GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

More than 75,000 firms that have helped to deliver London’s Olympic Games are fighting a 12-year gagging order preventing them from talking about the work they have done, it emerged last night.

London has undergone important urban projects that have transformed the numerous parts of the city.  These massive investments are now being questioned as some observers are skeptical as to whether or not their will be an adequate return on investment. 

See on www.independent.co.uk

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

“This interactive map shows the county to county social interactions given in total call minutes or total number of SMS from the anonymous, aggregated AT&T mobile phone data. Click into your county or type it into the text box to find out how it is connected to other counties in the US. You can switch between call and SMS data to reveal the changes in interaction mode. Also, the population map is provided, which is based on the 2010 Census.”     -Martin Daumiller

See on senseable.mit.edu

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

Apple is expected to dump Google Maps from its operating system, in favor of its own product. In response, Google is showing off how much it has done in maps, and how many features it has.

Google Maps is on many devices, but Apple now appears poised to enter the mapping market more fully, including native Apple mapping apps for the iPhone and iPad designed to replace Google Maps.

See on bits.blogs.nytimes.com

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

Like so many phenomena, there is a spatial nature to obesity (higher in the United States than global averages and higher in the deep South than national averages).  This infographic compiles statistics that are ‘food for thought.’

See on finance.yahoo.com

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

Inside an extraordinary school that gives India’s Dalit girls a chance at a better life…

Cultural change, especially traditions that are deeply engrained over many generations are difficult to reverse.  In India, the caste system is changing but not without tremendous efforts by individuals and institutions that are deeply committed to equality and expanding opportunities for the most socially vulnerable population.  There are a variety of videos and articles here that show how one school is making a difference in the lives of ‘untouchable’ girls to give them a hope for the future. 

See on www.theglobeandmail.com

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

The official Web site of the High Line and Friends of the High Line…

What do you do with an outdated elevated train line running through a crowded neighborhood in New York City?  In the 1980s, residents called for the demolition of the line as the eyesore since it was blamed for economic struggles of the community and increased criminal activity.  Recently, this has been converted into an elevated green space that has economically revitalized the local real estate.  Find out more about this innovated park and project.      

See on www.thehighline.org

This interactive Google Earth file (KML download available) surveys the important places in the life and works of Shakespeare to add depth and context for an English class.  Produced by an Arizona State University ESL professor Shane Dixon (who happens to also be my awesome older brother), this learning module infuses geographic thought into the study of literature.  Many geography teachers bemoan the state of geography in education and I understand that frustration for more explicitly ‘geography’ courses; I also see this type of interdisciplinary activity as way to create a geography that is a part of all classrooms.  So talk to an English teacher about a collaborative project–it just might get you somewhere.

This evening I had the great pleasure of listening to one of my mentors from my days at Penn State, Roger Downs.  He spoke brilliantly about the importance of understanding expertise within the field of geography to the readers of the AP Human Geography test at the annual reading in Cincinnati, Ohio.  It was intellectually comforting seeing his favorite image, The Geographer by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, as the opening slide.

Seeing that this could be immensely helpful to other geography educators, I’m posting the full powerpoint slide of the presentation, which Roger was so gracious enough to share, as well as a PDF version of the slides.

Roger Downs AP Presentation (Powerpoint)

Roger Downs AP Presentation (PDF)

See on Scoop.it – Geography Education

Information about the endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus and what you can do to save it.

So many of our student passively accept what they read on the internet as truth, especially if the website looks professional.  Since we are trying to help foster critical-thinking skills, we can present this website as though it were factual and encourage our students to analyze, critique and evaluate the ‘information’ presented.  Personally, I wish I lived in a world where the Tree Octopus was safe to freely climb in the old-growth forests.    

See on zapatopi.net