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Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education |
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Google Maps is a fantastic free tool, but we’re guessing you don’t have much spare time to play around with the service. Let us help.
Even if you use Google Maps just for personal use, these are basic enough of tips that all users should be able to use.
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There are 8 major English dialect areas in North America, presented on the map. These are shown in blue, each with its number, on the map and in the Dialect Description Chart below, and are also outlined with blue lines on the map. The many subdialects are shown in red on the map and in the chart, and are outlined with red lines on the map. All of these are listed in the margins of the map as well.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This map is incredibly busy, but the best elements of this interactive map are the links to YouTube videos of particular accents and pronunciation examples. It's not winning any cartographic prizes but the links make the map it worth perusing given its rich detail. See also this article about the map from GeoCurrents. Tags: language, North America. 
Susan Lindell Radke's comment,
May 16, 4:26 PM
Looks like the YouTube links don't work. YT account terminated?
Kara H's curator insight,
Today, 12:16 PM
Very cool map with links to video/audio of the local dialect. Delete the scoop?
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You may have heard that the highest-paid employee in each state is usually the football coach at the largest state school. This is actually a gross mischaracterization: Sometimes it is the basketball coach. Delete the scoop?
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"Private girls' schools are now allowed to hold sports activities in accordance with the rules of Shariah, or Islamic law. Students must adhere to 'decent dress' codes and Saudi women teachers will be given priority in supervising the activities, according to the Education Ministry's requirements. The decision makes sports once again a stage for the push to improve women's rights, nearly a year after two Saudi female athletes made an unprecedented appearance at the Olympics." This news comes at a time when Saudi Arabia has allowed women to ride bikes (sort of). Tags: Saudi Arabia, culture, gender, religion, Middle East. Delete the scoop?
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Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah's journey to the NFL, beginning as a walk-on to the Brigham Young University football team from Accra, Ghana, who had never played foot...
Seth Dixon's insight:
Ezekiel loved playing soccer and never played American football until he was in his 20's; that is NOT a typical path to the NFL. Ziggy's life represents the geography of opportunity. If he had grown up in the United States, a boy with his physical abilities would have been funneled into football leagues at an early age. If he lived his whole life in Africa, he would never become a millionaire (probably not anyway). However, global diffusion of religious ideas brought LDS missionaries to his home in Ghana; enhanced migrational opportunities took him to Utah and all of these geographic factors (combined with his personal skills and ambition) helped him to become the fifth overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft and a member of the Detroit Lions. Read here for more on Ziggy. This story also makes be wonder if those with the greatest physical talent for a sport always gets the opportunity. I'm sure some kids in tropical countries have the physical tools to be fantastic hockey players, but without access to participation at an early age because of the cultural preferences of the area (although with hockey you could argue it's also climatically determined), they are geographically constrained to a different set of possibilities for their lives. 
Michael Miller's comment,
April 26, 8:23 AM
Seth, I don't know if you have ever picked up Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers", but it addresses some of these topics. It is a great and quick read!
Mike Busarello's comment,
April 26, 9:52 AM
I am an long time Eagles fan and cannot believe they passed on him.
Seth Dixon's comment,
April 26, 7:36 PM
I have (and forgot that's where the nugget of the 'hockey' idea came from). I just wish I had those cool glasses! Poor Eagles, Ziggy is ultimate high risk/high reward pick.
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Here are two shirts are from the Avengers. Both are designed for their children apparel production line, but I don't have to tell you which one is marketed for boys and which one is marketed for girls. Questions to ponder: How (and why) do companies use cultural ideas and values to market their products? How do companies shape cultural ideas and values? What impact do messages like this have on a society's culture? Do seemingly subtle differences is pop cultural products like this matter?
Tags: perspective, culture, gender, popular culture. Delete the scoop?
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"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'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. Delete the scoop?
