GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

“The episode begins with Stephen Dubner talking to parking guru Donald Shoup, a professor of urban planning at UCLA and author of the landmark book The High Cost of Free Parking. In a famous Times op-ed, Shoup argued that as much as one-third of urban congestion is caused by people cruising for curb parking. But, as Shoup tells Dubner, there ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot.”

Source: freakonomics.com

Everyone searching for a parking space has at one time felt that there are not enough spaces where and when you need them…did you know that their are at least 3 surface lot parking spaces for every car in the United States (not including garages, driveways, etc)?  With 250 million passenger vehicles for 316 million people, that means there are 800 million surface lot parking spaces (that account for only 60-70% of our parking needs).  Parking then is a much bigger issue that we want to believe; this is one of the reasons why IKEA is starting to rethinking their construction model that historically has been designed around huge parking lots.   

Tags: urban, urban ecology, transportation, planning.

Webcams, Twitter, and data visualizations show you what’s going on with Bárðarbunga and Mount Tavurvur.

Source: www.citylab.com

“Here’s a collection of timelapses I shot during the past year. Amazing landscapes from California, Arizona, Bahamas, Florida, Japan, Taiwan to Italy.”

Source: vimeo.com

Part of a teaching geography is showing the wonders of the Earth in as way that will hopefully spark some awe, curiosity, and desire to see more of the planet.  I think this video is a nice primer for that.  

Tags: landscape, time lapse, video.

New research suggests that map reading is a dying skill in the age of the smartphone. Perish the thought, says Rob Cowen

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Despite the gendered overtones of the article (that it’s important for men to learn to read a map), this is some good advice, regardless of gender.  The vocabulary and concepts of maps can strengthen spatial cognition and geography awareness.  While GPS technology can help us in a pinch, relying primarily on a system that does not engage our navigation skills will weaken our ability to perform these functions.  While it intuitively makes sense, that the ‘mental muscles’ would atrophy when not used, it is a reminder that an overuse of geospatial technologies can be intellectually counterproductive.  So break out a trusty ol’ map, but more importantly, be a part of the spatial decision-making process. 

Tags: mapping, spatial, technology, education.

“While 62 percent of the total U.S. population was classified as non-Hispanic white in 2013, when public schools start this fall their racial landscape will reflect a different America.”

Source: www.theatlantic.com

A new report new shows the changing demographics in American education and how it differs from that of the general population.  The demographic shifts in the United States are transforming the cultural fabric of the country and this interactive feature from the Pew Research Center explores some of these changes.  What are some of the reasons and what are some of the impacts?

Tag: declining populations, population, demographic transition model, USA.

Take a look at the first day of school celebrations around the world!

Source: kidworldcitizen.org

Access to education is one of the great indicators of development and political stability–educators wish nothing but the best education possible for the next generation, but the experience is quite variable across the globe.  As many places have recently started school again, this article is a reminder that this practice is experienced differently around the world. 

Tags: education, K12, development, perspective, worldwide.

“Daily oil production in the Bakken is approaching one million barrels per day, placing it in an elite group of only ten super-giant oil fields in the world that have ever produced that much oil at peak production. In total, nearly one billion barrels of oil have now been produced in the Bakken oil fields, and all of that oil production and related activities have brought the unemployment rate in the Williston area down to below 1% in most months over the last three years. For the most recent month – April – the jobless rate here was 0.9%.”

Source: www.aei-ideas.org

As an oil boom has transformed North Dakota, the influx of oil workers has changed all the sectors of the local economy.  Agriculture has historically been the #1 economic contributor in the region, but huge piles of grain aren’t be shipped to the market, as oil by rail is much more profitable.   

Questions to Ponder: Why is WalMart offering such high wages in North Dakota?  What local factors impact the prevailing wage rate?  What does this tell us about places with low wages?  How does the oil industry impact all the others in the region?     

Tags: manufacturing, economic, North America, labor, USA.