Geography Education
Geography Education
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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
Curated by Seth Dixon
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Tanzania's Albinos Face Constant Threat Of Attack

From www.npr.org - December 4, 2012 8:58 AM
For many albinos — born with a partial or total lack of pigment in their skin, hair and eyes — life is difficult, and that is particularly true in Tanzania, where they are attacked for their flesh, the result of superstitious beliefs.


This is not a typical look at the cultural roots of prejudice and discrimination.  It isn't racism per se (since albinism isn't a racial category strictly speaking), but it does show prejudice that is linked to physical appearance and skin color.  There are deeply rooted folk traditions that endanger the lives of African albinos as explained in this podcast.  This photo gallery shows some of Tanzania's albinos letting their light shine.   

 

Tags: culture, racism, folk culture, Tanzania, Africa.

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Water and Development

From www.youtube.com - May 20, 3:28 PM
Australia's engagement with Asia: Water - a case study on Flores
Seth Dixon's insight:

For a the full lesson on how access to clean drinking water and human well-being are connected on the Indonesian island of Flores, visit World Vision Australia.  On a related note, this article from the Guardian discusses the trouble of securing clean drinking water in Bangladesh.   


Tags: Indonesia, water, development.

Margaret Crocco's curator insight, May 21, 2:23 PM

Water--the coming disaster...
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Is It Crazy to Think We Can Eradicate Poverty?

Is It Crazy to Think We Can Eradicate Poverty? | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.nytimes.com - May 5, 10:06 PM
The end to extreme poverty might very well be within reach. But is the bar too low?


The World Bank aims to raise just about everyone on Earth above the $1.25-a-day income threshold. In Zambia, an average person living in such dire poverty might be able to afford, on a given day, two or three plates of cornmeal porridge, a tomato, a mango, a spoonful each of oil and sugar, a bit of chicken or fish, maybe a handful of nuts. But he would have just pocket change to spend on transportation, housing, education and everything else.

Jacob Rabe's curator insight, May 15, 9:59 PM

This is a really interesting article. It is so crazy to think about living in a world without poverty, because it has been there for as long as we can all remember, and its not something you can just slip out of. When you think about it, it is sort of an exponential growth, just like the economy.
Matthew Nava's comment, May 19, 8:36 PM
I think it would be extremely difficult to rid poverty all together
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What the world eats -- a week's worth of groceries

From imgur.com - April 30, 10:15 PM
Seth Dixon's insight:

I've posted on this previously, but this imgur gallery puts the images in a stunning new format for sharing.  This gallery portrays 20 families from around world together with their weeks food.  The differences in agricultural, development and cultural patterns are plainly manifest.  For more context on this photographic project (as well as the details of the families and their food), it is chronicled in the book Hungry Planet or in this abbreviated online version. 


Tags: food, agriculture, worldwide, consumption, culture, development.

Jen-ai's curator insight, May 1, 10:03 AM

!  This is so informative.  
Laurie Diamond's curator insight, May 3, 9:03 AM

An interesting look and different cultures
Samuel Yeats's curator insight, May 8, 12:40 AM

Q1) How does this slideshow depict the differing socioeconomic situations of countries around the world? (Use the example of at least 2 countries)

Q2) Do you think that the image of an Australian weekly diet is accurate to your own family and why?
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Managing Global Resources

From twitter.com - April 10, 12:31 PM
Seth Dixon's insight:

How could this prompt (with accompanying activities and lesson plans) fit in with what you teach or study? 


Tags: consumption, food, development, resources, sustainability.

Sally Egan's curator insight, April 10, 6:34 PM

Useful for teh Fodd Security section which will be in the National Curriculum. The video provides an animated presentation of reasons for inequity in food availability over the globe. The activities on Oxfam site are useable resources.
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Japan's Geographic Challenge

From www.youtube.com - March 26, 7:35 PM
Stratfor examines Japan's primary geographic challenge of sustaining its large population with little arable land and few natural resources. For more analysi...
Seth Dixon's insight:

Part of knowing Japan's expansionist history has to do with understanding the geographic setting of the islands.  