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"[This video] explores the idea Western “cultural invasion” into Saudi Arabia, and satirizes Saudi views of America in the process. The influence of Western, particularly American, culture is a big, touchy topic in much of the world, with people torn between their love of Michael Jackson and their desire to patronize compatriots over foreigners. It’s about national pride and about preserving one’s own culture. For English captions (click the little 'CC' button in the bottom-right corner after pressing play). Skip to about 3:15 to see the segment on the Western 'cultural invasion' of Saudi Arabia and, appropriately, a very funny bit on attempting a 'reverse cultural invasion' of Saudi cultural in America."
Seth Dixon's insight:
Given that Saudi Arabia's government is a strict theocratic kingdom, many people imagine that those ideas and values are representative of the general population and imagine austere and unyielding personalities. This video shows something we ratherly see in the West, local humor from Saudi Arabia that critiques their own cultural institutions. Tags: Saudi Arabia, Middle East, globalization, culture. 
Louis Culotta's curator insight,
April 4, 6:39 PM
well, we all need a good laugh in the troubled world we live in. 
Jess Pitrone's comment,
April 29, 9:42 PM
Throughout the world, American pop culture is what defines us, and it is definitely what we use to define ourselves, as well. When we look to other countries, we look to see what their popular culture is like and compare it to our own. I love this video because I think that it is poking fun at both American popular culture and Saudi culture. Where American pop culture is so large and all encompassing, Saudi pop culture is small and not nearly as significant in defining its people.
When we, as Americans, see Saudi Arabians, we see a repressed culture, but just because they don’t have the pop culture that we have, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have a distinct identity. Obviously the Saudis have a distinct identity, and obviously they aren’t afraid to poke fun at what Americans think of their culture. 
Peter Siner's comment,
April 30, 9:29 AM
It seems as though throughout history there have always been tendencies for the Middle East to fall under a westernized mindset. Organizations and rulers throughout Middle Eastern history had challenged this idea. However, especially in todays society we are seeing a shift where the people of the middle east are becoming more and more accepting of westernized practices. The biggest hump however seems to be overcoming the religious boundaries that tie down the Middle East to its traditional ways. This process of westernization is not one that can be completed over night and it will most certainly be a very slow process that takes the time and effort of the people to make it happen. We are already seeing popular westernized culture integrate with the traditional culture of the middle east. With time, it is almost inevitable for the views of the western world to completely influence the people especially since the younger generations are so willing to change.
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"The WomanStats Project is the most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women in the world. The Project facilitates understanding the linkage between the situation of women and the security of nation-states. We comb the extant literature and conduct expert interviews to find qualitative and quantitative information on over 310 indicators of women's status in 174 countries. Our Database expands daily, and access to it is free of charge. Click here if you are a new to the project."
Seth Dixon's insight:
I have linked to the WomanStats Project in the past because their global datasets and maps are perfect for get students to explore a potential topic that might be of interest to them. I'm resharing this now because they have recently updated their maps page to include 28 statistical measures to indicate the status of women around the world (including this one on the gendered discrepancy of access to secondary education). The WomanStats Project provides important data and maps regarding issues of gender, access and equity with a spatial perspective. Delete the scoop?
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"Students are introduced to the physical and human features of Afghanistan."
Seth Dixon's insight:
This tremendous set of resources is the result of a partnership between The Choices Program (housed at Brown University) and National Geographic Education. This link takes you to a portal with lesson plans, videos, maps, student worksheets, etc. These are some of the materials that form the core of the Choices Program Summer Institute that focuses on the United States' involvement in Afghanistan. Tags: Afghanistan, political, culture, Central Asia, National Geographic. 
Sam Capron's curator insight,
March 27, 9:28 PM
This is an article that contains videos and other bits of information on Afghanistan and the surrounding area. It has info on the Geography, culture, and politics of Afghanistan as well as colored maps!
One of the most interesting elements that I discovered in this article is information regarding the Wakhan Corridor, a region I had previously not heard of. Basically it is the small sliver of land in northern Afghanistan. This land barrier was created to ensure that British controlled India, and Russia. It just shows you in a perfect example the huge impact that Europe has had on the Middle East, politically, economically, and geographically. Delete the scoop?
