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Dazzling Northern Lights Anticipated Saturday Night

“A solar flare that occurred around 2 a.m. Thursday morning may create a spectacular display of northern lights Saturday evening. The midlevel flare had a long duration and was directed at Earth. Solar flares create auroras when radiation from the sun reaches Earth and interacts with charged protons in our atmosphere. The effects are greater at the magnetic poles and weaken as they move south from the Arctic or north of the Antarctic. In the northern hemisphere the results are called the aurora borealis, with the aurora australis being its southern counterpart. The result is a spectacular display of light and color for areas with clear enough views.”

See on www.accuweather.com

April 12, 2013 0

APHG Graduate Certificate Program

“Join us for this free, informational webinar about Elmhurst College’s APHG Graduate Certificate Program. There are many levels of involvement to suit your professional development needs. Meet the director of the program and ask all your burning questions about getting up to speed on one of the fastest growing AP areas in the country!“

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

The good folks at GIS ETC are hosting a free webinar to discuss the AP Human Geography Graduate Certificate Program that will be launched this coming June through Elmhurst College. The Program Director, Dr. Rich Schultz. Interested in hearing what this program is all about? The webinar will be Thursday, April 18th 7pm CDT and you can register for free here.

Tags: APHG, Geography Education, training.

See on www3.gotomeeting.com

April 12, 2013 0

Public Space, Gender and Religion

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Recently, Five women activists have been arrested for wearing prayer shawls at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Israeli policewomen detained members of the religious group Women of the Wall for breaching orthodox rules governing prayers at the site, which only allow men to dress this way. This is Judaism’s most holy site and orthodox traditions govern the legal code over who is permitted to be in this place and what they may do; this fight represents a struggle to redefine the meaning and usage of public space in Jerusalem (among other complex issues).

Tags: perspective, Israel, culture, gender. religion, culture,
Middle East.

See on twitter.com

April 12, 2013 0

History of the English Language

“What we know as the English Language today has evolved over thousands of years, influenced by migrating tribes, conquering armies and peaceful trade. Do you know the origins of the language you speak? Have a look at this detailed infographic from Brighton School of Business and Management.”

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Languages, just like cultures, are incredibly dynamic and have changed over time. Many people like to imagine an older version of their own culture of “how it used to be” or even “how it’s always was.” This is an illusion though, to pretend as though cultural change is something new. This fantasy allows for people to nostalgically yearn for what once was, even if that perceived pristine past was but a fleeting moment in history that was shaped by many other peoples, places and times.

Tags: English, language, culture, infographic, historical.

See on www.avatargeneration.com

April 12, 2013 0

Crisis Guide: Iran

“Iran poses steep challenges to its Middle East neighbors and the world. Explore the country’s complex regime structure and controversial nuclear program, and watch experts debate the range of policy options.”

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Iran is in the middle of one of the most important geopolitical regions. One the bordered with Iraq and the Persian Gulf, Iran is stratgeically positioned to have considerable control over the world’s most important waterway for oil shipping and trade, the Strait of Hormuz.

Given it’s context, Iran is a country that students should more about than the three main facts that that most Americans are already aware of (1-Iran has an Islamic-based government, 2-an emerging nuclear program and 3-a ton of oil). This interactive feature is a good starting point with great videos, timelines, maps, articles that assess the current situation in Iran.

Tags: Iran, political, Middle East.

See on www.cfr.org

April 11, 2013 0

Writing FRQs

“AP Human Geography Free Response Questions should be approached in a very deliberate and specific way. APHG teacher Tom Landon explains his approach to teaching students how to do it.”

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

For those preparing students for the AP Human Geography test, this video gives great advice to help you instruct students on how to approach the Free Response Questions (FRQs). Understanding the content always comes first, but some bright students who I know understand the content fail to read the instructions or to answer every portion of the questions. This will help those APHG students.

Tags: APHG, training, geography education.

See on www.youtube.com

April 11, 2013 0

Climographs

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

Climographs chart the monthly temperature and rainfall data and are a useful tool is studying climatology. Here are links to dozens of selected United States and International cities that come from the National Drought Mitigation Center. The image above is a climograph of Providence, RI.

Tags: physical, weather and climate, Rhode Island, statistics, visualization.

April 11, 2013 0

Downtown LA: Always Changing

“The Los Angeles of America’s imagination is rarely downtown Los Angeles. When we envision L.A., we think of the beach, 15 miles away, or the starred sidewalk of Hollywood, or the sprawling suburbs of the San Fernando Valley. While not the center of our Los Angeles, downtown Los Angeles is nonetheless visible —it is a backdrop to films and television shows set in L.A., and, just as frequently, serves as Any City, U.S.A., easily transformed into New York City, Washington, D.C., and the generic cities of car, cell phone, or drug store commercials.”

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This AAG annual meeting will be in Los Angeles this year, and geographer Jennifer Mapes gives readers a virtual walking tour of downtown LA before thousands of geographers converge on the city.

Tags: Los Angeles, AAG, urban, landscape.

See on www.aag.org

April 10, 2013 0

Song: European Union

“Germany and France spent decades at each others’ throats. Now, bound by a common currency, they’re working together to save the euro zone. It’s a story that’s begging for a musical number — which, as it happens, we have right here.”

Seth Dixon, Ph.D.‘s insight:

This playful song dramatizes the current E.U. financial crisis. This humourous highlights what the E.U. was designed to be, and showing the advantages and disadvantages of enhanced regional cooperation. This is certainly worth a listen.

Tags: Europe, supranationalism, currency, economic.

See on www.npr.org