 

Tags: Japan, population, historical.

Chris Magee's comment, April 28, 12:41 PM
Japan's geography creates a very interesting situation for the country. Due to the fact it is secluded on it's own island, it is not able to have as many natural resources and is therefore forced into some unique situations. Some of these have ended in war (World War II) or simply new trade partners, both things Japan would maybe like to avoid as I'm sure they would like to be a little more self-sufficient.

The mountainous landscape of Japan is a big factor in the way the population is set up. It has created distinct plains areas where the population is crammed into. The urban models must be very unique and interesting for these areas because of how dense the population is.
David Ricci's comment, April 30, 9:47 AM
Japan clearly has their job cut out for them due to the geography of the country. Thier land has very limited airable land making agriculture extremely hard to maintain. The mountainous terrain also makes travel much harder for these people. Because of this their population like stated in the video has been pushed to hotspots like the yamato region. Japan has developed their culture solely based on how disconnected they are from the rest of the world. Japan is a chain of many islands so they have to import alot of their goods. This means having good trade partners, always making new trade partners, and avoiding conflict. This didnt work so well looking back at world war II. Unfortunately they must either become more self sufficient like chris said, or they have to stay on the good sides of alot of other countries.
Kevin Cournoyer's comment, May 1, 12:51 AM
Unlike other larger, more geographically diverse countries, Japan is faced with the problem of a general lack of farmable land and natural resources. The fact that the country is itself an island does not make things any easier for it in an economic sense. The way the country is divided up also makes for a difficult political situation, as mountain ranges create division, and therefore, political disunity.
The proximity of the Korean peninsula and China to Japan is also important to examine. Whenever Japan wishes to acquire natural resources and other economically beneficial materials, Korea is the conduit through which Japan tends to invade the mainland, usually China. Because of this, we can see how Japan’s geographic location may cause strained relationships with its neighbors, both politically and economically. Alienating two of its closest neighbors would clearly be a disastrous move for Japan, but it may be seen as necessary due to its unfortunate geographic location.
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What the Internet Looks Like

What the Internet Looks Like | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From gawker.com - March 22, 1:20 PM
You are looking at, more or less, a portrait of the internet over an average 24 hours in 2012—higher usage in yellows and reds; lower in greens and blues—created by an anonymous researcher for the "Internet Census 2012" project.
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a stunning animated graphic the represents internet usage.  The temporal dynamics of map make it especially mesmerizing. 

Zakary Pereira's comment, April 30, 5:02 PM
Whoa. This is awesome. Never before had I seen internet usage across the globe before. I wasn’t too surprised by the map its showing. Obviously the United States and Europe would have the highest internet traffic of the world although I was quite surprised to see such massive internet activity in Central America, near Panama and Costa Rica. This data was collected illegally and it was interesting how they did it. It was a bot who hacked into Linux computers with no password (really…) or a default password (still really…) and then tracked their IPv4 address to see their activity. It was a non-threatening bot and they created a readme file on each computer that explained what it was doing however it was still an invasion of privacy and no matter how cool the map came out I cannot agree with their methods of obtaining this information. What interested me at first about this was activity in the Middle East. You can see a lot of activity in Turkey and around the Nile in Egypt, but other than that the rest of the region is fairly dim. It is unfortunate that is so because of how it could help people there, just look at the Arab Spring.
Kevin Cournoyer's comment, May 1, 12:51 AM
I found this collection of data very interesting. It reveals a number of different things about the internet across the world and the intensity of its usage.
Most obviously, perhaps, you can see what areas of the world have the most internet usage, or at least access. The areas of highest use seem to certainly match up with what you would expect: high internet usage and access in first world countries in Europe and in the United States, lower internet usage and access in more impoverished areas such as Africa and the Middle East. The amount of internet usage can also be seen increasing and decreasing as the animation moves from right to left, indicating the twenty four hour cycle of a day and presumably decreased internet usage during the night and increased usage during the day. This animation provides fascinating and valuable information about the internet in a unique geographic context. Economic geography is apparent in the concentration of internet usage, while physical geography is evident in the correlation between what parts of the world are accessing the internet at higher rates and when, in contrast to other parts of the world.
Thomas D's comment, May 2, 11:32 AM
I find that this article of Internet usage is very interesting and somewhat helpful in understanding the development of countries. You can see from this that over a 24 hour period of time that the entire United States is lit up with a color. When over this 24 hour period there are places on the map that never once do you see a light or you only can see it for a small period of time. I think this goes to show how greatly our society depends on the Internet nowadays. That we basically use the internet or a computer for just about everything at all times of the day. That in some countries they are so underdeveloped that they barely have access to computers. According to this picture Africa is barely lit up and it’s mostly lit up in South Africa which is one of the growing countries in the world. I think this information although gathered illegally is very interesting to look at and see who uses the internet the most.
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Crop Diversification in Malawi

