Geography Education
Geography Education
88
Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
Curated by Seth Dixon
Follow
Scooped by Seth Dixon onto Geography Education
Scoop.it!

Redistricting Results

Redistricting Results | Geography Education | Scoop.it

While this cartoon is flippant, the attached Washington Post article is not.  In the culumative congressional voting, Democrats have more votes but won fewer seats than the Republicans.  Many are starting to question the redistricting process after the 2010 census. 

  

Tags: gerrymandering, political, mapping, census.

No comment yet.
Seth Dixon is also curating
History and Social Studies Education Regional Geography Social Media Classroom Cultural Geography RIGEA
Discover Topics Seth Dixon is following
The 21st Century Freewares Ductalk Digital Delights for Learners Geoprocessing Curation & The Future of Publishing
and 35 others
Your new post is loading...
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

10 of the Most Dangerous Journeys to Schools Around the World

10 of the Most Dangerous Journeys to Schools Around the World | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Many of us have heard the stories of how our parents or grandparents had to walk miles in the snow to get to school. Perhaps some of these tales were a tad embellished, but we got the point. A lot of American kids have the luxury of being driven in a warm car or bus to a good school nearby. This is not the case for the children in this gallery.

The photos you are about to see are snapshots of the treacherous trips kids around the world take each day to get an education. Considering there are currently 61 million children worldwide who are not receiving an education—the majority of which are girls—these walks are seen as being well worth the risk.

In the above photo, students in Indonesia hold tight while crossing a collapsed bridge to get to school in Banten village on January 19, 2012. Flooding from the Ciberang river broke a pillar supporting the suspension bridge, which was built in 2001."

Thomas D's comment, April 30, 12:51 PM
In this article it shows many pictures of the tough and dangerous paths that these students have to take just to get to a classroom and to school. With the amount of children not being able to attend school around the world you can see why some of these children go about these journeys to learn. On the other side it makes me see just how lucky I was and the rest of my fellow classmates were to be able to attend school. To be able to be driven to school or to take a bus. Nowadays some American children will skip going to school if they wake up late or because they simply missed the bus. I thought I had it rough when I had to walk to school in the snow through the city, but this really opened my eyes to how lucky I was and still am. It amazing to see what these children will do to get an education and this is part of the reasons why other countries are becoming more advanced than America, because of the lengths there citizens will go to better themselves.
Brianna Simao's comment, April 30, 10:25 PM
This world makes getting an education the key to being a success and gives it such high importance. It is almost as if you are nothing without some sort of degree and you won’t make it far without it. It is a shame that such young kids, including elementary students, have to bear such conditions just to get to class. Most of the paths are life threatening. The lack of quality infrastructure and access to education is mind blowing. The quality of education systems vary between different countries whether they be developed or not which is why there is a rise in inequality rates. Girls are less likely to risk their lives taking these routes to school and would rather work. You now need a strong educational background which can sometimes be competitive. These pictures are eye opening and because these kids are so devoted to attending school something should be done about the conditions of their environment. They clearly deserve a safe path to school.
Kevin Cournoyer's comment, May 1, 12:51 AM
This slideshow makes it painfully clear that the degree to which a country is developed makes for very different experiences when it comes to education and physically getting to a school. Less developed countries clearly present different, in many cases, more dangerous obstacles to arriving at a school than well developed countries present.
The climate and geographic features found in other countries seem to often be what creates the challenges in getting young people to schools. Economically, these countries are clearly disadvantaged, as the lack of a viable infrastructure would indicate. Due to this lack of infrastructure, the journey to school is dangerous and arduous. A certain resilience can be seen in these pictures, however. Those who take these dangerous trips to schools miles away or over dangerous terrain clearly value education, indicating a cultural emphasis on the importance of learning, many times in spite of harsh geographic factors.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Urban Agriculture

Urban Agriculture | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Aerial photo tour across countries and continents with a French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand"

Seth Dixon's insight:

I love Yann Arthus-Bertrand's photography; so many of them are geography lessons in and of themselves as he captures compelling images of the cultural landscape.  This particular gallery shows 32 stunning images including this one above showing urban agriculture in Geneva, Switzerland.    


