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GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION

Supporting geography educators everywhere with current digital resources.

Flexible Urban Planning

mixed used train-tracks/market place…

I’ve used similar videos in my classes and students are usually quite shocked to see how a city like Bangkok, Thailand operates.  I’ve used this as a ‘hook’ for lessons of population growth, urbanization, economic development, sustainability, megacities and city planning.

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

See on www.youtube.com

Save the Endangered Globe

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

What’s lost when we lose sight of globes?

 

While I love digital images, sometimes a sturdy old fashioned three-dimensional globe is just what is needed.  As the article laments, they are becoming increasingly rare. 

See on www.nytimes.com

Red State Reads, Blue State Reads

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

What political books are residents of your state reading? A new interactive map from Amazon shows recent book sales broken down by either “red” or “blue” political leanings.

I do not think that “book sales” is a surrogate for “projected votes,” but this is revealing about the political landscape and especially the marketing of politically partisan materials.

See on www.theatlanticwire.com

Wild rice gene gives yield boost

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

A gene from wild Indian rice plants can significantly raise the yield of common varieties in nutrient-poor soils by boosting root growth.

 

While many are leery of GMOs (with good reasons linked to health), it is important to recognize that there is society value to agricultural research that works on improving yields.  This article would be a good “other side of the coin” resource to share when discussing GMOs.   

See on www.bbc.co.uk

In the Shadows of the High Line

“The High Line has become a tourist-clogged catwalk and a catalyst for some of the most rapid gentrification in the city’s history.”

Earlier I have posted about the High Line, a project in NYC to transform an old elevated train line into a public green space ( ). This project has fallen under criticism as the property values of homes below the High Line have risen and the neighborhood is undergoing gentrification. Linked is the NYTimes opinion article that critiques the High Line as a “Disneyfied tourist-clogged catwalk.” This project has change the economic profile of the neighborhood and its sense of place and communal identity. The critic’s blog is (self-described) “a bitterly nostalgic look at a city in the process of going extinct,” so he is naturally going to be against anything that at changes the historic character of the city. As geographer Matthew Hartzell has said, “to say that nothing should change is an awfully conservative view of urbanity. Cities evolve—neighborhoods evolve.” This is a good article to share with students to get them to think about the economic and cultural issues associated with urban revitalization projects and the impacts on the city.

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

See on www.nytimes.com

2600 years of history in one object

TED Talks A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script, damaged and broken, the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism.

At first glance this TED Talk appears to be more about ancient history, archaeology and biblical studies that anything modern.  Yet as Neil MacGregor, the Director of the British Museum continues his discussion of the Cyrus Cylinder (A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script), it becomes clear that this historical artifact is vital in understanding how modern states conceive of their heritage, cultural legacy and role within the Middle East today (such as Israel, Iraq, Iran and the U.K.).  As such the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism and plays a role in shaping Middle Eastern cultural and political institutions.

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

See on www.ted.com

USA Watercolor Map

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

Buy USA Watercolor Map art prints by Michael Tompsett at Imagekind.com. Shop Thousands of Canvas and Framed Wall Art Prints and Posters at Imagekind.

This is nice…I’ll settle for the digital image to be a poster on my website. 

See on www.imagekind.com

Beyond 7 Billion

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

After remaining stable for most of human history, the world’s population has exploded over the last two centuries. The boom is not over: The biggest generation in history is just entering its childbearing years.

The Los Angeles Times has produced an in-depth interactive feature centered around the impact of an increasing global population.  With videos, population clocks, narrated graphics, maps, photos and articles, this is treasure trove of resources for a population geography unit.

See on www.latimes.com

 

Gerrymandering: What is it?

See on Scoop.itGeography Education

This page is a quick primer for understanding how the decennial census leads to the incredibly political process of reapportionment of the congressional districts.  It also defines the specific gerrymandering techniques of packing, cracking, hijacking and kidnapping.

See on gerrymanderingmovie.com

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