Crop Diversification in Malawi | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.lfpress.com - March 14, 3:17 PM

"The tiny black-eyed pea is about to wage battle in Malawi.  The small country in southeast Africa is the site of a project to help with food security, nutrition and income.  Western University researchers are among those who will work with 30,000 farmers to help diversify crops into protein-rich legumes, such as the black-eyed pea, a popular type of cow pea in Malawi."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Tags: food, agriculture, Africa, Malawi, unit 5 agriculture.

Lauren Jacquez's curator insight, March 14, 3:48 PM

Review for you!
Seth Dixon's comment, March 15, 8:44 PM
A good friend of mine is currently working for USAID in Malawi. This is what he had to say: I think crop diversification is really important here in Malawi. Most farmers have a heavy reliance on maize,which results in reduced hunger but there continues to be persistent malnutrition among children as their diets consist of mostly maize.Almost everyone here grows maize, you might be a school teacher or a health worker, but you are also most likely growing maize as well. Farmers are very risk averse here, so introducing a new crop takes time, finding the few willing to experiment and then using them to show their neighbors of the benefits. Other organizations are working on crop diversification here in Malawi, the US government, Catholic Relief Services, and other international development partners. Although not spelled out in the article, the majority of farmers are actually women, and agricultural production is typically for household subsistence with minimal cash cropping. As crop diversification increases, cash crops will provide more resources for families to pay for education and health for their families, but probably more importantly families will start diversifying their nutritional intake beyond maize. In a country where 42% of under 5 children are stunted, this will be a positive development. My wife was just out in the South of the country with CRS and was seeing some of the work that they are doing towards crop diversification as a result of USAID funding. She was really impressed to see how different vulnerable groups have been targeted by similar programs. She was able to see changes in rural villages in very insecure food zones. She saw how those lead farmers, willing to adopt new techniques or diversify crops, plant cash crops, etc, are reaping the benefits. Their neighbors are seeing it in action and are now adopting the techniques. It is not an immediate adoption, you have to give it time. These people are very risk averse, when set backs aren't just an inconvenience, but translate into starvation, it is understandable why it takes time. It also makes it more impressive when you find those willing to take the risks and try to set aside some land for a new crop. I am sure my agricultural colleagues would have more sophisticated answers but just some of my personal thoughts/observations."
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A New Way to Illuminate Inequality Around the World

A New Way to Illuminate Inequality Around the World | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.smithsonianmag.com - March 8, 9:43 AM

Want to know where the poor live? Look at where the light isn’t.


"Satellite photos of Earth’s artificial lights at night form a luminescent landscape. But researcher Chris Elvidge of NOAA and colleagues from the University of Colorado and the University of Denver realized that they could also illuminate something much darker: the magnitude of human poverty. By comparing the amount of light in a particular area and its known population, they realized that they could infer the percentage of people who are able to afford electricity and the level of government spending on infrastructure development. This allowed them to extrapolate levels of human development—a measure of well-being that includes such factors as income, life expectancy and literacy."