"Worldwide, there are 800 million amateur farmers in built-up areas. In estates in south eastern Asia and some towns in central and South America, many people depend on this activity for survival. It’s the same story in Europe; in Berlin there are more than 80,000 urban farmers, and in Russia more than 72% of all urban homes till their own patch of land, balcony or even roof. Urban agriculture is on the [rise] and there could be twice as many people enjoying it within twenty years."


Tags: agriculture, foodlandscape, images, urban, unit 5 agriculture, unit 7 cities

Chris Magee's comment, April 28, 12:53 PM
Many of these pictures are eye-opening and really bring to light how differently things are done around the world. I was very interested when reading about the Palm Jumeirah artificial island in Dubai. I have heard and seen this project before but never knew the ridiculous amount of money and labor which went into it. As an American it is an odd phenomena to see something another country is doing and think "Wow, that's a little excessive/unnecessary." when I am so used to other countries always saying that about our actions. The "massive" amount of imported labor used for the project could have been put into their own country instead of paying other countries workers to build the resort.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Education Around the World

Education Around the World | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"A glimpse inside the life of students from Senegal to Vietnam and China."

Heather Ramsey's curator insight, March 11, 3:57 PM

In the United States, we are constantly trying to improve education so that we can help students succeed in the global community. Our education system is often compared to those in other countries to see how American education "measures up." However, there are many differences between schools around the world.

 

BONUS: After looking at the pictures, compare American education and education in other countries. Write a paragraph explaining the similarities and differences that you INFER from the pictures and captions.

Tony Hall's curator insight, March 11, 8:48 PM

Little bit different to my school:)

Nancy Watson's curator insight, March 15, 5:13 PM

What does this do to your ethnocentric beliefs?

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

How are satellite images different from photographs?

How are satellite images different from photographs? | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Satellites acquire images in black and white, so how is it possible to create the beautiful color images that we see on television, in magazines, and on the internet? Computers provide us with the answer.

Images created using different bands (or wavelengths) have different contrast (light and dark areas). Computers make it possible to assign 'false color' to these black and white images. The three primary colors of light are red, green, and blue. Computer screens can display an image in three different bands at a time, by using a different primary color for each band. When we combine these three images we get a 'false color image.'

Find tutorials and links to free compositing programs here."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Tags: remote sensing, imagesgeospatial, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

Ken Halpern's comment, March 1, 1:23 PM
Very interesting to see how the process works. This is very helpful when trying to get a point across.
Conor McCloskey's comment, March 4, 8:59 PM
The Electromagnetic scale always confused me in High School! Hahaha. I also didn't know that satellites only take pictures in black and white.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

DIY satellite images

Cornerstone Christian school 7th grade science project. The effects of Altitude on air pressure and temperature. Cameras: GoPro Hero2 video footage. Edited B...
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is the coolest Junior High geospatial technologies project ever.  This actually recorded some nice remotely sensed images.  You can actually do something similar yourself with this balloon kit.  You can read about some successful attempts to do this with geography students and colleagues from @AndrewShears which can be seen here and another by @bricker that is worth looking at here.    


Tags: remote sensing, imagesgeospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Photographing Iconic Landmarks

Photographing Iconic Landmarks | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Oh, Machu Picchu, ancient city of the Incas, pride of Peru, must-see travel destination: You've never been so appropriately photobombed by a llama.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Millions of tourists have already taken a picture of Machu Picchu from this angle, and yet, tourists all want to replicate the iconic shot as for themselves--proof that they were there and had the full experience.  Iconic images are perfect for internet memes (and in this instance a photobomb) because there is a shared cultural understanding of what the picture should look like normally and inverting that provides the comic relief.  CAPTION THIS PHOTO IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. 


Tags: Peru, South America, tourism, images.


C. Kevin Turner's comment, February 4, 8:28 PM
I will try to replicate this shot... we are there for our Spring Break trip this year!
Seth Dixon's comment, February 5, 6:38 AM
You'll have to show me that picture this summer Kevin! My volleyball team is called the 'volley llamas' so this is our newest mascot.
Sam Capron's curator insight, February 20, 9:17 PM

This is a truly epic photobomb! Ahhh....ahhhh....PICCHUUUUUUU!

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Inverted Earth

Seth Dixon's insight:

These maps were purposefully designed to break all the cartographic conventions and consequently conceal as much as they reveal.  When land is colored blue, what happens in the mind of the map viewer?  Why is psychology important in how we design maps?     


