being the most recent manifestation of this.

Tags: Islam, Saudi Arabia, culture, religion, Middle East.

Source: www.startribune.com

“Some great geography education resources that can be found on Twitter.”        

Source: geographyeducation.org

While I might wish to write posts about everything pertinent to geography education that I find on social media, I just don’t have the time to do it all.  Too many good tweets, not enough time.  Periodically I will share a list of tweets that can link you to good resources and help you expand your personal learning network.

Tags: geo-inspiration, geography education, social media, teacher training.

“It has taken between 50-300 million years to form, and yet we have managed to burn roughly half of all global oil reserves in merely 125 years or so.“

Source: www.oildecline.com

Many who research natural resources and their production believe in peak oil.  Peak oil is defined as the maximum rate of the production of oil in any area under consideration, recognizing that it is a finite natural resource, subject to depletion.  In essence, oil will run out some day because it is a non-renewable resources; so oil production will peak, and then permanently decline.  Some are skeptical of these claims and feel that the oil industry is in a much stronger position than peak oil proponents suggest.

Tags: energy, resources, environment, environment modify, climate change, political ecology.

“More than 168 million Americans now live in states where marriage for same-sex couples is legal following the Supreme Court’s decision Monday to not hear five states’ appeals.  That number represents about 53.17 percent of the U.S. population, according to data from the Census Bureau and visualized on the map above.”

Tags: sexuality, USA. regions, map, political.

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

“Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse backgrounds, and the environments in which they live, by helping to provide equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities. See other videos on this organization here.”

Source: www.youtube.com