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Human Development Index

From www.youtube.com - February 28, 9:14 AM

"This video shows the basic concept of HDI (Human Development Index), by using four different examples (Japan, Mexico, India and Angola)."

Seth Dixon's insight:

This video is a primer for those that have never seen HDI data.  This interactive map with HDI data is for those already acquainted with the HDI, showing the HDI number as well as the ranking. 


Tags: development, statistics, worldwide.

Lauren Jacquez's curator insight, March 1, 11:41 AM

Watch this HUGGERS for a great review!
Maggie Naude's curator insight, March 1, 4:32 PM

some emerging markets, Japan
Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, March 6, 2:38 PM

Des cartes pour comprendre le monde
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Megacities Reflect Growing Urbanization Trend

From www.youtube.com - February 16, 9:02 PM
Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/b6sR86 The capital of the South Asian country Bangladesh, Dhaka, has a population that is booming. However, it stands ...
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a great introduction to the demographic explosion of the slums within megacities.  This is applicable to many themes within geography.   


Tags: Bangladesh, water, pollution, poverty, squatter, planning, density, South Asia, development, economic, megacities.

Lauren Jacquez's curator insight, April 8, 9:00 PM

Another look at a growing megacity and its shantytowns.
Chris Magee's comment, April 28, 3:40 PM
As Tony Hall says, this is a very sobering and educating video. This shows how much a population boom and high birth rate can create problems for a developing country. With all of the people there it is hard for enough jobs to be available and most are forced to work for pennies. The migration to Dhaka, about 4000 people a year, can create a huge issue for the city in the future as we have seen how extremely dense populations can effect a city.

These changes will shape the country for many years to come. The political geography will have to adapt to the booming population. How will new policies be put into effect to handle this growing population? The population will become more diverse and less unified as it is taking in new people from many neighboring cities.
Peter Siner's comment, April 30, 5:37 PM
A city that is home to 15 million people… this is a scary thought especially since the idea of massively overpopulated cities is a new trend around the globe. The megacities help house those who cannot live in the rural areas surrounding them. It also shows how growing populations can have quite negative effects. While the city is growing quickly there is also widespread poverty and the city is riddled with slums. High poverty rate generally converts to high crime rate. The impacts of overpopulation have lasting effects on not only the land use but also consumption rates. The example we are given is a small family in which their income was based off of a farm that was washed away, now they are forced to move to Dhaka.
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What the World Eats

What the World Eats | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.time.com - February 10, 8:03 AM
What's on family dinner tables around the globe? Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book "Hungry Planet"
Seth Dixon's insight:

This gallery of 16 families from around world together with their week food is quite a treat that shows agricultural, development and cultural patterns.  Pictured above is the Ayme family from Ecuador, just one of the many family's highlighted in the book Hungry Planet.  The Ayme family that typically spends $31.55 on food and commonly eat potato soup with cabbage.  


Tags: food, agriculture, worldwide, consumption, unit 5 agriculture, book reviews, culture, development, unit 3 culture.