Tags: images, mapping, cartography.

Dewayne Lawson's comment, January 19, 9:19 PM
very cool!
Sam Capron's curator insight, January 30, 2:54 PM

Would it even be possible for life as we know it to exist on this inverted Earth? For example, I am not sure where the fresh water is located on this inverted map. Do rivers still exist in an inverted world?

Suggested by Nic Hardisty
Scoop.it!

Interactive Earth at Night

Interactive Earth at Night | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

You've seen the this image as a static map, as a video and as an adjusted cartogram here before.  This link is especially intriguing because this same data has been added to Google Maps so a user can interactively explore this layer and compare it to daytime satellite imagery or a standard map (it can also be seen on an interactive globe on http://www.geteach.com/ ). 


The first impulse of most students is to note when analyzing this image is to note that the map will show us where people live, where the cities are or some other comment that speaks to the magnitude of the population in the white areas.  Let them analyze this for more time, and they'll notice that population isn't the whole story of this image.  A place like India shines, but less brightly than the eastern part of the United States.  I like to point out that South Korea appears to be an island (because North Korea is literally blacked out).  Politics, development, affluence and population information are all embedded in this image.  As with all maps, the more information you have about the place in question (in this case, Earth), the more meaningful information you can extract out of the map.


Tags: remote sensing, images, mapping, cartography, geospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

Giovanni Della Peruta's curator insight, January 14, 11:54 AM

Thanks to Nic Hardisty

Giovanni Della Peruta's comment, January 14, 12:02 PM
Very good comment, Seth
سعيد محمد's comment, January 15, 11:03 AM
ok
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

2012 National Geographic Photography Contest Winners

2012 National Geographic Photography Contest Winners | Geography Education | Scoop.it
The winners have been named in the 2012 National Geographic Photography contest. As a leader in capturing the world through brilliant imagery, National Geographic sets the standard for photographic excellence.
Seth Dixon's insight:

This image of the Matterhorn was the 1st place winner in the "places" category in the National Geographic's 2012 competition.  The winners are just as impressive as you would expect coming from National Geographic.

The School Aranda's curator insight, January 9, 4:50 AM

This image of the Matterhorn was the 1st place winner in the "places" category in the National Geographic's 2012 competition.  The winners are just as impressive as you would expect coming from National Geographic.


Wow....these should prove very useful for K, T and A classes.

Michal Zachar's curator insight, January 9, 8:57 AM

This image of the Matterhorn was the 1st place winner in the "places" category in the National Geographic's 2012 competition.  The winners are just as impressive as you would expect coming from National Geographic.

Webdesigners's curator insight, January 10, 6:51 AM

Best website design company Chennai, Logo designing Chennai, Web design Chennai

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Favela Images

Favela Images | Geography Education | Scoop.it
I love these favela images by Fernando Alan.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Tags: Brazil, urban, squatter, images, urban ecology.  

Profesor Vázquez Rubén Andrés's curator insight, December 18, 2012 6:16 PM

Favelas

Trisha Klancar's curator insight, December 18, 2012 8:01 PM

Amazing images to bring this to life for kids who have no concept what the favela looks like.

chris tobin's curator insight, February 21, 3:07 PM

building up....up.....up

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Remote Sensing Images

Remote Sensing Images | Geography Education | Scoop.it
It's already unlikely we'll get a view as good as the ones collected in "Earth As Art"
Seth Dixon's insight:

This article and the selected gallery is based on the free e-book "Earth as Art" which I've mentioned here before earlier.  This particular image is fantastic for teaching about geomorphology and river systems.  Students can 'see' the historical layers of a meandering stream winding it's way across the landscape.  Connecting the physical geography to human geography, analyzing the flood plains can help explain the land use and settlement patterns in this Mississippi Delta image.   

UPDATE: Here's another meandering stream image (Willamette River, Oregon) that shows the dynamism of fluvial processes quite nicely.

Steven Sutantro's curator insight, December 20, 2012 8:56 PM

the beauty of our earth...

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Black Marble: The Earth at Night

Black Marble: The Earth at Night | Geography Education | Scoop.it
“Nothing tells us more about the spread of humans across the Earth than city lights.”...


