GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Globalization

The world is becoming more and more interconnected. Globalization changes how people consume, work and live almost everywhere on the world. Today, many economic, political, cultural or ecological relationships are not explainable from a national perspective. At the same time, a controversial debate about the consequences of globalization has begun.

Questions to ponder: What are the driving forces behind globalization? What areas are most impacted by globalization? How does globalization benefit some, and adversely impact others? Why?

Tags: Globalization, economic, industry, NGOs, political, scale, unit 6 industry.

See on www.youtube.com

September 6, 2012 0

The Scale of the Universe

Zoom from the edge of the universe to the quantum foam of spacetime and learn about everything in between.

Click “Start,” and then use the slider across the bottom, or the wheel on your mouse, to zoom in — and in and in and in… or out and out and out… It will take you from the very smallest features postulated by scientists (the strings in string theory) to the very largest (the observable universe). This really is a fabulous visual demonstration of scale at micro and macro levels. This is an excellent way to bring spatial thinking into the math curriculum as well.

Tags: Scale, perspective, space, spatial, Unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

See on htwins.net

September 6, 2012 0

NCGE Webinar Schedule

Supporting Geographic Education since 1915…

The National Council for Geographic Education hosts “Webinar Wednesday” during the school year which are free for NCGE members. This Wednesday (Sept. 5th) at 8pm Eastern time Charlie Fitzpatrick from ESRI will host a special, free webinar entitled, “Getting Started with ArcGIS Online.”

Next week (Sept. 12th) I will be the presenter for the webinar for NCGE members entitled, “Social Media for the Geography Classroom.” I look forward to my first webinar on the other side of the screen.

Tags: Training, NCGE, GeographyEducation and edtech

See on www.ncge.org

September 4, 2012 0

McDonald’s Goes Vegetarian — In India

McDonald’s plans to open the first in a series of all-vegetarian restaurants in India next year. But rest assured, in most locations around the world, meat will stay on the menu.

Many of the most successful global companies or brands use highly regional variations that are attuned to local cultural norms and customs. The McAloo Tikki burger— which uses a spicy, fried potato-based patty — is the Indian McDonald’s top seller.

Tags: Globalization, food, culture, unit 3 culture and SouthAsia.

See on www.npr.org

September 4, 2012 2

Linguistic Geography: My Fair Lady

This is a most decidedly dated reference for pop culture, but a great movie for making explicit the idea that the way we speak is connected to where we’ve lived (also a good clip to show class differences as well as gender norms). The clip highlights many principles and patterns for understanding the geography of languages.

Tags: Language, class, gender, culture, historical, London, unit 3 culture and place.

See on www.youtube.com

September 4, 2012 0

What is GIS?

This is a brief introduction to what geographic information systems are. This is not a tutorial on how to use it, but a conceptual overview on the potential uses and applications for GIS.

Tags: GIS, video, Unit 1 GeoPrinciples, geospatial, mapping and location.

See on www.youtube.com

September 4, 2012 0

Mass Sacrifice Found Near Aztec Temple

Below street level in Mexico City, archaeologists have found a jumble of bones dating to the 1480s.

In the 1970s, construction workers unearthed numerous archaeological finds as the subway was being constructed. The Mexican government decided to clear the several block of old colonial buildings to reveal the Templo Mayor, the ancient Aztec religious center. Not coincidentally, the Spaniards built their religious center in the same place. During the colonial era, the indigenous residents who spoke Spanish in Mexico City still referred to this portion of the city as la pirámide. Today more finds such as this one are continuing to help us piece together the past of this immensely rich, multi-layered place filled with symbolic value.

Tags: Mexico, LatinAmerica, historical, images, National Geographic, colonialism, place and culture.

See on news.nationalgeographic.com

September 3, 2012 1

Un-Fair Campaign

The University of Wisconsin-Superior is in one of the least ethnically diverse regions of the United States and the university is partnering with other local organizations across that region aimed at highlighting structural advantages within society for Caucasians. This campaign to make ‘white privilege’ visible has not surprisingly generated controversy and has made race and its impact of society an issue quite visible, to the discomfort of many. The author of the book, “Colorblind,” speaks about this issue on PBS as he argues that the United States is not in a post-racial society.

Questions to Ponder: In what tangible ways can you see ‘white privilege’ in our society? Is this ad campaign a good idea? What does the term normativity mean and how does it relate to this topic?

Tags: race, racism, culture, unit 3 culture, book review and ethnicity.

See on unfaircampaign.org

September 3, 2012 0