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"Every year, as a result of prenatal sex selection, 1.5 million girls around the world are missing at birth. How do we know these girls are missing if they were never born? Under normal circumstances, about 102 to 107 male babies are born for every 100 female babies born. This is called the sex ratio at birth, or SRB."
Seth Dixon's insight:
How do local cultures create these demographic statistics? How do these demographic statistics impact local cultures? Tags: gender, technology, folk culture, statistics, China, population. Delete the scoop?
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For the most part in American culture, intellectual struggle in school children is seen as an indicator of weakness, while in Eastern cultures it is not only tolerated, it is often used to measure emotional strength. 
E. Erny-Newton's comment,
March 21, 9:43 AM
This is what psychologist Carol Dweck highlights in her research : fixed mindset vs growth mindset ; some people tend to see achievements as based on innate abilities -they have a fixed mindset. Others see them as the fruit of effort and work -they have a growth mindset.Those two groups react very differently to setbacks : fixed minsets will give up, while growth mindsets will see an opportunity to improve.
E. Erny-Newton's comment,
March 21, 9:43 AM
For more on that, see : http://news.stanford.edu/news/2007/february7/dweck-020707.html
E. Erny-Newton's curator insight,
March 21, 9:46 AM
What is described here is what psychologist Carol Dweck highlights in her research : fixed mindset vs growth mindset ; some people tend to see achievements as based on innate abilities -they have a fixed mindset. Others see them as the fruit of effort and work -they have a growth mindset.Those two groups react very differently to setbacks : fixed minsets will give up, while growth mindsets will see an opportunity to improve.For more on that, see http://news.stanford.edu/news/2007/february7/dweck-020707.html ou en français : http://owni.fr/2011/02/07/apprendre-est-un-etat-d%E2%80%99esprit/ Delete the scoop?
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Infographics showing the distribution of the Roman Catholic population in the world, where it has risen and fallen in recent years.
Seth Dixon's insight:
As mentioned earlier, a South American pope was a symbolic recognition of the demographic shift in the Church's population away from Europe. Tags: culture, religion, Christianity. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
I've seen other "Where the Hell is Matt" videos and this recent one is building on that tradition. These videos show some fantastic international icons and people around the world. Simultaneously, this video show the unique cultural elements seen around the world while showing the essential beauty of our common humanity. Who wouldn't want to go to all the places that Matt has been? Tags: geo-inspiration, worldwide, folk culture. Delete the scoop?
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Scholars Online Videos feature top scholars answering a specific question in his or her field of expertise. These brief and informative videos are designed to supplement the Choices Program curricula.
Seth Dixon's insight:
In this Scholar's Online video, Jennifer Fluri briefly answers this question: How has Afghanistan's geography affected its history? This video nicely shows how contested international disputes have geographic dimensions to them. The very borders of Afghanistan were created out of geopolitical maneuverings. Tags: Afghanistan, borders, political, culture, Central Asia, historical, colonialism. 
Cazare Busteni's curator insight,
May 13, 1:56 PM
Luxor Holiday Apartment Prahova Valley Romania 
Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight,
May 14, 5:57 PM
about The Middle East and frontiers: a short video to better understand this country's history. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
Previously I shared a gallery portraying 20 families from around world together with a full week of groceries (from the book Hungry Planet or in this abbreviated online version). Today it's the breakfast table which shows differences in agricultural, development and cultural patterns around the world. Tags: food, agriculture, worldwide, culture, development. 
AckerbauHalle's curator insight,
May 14, 10:57 AM
Nach den Wochespeiseplänen hier ein Vergleichn von Frühstücksvarianten im Ländervergleich - lecker, lecker Delete the scoop?
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Oakland, Calif., was a hub of African-American life on the West Coast. Today, it's one of the most diverse cities in the country. How has that shift affected its culture?