"For three weeks spread out over April and October of this year, the Suomi NPP satellite (jointly of NASA and NOAA) scanned all the Earth's land as it appeared at night. Scientists then mapped the satellite's data -- 2.5 terabytes of it -- over an earlier Blue Marble image, transforming that picture's daytime blues, browns, and greens into a nightime palette of blues, blacks, and gold." 


This video is a great compliment to the classic Earth at Night composite image as well as the adjusted cartogram for population density.  


Questions to Ponder: What do these lights "tell us" about human geography?  What does the intensity of the lights indicate?

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Human Conflict Seen From Space

Human Conflict Seen From Space | Geography Education | Scoop.it

I'll let Douglas Keeney's own words and this image speak for themselves: "The geography of human conflict as seen from space at night. The Strait of Hormuz as seen at night from the space station is a beautiful lesson in the geography of conflict. How much we learn by simply tracing the fingers of human populations as seen superimposed over the geography of Earth. Enjoy." 

-From Lights of Mankind: Earth at Night From Space


What would a picture look like from a drone's perspective?  Where are these places that are being targeted?  This Instagram account is incredibly thought-provoking and informative.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Life in North Korea

"David Guttenfelder, chief Asia photographer for the Associated Press wire service, sent these photos from North Korea straight to his Instagram account (in real time), a significant feat in a country where access is strictly controlled and where very few have Internet access."

Seth Dixon's insight:

On a side note, last week I posted about the joint South Korean/North Korea Industrial complex, essentially saying that as long as that remains open, this war talk from North Korea is all bravado.  Well, that industrial complex is now shut down


TagsNorth Korea.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Population 7 Billion

Population 7 Billion | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Just 200 years ago, there were only 1 billion people on the planet, and over the next 150 years, that number grew to 3 billion. But in the past 50 years, the global population has more than doubled, and the UN projects that it could possibly grow to 15 billion by the year 2100. As the international organization points out, this increasing rate of change brings with it enormous challenges."


Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a compilation of 42 photos that highlight ideas of  population growth, urbanization and sustainability.  Pictured above is the favela Joaquim de Queiros, a hillside neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. 

 

Tags: population, images, unit 2 population.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Humour in the steppes of Mongolia

Humour in the steppes of Mongolia | Geography Education | Scoop.it
I can´t stop smiling from a photo I stumbled upon on the facebook page of Nomaden (a Norwegian travel store) – I just love it! I tried to find the source of the photo, but no luck. I found it sprea...
Seth Dixon's insight:

I think this is my new litmus test for potential friends.  If this picture from Mongolia doesn't bring a smile to your face, I just don't think that we can be friends.  If anyone can find the original source (or a hi-res version), I'd love to hear about it.  

chris tobin's comment, February 21, 1:33 PM
Great happy photo. This is a possible National Geographgic photo
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Powerful Nor'easter Coming Together

Powerful Nor'easter Coming Together | Geography Education | Scoop.it
A massive winter storm is coming together as two low pressure systems are merging over the U.S. East Coast. A satellite image from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite on Feb. 8 shows a western frontal system approaching the coastal low pressure area.
Seth Dixon's insight:

This NASA "image of the day" of the Nor'eastern shows the scope and impact of the storm quite vividly. 

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Flag Food

Flag Food | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This picture is a compilation of foods Produced at the Sydney International Food Festival.  If you want to see more "food flags," see this previous post with links to the ingredients and a key to the flags (if you can't guess some of them). 


Tags: food, art.

Trisha Klancar's curator insight, February 4, 10:09 AM

I love it... I am seeing an extra credit project with this... feed the teacher and make it educational too!

dilaycock's curator insight, February 4, 10:02 PM

Now here's an interesting activity for students!

Mark Slusher's curator insight, February 9, 8:46 AM

Now THIS is geographical food for thought! Talk about conquering a nation!

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Pink Lakes

Pink Lakes | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Photo by Jean Paul Ferrero/Ardea/Caters News (via Exposing the Truth   Lake Hillier is a pink-coloured lake on Middle Island in Western Australia. Middle island is the largest of the islands a...
Seth Dixon's insight:

Pictured above is Lake Hillier, located on a small island south of Western Australia.  Around the world there are many pink lakes; most of them can attribute their hue to their high salinity composition.  Some algaes that thrive in salt water produce organic pigments with a reddish/pinkish coloration.  This particular lake's coloration is a mystery.  If you any additional information, feel free to share in in the comments section below.  