John Peterson's comment, April 30, 10:38 AM
This collection of slides does a very good job of showing their very different diets that are present in different areas of the world. While the price of food is obviously going to be different throughout the world, it is very interesting to see he very different types of food that are consumed by different groups of people. In different areas of the world, there is more emphasis on different types of food. In some places for example they may eat a lot of fruit while in others they may eat a lot of beans or bread. The different amounts that these foods are eaten are tied into both the economic and social aspects of these different cultures. This is because in each area, different things are going to be more affordable and available, as well as being more traditionally eaten. There can also be a difference in the percentage of homemade food in a weekly diet in different areas of the world. While some areas will not have any fast food places or restaurants readily available, others will and will often use these locations which will drastically change their diet habits.
Jess Pitrone's comment, May 5, 5:47 PM
These photos are very interesting, in the way it’s interesting to explore someone else’s house the first time you visit. Looking to see the differences in what people around the world eat, but also how much people around the world eat is fascinating. The fact that the family in Chad eat about one quarter of what most families around the world eat is really telling. What a family eats in week reveals a lot about both their culture, their economy, and their geographic location. It’s no surprise that the people in Japan eat a lot of fish, because they’re an island country; and it wasn’t surprising to see so much bread on the table of the Italian family, because bread is such a large part of the Italian culture. What I did find absolutely fascinating is that most of the families had a bottle of Coca-Cola on their table, which just goes to show you how interconnected our global community is.
Jess Pitrone's comment, May 5, 5:47 PM
These photos are very interesting, in the way it’s interesting to explore someone else’s house the first time you visit. Looking to see the differences in what people around the world eat, but also how much people around the world eat is fascinating. The fact that the family in Chad eat about one quarter of what most families around the world eat is really telling. What a family eats in week reveals a lot about both their culture, their economy, and their geographic location. It’s no surprise that the people in Japan eat a lot of fish, because they’re an island country; and it wasn’t surprising to see so much bread on the table of the Italian family, because bread is such a large part of the Italian culture. What I did find absolutely fascinating is that most of the families had a bottle of Coca-Cola on their table, which just goes to show you how interconnected our global community is.
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The Spread of AIDS

The Spread of AIDS | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.npr.org - January 3, 11:57 AM
A handful of AIDS cases were first recognized in the U.S. at the beginning of the 1980s. By 1990, there was a pandemic. In 1997, more than 3 million people became newly infected with HIV.
Seth Dixon's insight:

The spread of AIDS/HIV since the 1980s has varied greatly over time and space.  The red lines represent Sub-Saharan countries and the dark blue line on this interactive is the regional average of Sub-Saharan African countries.  The regional trend was on the rise at the end of the 20th century, but is now on a slight decline (but still an major impact on the continent).  Countries such as Botswana and Zimbabwe have made some significant strides in limiting the spread of AIDS (Zimbabwe is the country that 'peaked' in 1997 and has had the steepest decline).


Tags: Africa, medical, development, infographic, diffusion.

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The Middle East’s Surprising Appetite for Oil

The Middle East’s Surprising Appetite for Oil | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From blogs.cfr.org - December 12, 2012 12:38 PM
CFR experts examine the science and foreign policy surrounding climate change, energy, and nuclear security.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Most everyone knows about the importance of Middle Eastern oil to the global economy and how that impacts geopolitics.  What isn't well-known is that the Middle East's own demand for oil has been increasing as their wealth and standard of living has been rising.  This chart does not show the amount of oil consumption, but the "energy intensity."  This is the amount of energy (often oil) used to produce a unit of GDP for a country's economy.  


Questions to Ponder: How will this change oil-producing countries economic development in the future?  How does this make us re-assess these economies?  Does this impact how we think about climate change issues?

 

Tags: energy, resources, Middle East, development.

Seth Dixon's comment, December 12, 2012 3:07 PM
In essence, this is measuring "how many miles per gallon" your economy is getting.
geofoodgraz's curator insight, December 15, 2012 4:37 AM
Seth Dixon, Ph.D.'s insight:

"Most everyone knows about the importance of Middle Eastern oil to the global economy and how that impacts geopolitics.  What isn't well-known is that the Middle East's own demand for oil has been increasing as their wealth and standard of living has been rising.  This chart does not show the amount of oil consumption, but the "energy intensity."  This is the amount of energy (often oil) used to produce a unit of GDP for a country's economy.  

 

Questions to Ponder: How will this change oil-producing countries economic development in the future?  How does this make us re-assess these economies?  Does this impact how we think about climate change issues?"
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Breakfasts Around the World

From imgur.com - May 9, 8:13 AM
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.

