GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

In many countries, geography education is in peril.  In Chile, the Education Ministry is rewriting the curriculum and many are afraid that Geography will be squeezed out (sound familiar?).  This Spanish-language video is a statement of why geography is fundamental, practical and a important as a lived experience.  You can also find “Min Educ: No Mates La Geografia” on Facebook and YouTube.

I recently posted a New York Times video about the rapid rise in industrial fishing and the production of Talapia.  Even with the rise of aquaculture as a major source of seafood, the world’s oceans are still depleted.  As the world’s population rises, many folk cultures with their roots in small fishing villages have transformed into primarily urban societies, but these urban societies still have a strong cultural preference for seafood and consume at levels that are not sustainable.    

Tags: environment modify, folk cultures, consumption, water, physical.

I’m pleased to announce a FREE Webinar about the AP Human Geography Online Graduate Program at Elmhurst College on Aug. 7 at 8:00 PM EST. Sponsored by GIS Etc., the webinar will answer questions about the program and what is included in the professional development experience.  

Scholarships have reduced the costs by $600 per course for all NCGE members who are public school teachers. 

Sometimes people refer to the ‘culture of the United States’ or the ‘geography of Florida’ in the singular.  While this is grammatically correct, it obscures the reality that there are many ‘cultures of the United States’ and that there are intertwined ‘geographies of Florida’ that help explain why the George Zimmerman case and Trayvon Martin’s death are such lightning rods of debate about social justice, race, class and gender these days.   

The Siberian Times is reporting a record heatwave for towns such as Norilsk that are both North of the Artic Circle and built on permafrost.  In what some would have you believe is an unrelated news item, the North Pole is experiencing the formation of large meltwater ponds. 

Tags: physical, weather and climate, Arctic, climate change.

This interactive on refugees is especially timely, given that the Syrian civil war has created refugee situations in many of the neighboring countries.  One of my favorite elements of the Guardian’s interactive is that they provide the raw data, so students can create their own maps with the same high quality data.  Equally important, this interactive shows the regional power bases of all the various factions of the Syrian rebellion that is seeking to overthrow the Assad regime.  The political conflict has huge demographic implications.    

Tags: refugees, Syria, migration, conflict, political, MiddleEast, war.

This is just the map portion of a very detailed infographic on the medical geographic situation in Africa. Click here to see the full infographic.

Tags: Africa, medical, development, infographic, diffusion.

This video is part of a fabulous TED-ED lesson about redistricting.  The redistricting process is far from neutral; we should remember that gerrymandering is has happened on all ends of the political spectum.  Which map to you think is the best way to divide the districts?  What is the fairest way to divide them?

Tags: gerrymandering, political, mapping, census.