   

Tags: water, physical, images, Australia.

Stella Smith's curator insight, January 23, 12:34 AM
So Beautiful
Mary Rose's curator insight, January 23, 4:37 AM

Very nice

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

City & Country Ground Image Quiz

City & Country Ground Image Quiz | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Can you use physical and cultural geography clues to match the ground photograph with its location? Identify the 10 cities and 10 countries. In so doing, you are thinking spatially and considering language, culture, climate, landforms, land use, transportation methods, etc. to determine the correct answers."

Seth Dixon's insight:

This quiz and others like it are great ways to get students utilize all the information available in a photograph and really plumb the depths of their knowledge about places.  


Tags: games, spatial, landscape.

The School Aranda's curator insight, January 21, 6:00 AM

Should be great for FCE speaking speculation. . . .

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Mod Podge Map Dresser

Mod Podge Map Dresser | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This dresser represents a gorgeous way to recycle vintage maps.  As with all crafts found on pinterest, it's takes more work than the 4 easy steps pictured, but this one is very managable.  I love geographically-themed art.  


Tags: art.

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Mongolia's Nomads

Mongolia's Nomads | Geography Education | Scoop.it

Through his Vanishing Cultures Project photographer Taylor Weidman documents threatened ways of life.  About his work in Mongolia, he states: "Mongolian pastoral herders make up one of the world's largest remaining nomadic cultures. For millennia they have lived on the steppes, grazing their livestock on the lush grasslands. But today, their traditional way of life is at risk on multiple fronts. Alongside a rapidly changing economic landscape, climate change and desertification are also threatening nomadic life, killing both herds and grazing land."

Seth Dixon's insight:

In times of ecological hardships and global economic restructuring, many children of nomadic herders are seeking employment out of the rural areas and in the urban environment.  The cultural change that this represents is for Mongolia enormous and is captured wonderfully in this photo gallery.  Pictured above are the ger (yurt) camps that ring the capital city Ulaanbaatar.  Ulaanbaatar houses a permanent population of displaced nomads. During the winter, Ulaanbaatar is the second most air-polluted capital in the world due largely to coal burning.


Tags: Mongolia, images, indigenous, culture, globalization.  

Adrian Bahan (MNPS)'s curator insight, March 12, 6:44 PM

What factors are threatening pastoral herders way of life? Why?

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Inside an Amazon Warehouse

Seth Dixon's insight:

During the holiday season, online sales shoot up as distant relatives seek to ship gifts in time for Christmas.  Some have noted that online shoppers can stay at home and completely render the tradition physical storefront redundant.  Online shoppers, whether they think about it or not, hoping that the physical logistics behind the scenes will work efficiently and quickly.  This collection of images is a reminder that while it might appear that geography and location are eliminated with online communications, these virtual interactions in cyberspace are dependent on actual physical locations.


Tags: location, economic, space, industry, technology

Jim Lerman's curator insight, December 17, 2012 10:24 PM

Must be a mighty difficult place to work in.

Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

NASA - Image of the Day

NASA - Image of the Day | Geography Education | Scoop.it
NASA.gov brings you images, videos and interactive features from the unique perspective of America’s space agency.


NASA has stunning galleries of images including this link to their daily image.  The big news today about the NASA images is that they have recently made the 172-page e-book Earth as Art a free download (PDF)


About the Image: Portrait of Global Aerosols

"High-resolution global atmospheric modeling run on the Discover supercomputer at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., provides a unique tool to study the role of weather in Earth's climate system. The Goddard Earth Observing System Model, Version 5 (GEOS-5) is capable of simulating worldwide weather at resolutions of 10 to 3.5 kilometers (km).  This portrait of global aerosols was produced by a GEOS-5 simulation at a 10-kilometer resolution. Dust (red) is lifted from the surface, sea salt (blue) swirls inside cyclones, smoke (green) rises from fires, and sulfate particles (white) stream from volcanoes and fossil fuel emissions." 

No comment yet.
Scooped by Seth Dixon
Scoop.it!

Great Places

Great Places | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Hawaii, Kauai Island...where they shot the Jurassic Park...


Sometimes we all want to see a fabulously gorgeous physical landscape and marvel at the beauty that is in this world.  For some other spectacular images, here is a great collection of images (without much geographic specificity though).

No comment yet.