Ian Marc Smith's curator insight, May 11, 6:43 AM

And what do you like for breakfast?
Philippe Sallet's comment, May 11, 8:41 AM
Un peu caricatural et simplificateur...
AckerbauHalle's curator insight, May 14, 10:57 AM

Nach den Wochespeiseplänen hier ein Vergleichn von Frühstücksvarianten im Ländervergleich - lecker, lecker
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The Rights and Wrongs of Slum Tourism

The Rights and Wrongs of Slum Tourism | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From blogs.wsj.com - May 3, 12:46 PM
Researchers are heading to Dharavi, Mumbai, to study the impact of slum tours on the residents.
Seth Dixon's insight:

The article leaves me with more questions than answers.  What do the residents think about the tons of tourists wondering through their winding streets?  The very idea of tourism to see poverty in situ in an authentic slum is riddled with power and cultural imbalances.  Why would wealthy tourists from the developed world want to more fully explore the slums in the developing world?  What do you see as the 'wrong' and the 'right' within this situation?   Is slum tourism ethical?

Seth Dixon's comment, May 5, 4:54 PM
If it's just for personal curiosity, it's more than just a bit unsavory. If you are seriously thinking about opening up your wallet but want to see the situation on the ground, then its still a conversation worth having.
Serge Dielens * Connectivist @ EdgeCommunication.be's curator insight, May 7, 12:41 PM

Visiter des bidonvilles, nouveau trend pour touristes en mal de nouveauté? Je me souviens avoir personnellement visité SOWETO en 2000, avec un groupe de journalistes belges. Nous avons logé chez une dame qui cédait une partie de sa maison pour se faire un peu d'argent, pour contribuer aux frais de ses deux fils étudiants à l'Unif. Ce fut une expérience inoubliable. Nous n'avons pas entendu le son de sa voix, elle nous servait à manger en silence et même si nous ne savions pas très bien comment réagir, nous avions l'impression que nous lui venions en aide, d'une manière ou d'une autre. En tous cas, la visite de ce bidonville fut pour moi éclairante.
Serge Dielens * Connectivist @ EdgeCommunication.be's comment, May 7, 2:55 PM
Visiter des bidonvilles, nouveau trend pour touristes en mal de nouveauté? Je me souviens avoir personnellement visité SOWETO en 2000, avec un groupe de journalistes belges. Nous avons logé chez une dame qui cédait une partie de sa maison pour se faire un peu d'argent, pour contribuer aux frais de ses deux fils étudiants à l'Unif. Ce fut une expérience inoubliable. Nous n'avons pas entendu le son de sa voix, elle nous servait à manger en silence et même si nous ne savions pas très bien comment réagir, nous avions l'impression que nous lui venions en aide, d'une manière ou d'une autre. En tous cas, la visite de ce bidonville fut pour moi éclairante.
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Facebook connections map the world

Facebook connections map the world | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.bbc.co.uk - April 26, 4:06 PM
Facebook intern Paul Butler has created a detailed map of the world by mapping connections between people using the social network living in different cities.
Seth Dixon's insight:

The disconnected portions of the this map tell us as much about the world we live in as the highly illuminated ones. Might this be a version of the "Black Marble" image that would reasonate more with today's teenagers?  For the methods behind the creation of this map as well as a high resolution version of the map, see this post.


Tags: social media, map, visualization.

Micki Daniel's curator insight, April 26, 6:22 PM

Great for connectiveness graphics.
Louis Culotta's curator insight, April 27, 11:39 AM

This is very cool...just like the internet map you posted. I have a seperate facebook page just to communicate back and forth to my friend nd his family in New Zealand in real time for free.
Thomas C. Thompson's curator insight, April 27, 8:25 PM

This is a picture of our world and the real way that we are connected in real time from Facebook. It's amazing! Share this everywhere!
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WomanStats Maps

WomanStats Maps | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From womanstats.org - March 30, 7:48 PM

"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.  
Mary Rack's curator insight, March 31, 7:44 AM

Amazing and thought-provoking. 
Daniel Landi's curator insight, April 1, 2:08 AM

Topic link: Population and Change: Gender
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My escape from North Korea

From www.youtube.com - March 26, 12:26 PM

"As a child growing up in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee thought her country was 'the best on the planet.' It wasn't until the famine of the 90s that she began to to wonder. She escaped the country at 14, to begin a life in hiding, as a refugee in China. Hers is a harrowing, personal tale of survival and hope."