Seth Dixon's insight:
The NPR blog Code Switch focuses on issues of race, culture and ethnicity. In this podcast they explore the changing demographics of Oakland due to gentrification and the cultural impact that it has had. In the 80s, African-Americans represented nearly half of Oakland's population, but today is now 34 percent white, 28 percent black, 25 percent Latino and 17 percent Asian. The music scene, night life and sense of communal identity has consequently shifted, and that causes some to yearn for what once was. Tags: neighborhood, gentrification, urban, place, culture, economic. Delete the scoop?
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"China's one-child only policy and historic preference for boys has led to a surplus of marriageable Chinese men. Young women are holding out for better apartments, cars and the like from potential spouses...30 to 48 percent of the real estate appreciation in 35 major Chinese cities is directly linked to a man's need to acquire wealth — in the form of property — to attract a wife." Tags: gender, folk culture, China, podcast, culture, population. 
Taylor Brown's comment,
May 4, 7:59 PM
Brides in China are treated like princesses. They get money given to them, apartments bought for them, and the whole wedding and it's paid for as well. All of this is very expensive for the Husband and his family, which is why some of the people in China are beginning to want boys instead because they cost a lot less money.
Ryli Smith's comment,
May 5, 2:30 PM
In China, weddings are beginning to become more expensive. The brides are asking for higher bridal prices so it is more expensive for the groom and his family. This is because there are fewer women due to the one child policy, therefore, in order for Chinese men to find a wife, they have to pay a very large sum of money to get her.
Iryl Bacdayan's comment,
May 5, 6:25 PM
For men who want to get married they have to "give" the bride a hefty price. They are expected to give them an apartment, a car, and then pay them a high amount of money.
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Seth Dixon'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, Delete the scoop?
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Provo, Utah, and Burlington, Vermont, represent opposite ends of the U.S. religiosity spectrum.
Seth Dixon's insight:
The majority of the most religious metros are concentrated in the South or Utah. This particular weekend, many of the rythmns of urban life in Utah cities are remarkably visible as the LDS church holds it's semi-annual General Conference. On the opposite side of spectrum, 5 of the 10 least religious metros are in New England; the west coast is the other center of diminished religiosity (with a mini-center in Colorado). Questions to ponder: What cultural patterns help to partially explain the levels of religiosity in the United States? What other factors explain the patterns of religiosity in your in your local area? Tags: USA, culture, religion, Christianity. Delete the scoop?
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The Chinese government says its so-called "one-child policy" has succeeded in reining in its population. But more than three decades after the policy's imple... Via Natalie K Jensen
Seth Dixon's insight:
This short video is an excellent summary of some of the societal consequences of China's one-child policy in a culture that prefers male offspring. Tags: gender, China, population. 
Sallyann Griffin's curator insight,
April 2, 5:14 AM
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. 
Jessica Martel's curator insight,
April 29, 2:44 PM
"women hold up half the skye" I like that haha. Anyways, the gender imbalance in china is rediculas. Hopefully be trying to forsce the women are equal thought this will in a generation or so fix itself. This way, there will also be less abortions per family. Delete the scoop?
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"Ogooglebar. That's Swedish, and means "something you can't find with the use of a search engine." At least, that's what the Language Council of Sweden wanted Ogooglebar to mean--until Google stepped in, fearing that the word had negative connotations for the firm."
Seth Dixon's insight:
I am used to the French trying to slow the flow of English words into French, but shocked that Google would join in the fray to slow linguistic change. Words evolve based on cultural shifts and technological changes and the computer industry has especially created new words to describe emerging, new social interactions. I'm certain that the company Google is thrilled that "to google" is the verb of choice to describe the action of searching for online for content. I would have guessed that Google was savvy enough to understand that this "ungoogleable" term is not an indictment on the company, but a new way to define that elusive, mysterious, indefinable quality for a generation that sometimes acts as if everything can be found of Google. Tags: language, culture, technology, google, diffusion. Delete the scoop?
