GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Today, a country’s marine economic area is defined by its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), a 200-nautical mile-wide (370 km) strip of sea along the country’s national coast line (hi-res image). This regulation, which was installed by the ‘UN Convention on the Law of the Sea’ in 1982, grants a state special rights to exploit natural (such as oil) and marine (for instance fish) resources, including scientific research and energy production (wind-parks, for example).

Questions to ponder: how does this series of buffer zones around the Earth’s land masses impact politics, the environment and local economies?  Where might the EEZs be more important to the success of a country/territory than other regions? 

Tags:  economic, environment, political, resources, water, sovereignty, coastal, environment depend, territoriality, states, conflict, unit 4 political.  

See on td-architects.eu

Tags: gender, development, worldwide, poverty.

See on armchairadvocates.com

Mitt Romney’s narrow electoral vote path explained — in 5 maps…

The above map represents the last time the Republican Party won a presidential election in the United States.  As the polls currently are projecting that President Obama will be re-elected, the most critical questions about the voting patterns for both parties are spatial in nature. 

Questions to ponder: how are current political patterns changing the map?  Which states become the most pivotal for either candidate to be victorious? 

Tags: political, regions, spatial, unit 4 political. 

See on www.washingtonpost.com

A musical video that serves as investigation into the causes and effects of global climate change and our opportunities to use science to offset it. Featuring Bill Nye, David Attenborough, Richard Alley and Isaac Asimov. “Our Biggest Challenge” is the 16th episode of the Symphony of Science series.  Visit http://symphonyofscience.com for more science remixes!

Tags: climatechange, environment, K12.

See on www.youtube.com

I’m a huge fan of Yann Arthus-Bertrand‘s artistic aerial photography.  This image of Rio de Janeiro and the favela is a striking one. I am also posting this to show the how easy the website justpaste.it is to use.  Students with no website creation training can produce sharable materials online.  Now this isn’t the most professional outlet, but I envision some middle school or high school students producing a class project that can be transformed into something that reaches a bigger audience as it is shared with a broader community.

Tags: remote sensing, images, art, worldwide, K12, edtech.

See on justpaste.it

An interactive series of maps show possible new additions to the world’s list of independent nations.

This is great way to show examples of devolution and political instability.  Included are 11 potential scenarios where further fragmentation/disintegration might occur or even greater regional integration that would redraw the map.  These case studies include:

• Somalia
• Korea
• Azerbaijan
• Belgium
• Arabian Gulf Union

Tags: political, devolution, supranationalism, war, autonomy, unit 4 political.

See on www.nytimes.com

For the first time in generations, more investment than foreign aid is pouring into Africa. But is that growth enough to change its future?

This is the first article in six-part series designed to investigate the changing economic and developmental possibilities that are facing the African continent.  As more foreign investors are exploring potential windfalls in Africa, it is making places that were on the margins of a global economy more directly tied to the process of globalization. 

Tags: Africa, development, globalization, economic, NGOs, unit 6 industry. 

See on www.theglobeandmail.com

The green revolution has impacted almost every sector of the economy. Now, eco-friendly technology is revolutionizing the way we think about architecture. Every part of the architectural process is undergoing huge changes.

When people think of green architecture, they often picture simple modifications, such as the substitution of environmentally friendly materials for less sustainable ones. While this can certainly be a viable means of reducing a project’s carbon footprint, it is by no means the only way to make a positive impact. The best green projects are the ones that go above and beyond, completely altering the way people think of architecture as a whole. The following are just a few of the spectacular developments taking place in architecture today.

1. Vertical Gardens
2. Disaster-Resisant Buildings
3. Walkable Roofs
4. Garden Skyscrapers

Tags: urban, urban ecology, sustainability, unit 7 cities.

See on greenbuildingelements.com

Tags: scale, K12, location. 

See on lifewithmoorebabies.blogspot.fr