Seth Dixon's insight:

Not all migration is voluntary and this woman's personal struggle to flee North Korea alternates between heartwarming and heartbreaking.  Her accent is thick, but it is worth it to her her story from her own mouth. 


Tags: North Korea, migration, political, East Asia, development, states, poverty.

Emily Ross Cook's curator insight, March 27, 9:48 AM

We've been studying North Korea and the conflict between North and South in our World Geography classes.  This is an interesting perspective and story - one that definitely helps to understand the plight of many North Koreans as they struggle to leave and subsequently create new lives elsewhere.
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Scooped by Seth Dixon
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Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions

Photos of Children From Around the World With Their Most Prized Possessions | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.featureshoot.com - March 18, 1:42 PM
Chiwa - Mchinji, Malawi Shot over a period of 18 months, Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti's project Toy Stories compiles photos of children from around the world with their prized possesions—their toys.
Seth Dixon's insight:

How are the lives of these children different from those in your neighborhood?  How are their lives the same? 

Ignacio Conejo Moreno's curator insight, March 19, 5:57 AM

La imagen de portada engaña, no es éste un mensaje sobre la pobreza en el mundo, sino sobre los hábitos de apegos de los niños de todo el mundo, en función de su raza, estrato social, continente de residencia.

Es realmente muy tierno, vale la pena verlo. Además es muy visual, lo que lo hace todavía mas impactante y enternecedor.
Louis Culotta's comment, March 19, 12:49 PM
it makes you think about how lucky we live where we live in the world.
John Slifko's curator insight, March 23, 1:53 AM

geography and history were two of Dewey's most important tools in pedagogy in strengthening the imagination of the child 
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In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods

In A Grain Of Golden Rice, A World Of Controversy Over GMO Foods | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.npr.org - March 10, 3:22 PM
A rice enriched with beta-carotene promises to boost the health of poor children around the world. But critics say golden rice is also a clever PR move for a biotech industry driven by profits, not humanitarianism.
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a great podcast that emphasizes various geographic themes including agriculture, development and economics.  This new genetically-modified rice was designed to provide vitamin A (something no natural rice provides) to impoverished diets.  Skeptics point out that the history of the industry shows that the goal is to enrich a select number of corporations while some are hailing this as a major advancement that will benefit the poor.  Where people side on this is often ideological, so those that are firmly against genetically modified foods find the flaw in the plan and vice versa.  What do you think?  How might this change food production and consumption worldwide and at a local scale?  

Tags: GMOs, development, NGOs, Food, agriculture, agribusiness, unit 5 agriculture.   

Alcofribas's curator insight, March 10, 4:03 PM

Juste pour être sûr : GMO n'est pas Giesbert-Marie Oglalat et NGO pas Nicolas-Gabriel Orkozy, hein ?
Zakary Pereira's comment, April 30, 4:43 PM
To me, this golden rice seems like a great idea. Anyway to give more nutrients to starving and malnourished peoples is good to me. Some may argue, and do argue, that this is run for pure profit by GE companies however to me it doesn’t matter as long as it’s helping people who need it. Much of the populations of Asia and Africa eat rice or wheat and don’t get enough Vitamin A as they should. So, this is the perfect solution! I can understand why people are skeptical of it, being a GMO after all, but as long as it is safe, delivers extra nutrients and feeds the hungry then I am on board.
Kevin Cournoyer's comment, May 1, 12:52 AM
As important and widely used crops go, rice is probably the most important and the most widely used in the world. As a diet staple in Asia and Africa, it helps to feed billions of people everyday. Genetically modified race promises not only nourishment, but increased nutrients for the people who consume it as a major part of their diets. The recent test of this genetically modified rice on Chinese children without full disclosure of what the rice was, however, was seen as a huge problem by many.
The ethicality of the situation is what bothered most opponents of the test, but those in favor of the super rice argue that it is good for everyone, because it helps impoverished populations who are otherwise unable to acquire the nutrients they need. This article highlights the importance of rice in a vast physical geographic context, but also deals with the idea of economic and cultural geography because of the modified rice’s impact on a large number of people’s eating habits and standard of living.
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Global State of Agriculture