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If a NYC location got a shout out in some rap lyrics, Jay Shells has probably made a sign out of them and placed it at that specific location for his amazing new project.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Street art has a subtle, but powerful connection with place. How does an art installation alter a neighborhood's sense of place? How does a place alter the meaning(s) of an art installation? Tags: art, mapping, NYC, culture, landscape, place, socioeconomic, neighborhood. 
bancoideas's curator insight,
April 24, 7:59 AM
¿que tal esta idea de arte callejero? Letras de rap y señaléticas de tránsito Delete the scoop?
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Blue countries are more welcoming, red countries less. Where does yours rank?
Seth Dixon's insight:
The World Economic Forum compiled a report on global tourism and part of that was an estimation of the attitude of each countries' population toward foreign visitors--this map is a visualization of that data. Why would some particular countries be more or less welcoming? What surprises you about this map?
Disclaimer: according to this article, there is much that is methodologically wrong with this map. Tags: tourism. 
Brianna Simao's comment,
April 30, 10:26 PM
I’m not surprised the United States was placed in the middle of the scale. The greatly different opinions people have regarding immigration is what keeps us in the middle. Many people do have problems with foreigners because they feel displaced and cheated on what they get from their country, almost as if the new comers are getting special treatment. I wasn’t surprised that China is one of the least welcoming because they are trying to control their population and they have such a strong culture they don’t want anyone coming in and changing it. But you also have to think about what perspective this is in, is this poll on the feelings towards temporary visitors, a permanent stay, or all foreigners in general?
Jess Pitrone's comment,
May 5, 5:25 PM
A lot of things about these rankings of countries that are least welcoming to foreigners surprised me, while others seemed blatantly obvious. It’s no surprise to me that countries like Iceland and New Zealand are among the most welcoming, they’re both in the middle of no where and no one ever visits them. I’m sure they jump at the chance for someone to visit! What did surprise me, however, was that the United States wasn’t less welcoming. I thought for sure we’d be in the red. The way Americans treats foreigners is appalling, no matter where their from (because we’ll probably mistake them from being from somewhere else that we don’t like), or if they’re here to visit or to live. Although we expect to be treated the exact opposite in any other country, and would prefer to be waited on and catered to. It’s very interesting to me that Mexico is more welcoming then the U.S., which is ironic, because we generally don’t welcome them.
Thomas D's comment,
May 6, 10:29 AM
I think this map of least and most welcoming countries to tourist is very interesting. I look at this through the American point of view and see that countries like Russia, Iran and Pakistan who are among the least welcoming states. These are all countries that we have had conflicts with throughout our countries history. I also find it interesting that the United States is such a neutral country towards tourism. A country that was based off of immigrants is no longer so welcoming to outsiders coming to our country. This could be due to the recent terrorist acts that have taken place within the United States in the past 15 years. Also just by looking at the map in a broader sense most of the countries that are unwelcoming are located in western Europe and Asia rather than anywhere else in the world.
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MOUNT GERIZIM, West Bank (AP) — The Samaritans, a rapidly dwindling sect dating to biblical times, have opened their insular community to brides imported from eastern Europe in a desperate quest to preserve their ancient culture.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Some folk cultures, such as the Samaritans, have historically intermarried and have been plagued by genetic diseases. Recently, they have turned to global solutions to their local demographic woes. "Five young women from Russia and Ukraine have moved to this hilltop village in recent years to marry local men, breathing new life into the community." Tags: folk culture, gender, population, Russia, religion, culture, Delete the scoop?
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International Women's Day: political rights around the world mapped
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is late for International Women's Day, but it is never a wrong time to analyze the spatial and temporal patterns of the expansion of women's political rights. This interactive map is excellent for seeing these few metrics, but a more expanded dataset with maps concerning gender (in)equality in the world and the status of women is WomanStats. Tags: gender, mapping, statistics, political. 
Nancy Watson's curator insight,
March 15, 5:19 PM
The UN Millenium Goals include gender equity and gender empowerment. The goals are set to be achieved by 2015. Delete the scoop?
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