Global State of Agriculture | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From 50.usaid.gov - March 3, 11:15 PM
Seth Dixon's insight:

This conveys some important realities about the demographic necessities of agriculture, the economic impact and the cultural differences in agricultural production. As with all long infographics on this site, you can "scroll down" on the image by putting the cursor in the top right-hand corner of the image and sliding on the translucent bar. 


Tags: agriculture, infographic, unit 5 agriculture.

Mac steel's comment, March 8, 10:24 AM
With improving food our population will continue to grow at a rapid pace
Mac steel's comment, March 8, 10:24 AM
With improving food our population will continue to grow at a rapid pace
Mercor's curator insight, March 21, 6:18 AM

Rescooped by Allison Anthony from AP Human Geography Herm
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Economic Inequality

Economic Inequality | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.tni.org - February 20, 3:48 PM
Seth Dixon's insight:

Make your own conclusions...

Tony Hall's curator insight, February 20, 11:44 PM

Really good series of infographics on unequal distribution of wealth in the world. Perfect for teaching IB Geography Disparities in Wealth topic.
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Azerbaijan Is Rich. Now It Wants to Be Famous.

Azerbaijan Is Rich. Now It Wants to Be Famous. | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.nytimes.com - February 11, 10:30 PM
Oil-rich, velvet-rope-poor Azerbaijan, a country about the size of South Carolina on the Caspian Sea, would very much like to be the world’s next party capital.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Azerbaijan has limited cultural prestige and international recognition, but it has great quantities of oil, and they are parlaying that wealth into an important geopolitical position in Central Asia.  It appears that Baku has ambitions to become the next Dubai.


Tags: Azerbaijan, political, development, Central Asia, unit 4 political.


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Booming Bhutan

Booming Bhutan | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From www.foreignaffairs.com - February 6, 10:56 AM
Long impoverished and isolated, tiny Bhutan is finally booming. This onetime absolute monarchy has also made important democratic reforms and major improvements in quality of life.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Located on the southern edge of the Himalayas, Bhutan's rugged topography is key to it's economic strategy to modernize this lightly populated, less developed mountain kingdom.  Bhutan is harnessing hydroelectric energy and selling it to India, which accounts for 20% of the GDP. Today Bhutan is one the five fastest growing economies in the world.  However, the economic developed is highly uneven; 40% of the population is still engaged in subsistence farming on the limited arable land showing that there are still substantial development issues ahead.

 

Tags: South Asia, development, economic, rural, Bhutan.

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At Year's End, News of a Global Health Success

At Year's End, News of a Global Health Success | Geography Education | Scoop.it
From opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com - December 24, 2012 11:28 AM
The stunning drop in global child mortality is proof that poor countries are not doomed to eternal misery. Here's how it happened.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Global health has substantially improved in the last two decades.  This article explores the improvements in global health that have been made this year, and the attached interactive feature allows users to explore the changes in global health risks.  Click here for the Guardian's version of this same data and interactive.  


Tags: medical, historical, spatial, technology, development.

diana buja's curator insight, December 27, 2012 3:44 AM
Seth Dixon, Ph.D.'s insight:

Global health has substantially improved in the last two decades.  This article explores the improvements in global health that have been made this year, and the attached interactive feature allows users to explore the changes in global health risks.  Click here for the Guardian's version of this same data and interactive.  

 
vimlesh kumar's comment, December 27, 2012 4:05 AM
Hi, Great to see a new list of top travel blogs. With over 8000 uniques per month, I feel mine should be in there somewhere. Could you take a look at http://www.honeymoonpackagesindia.org.in/ ? Thanks
Matt Evan Dobbie's curator insight, December 27, 2012 8:24 PM

Child mortality info
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