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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Google Search reveals religious biases/ stereotypes

Google Search reveals religious biases/ stereotypes | Geography Education | Scoop.it

Not saying that Google Search itself is biased, but that it can reveal the bias of internet users and all of the "information" posted online.  Within the proper context, seeing potential searches can be very informative about cultural perceptions, online communities and prejudices.   Be cautious and judicious in how (or if) you use this within a classroom setting.   See comments for additional results of additional "religious" searches. 

Seth Dixon's comment, November 13, 2011 2:48 PM
For the search "why are mormons so..." the results were 1) nice 2) happy and 3)rich.
Seth Dixon's comment, November 13, 2011 3:40 PM
For the search "Why are atheists so..." the results were 1) angry 2) hated and 3) mean.
Seth Dixon's comment, November 13, 2011 3:43 PM
For the search "Why are Hindus so..." the results were 1) afraid of Muslims 2) angry with Avatar 3) cheap and 4) smart.
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American English Dialects

American English Dialects | Geography Education | Scoop.it

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?
Fotografie Turismo Italia's comment, May 17, 5:07 AM
I don't know this problem, sorry.
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As coast erodes, names wiped off the map

As coast erodes, names wiped off the map | Geography Education | Scoop.it
For decades, south Louisiana residents have watched coastal landmarks disappear as erosion worsened and the Gulf of Mexico marched steadily inward.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Just because you've mapped a physical land feature, it doesn't mean it will stay that way forever.  This is a reminder that the Earth and it's cultural and physical landscapes are constantly changing. 


Tagsmapping, erosion, landscape. 

Sylvain Rotillon's comment, May 9, 2:57 PM
The eprverse effect of maps is that they give the false idea that our physical world is steady. It's the case as we see here for coastal environments, but also for rivers.
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How to Make an iPhone Case Out of an Old Map

Seth Dixon's insight:

Map lovers wanting to customize your phone cover, this is for you.  Read the full blog post here from maps.com.  


Tags: art, mapping.

Tony Hall's comment, April 28, 5:50 AM
Nice:)
Tony Hall's curator insight, April 28, 5:50 AM

Something for the GeoGeek in your life:)

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Regions of Interaction

Regions of Interaction | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Put away that old Rand McNally map — it's time for a new way to see what America really looks like.
Seth Dixon's insight:

There is a great series of maps in this NPR article that show that internal political divisions do not always line up with actual regional interactions.  The map of the United States shows the what money flows within regions that do not always follow state borders (see Wisconsin, Idaho and Pennsylvania).  The map of Great Britain shows the connections based on telephone calls.

 

TagsUSA, UK, borders, mapping, regions.

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Street Art Project Maps Rap Lyric Shout Outs Around NYC

Street Art Project Maps Rap Lyric Shout Outs Around NYC | Geography Education | Scoop.it
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

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Food stamps put RI town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle

Food stamps put RI town on monthly boom-and-bust cycle | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

Rhode Island is one of five states in which the number of people getting  help from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly known as 'food stamps') has more than doubled since 2008. In 2012, 16 percent of its residents received aid from the program. Read the related article.  The article details how Woonsocket's economy is impacted by these monthly fluctuations is disposable income.  Why is Rhode Island one of that states with a doubling participation in this program?  What other spatial patterns to you see? 


Tags: Rhode Islandeconomic, mapping, poverty, community.

Dias Vidia's curator insight, April 2, 2:05 AM

http://redgage.com/photos/macb/postage-us-liberty-of-all-15-c.html

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How To Find A Food Desert Near You

How To Find A Food Desert Near You | Geography Education | Scoop.it
A new clickable atlas shows just how far it is to the grocery store, everywhere in the United States. "Food deserts" are the focus of state, local and federal anti-obesity efforts.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Tags: foodlocavoremapping.

Dean Haakenson's curator insight, March 15, 1:23 PM

Great for looking at agriculture issues in the US and the debate over the local food movement v. supermarkets.

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Africa Map Collection

Africa Map Collection | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This fabulous collection of African maps from 1535-1897 represents an historical geographic vision of both Africa and colonial visions of an imagined Africa.  I chose this particular map to display because it beautifully highlights the Mountains of KongFor generations, European cartographers erroneously believed that this long mountain range extended north of the West African coast and across the continent.  Currently this map collection is at Plymouth State, NH, but much of it is archive online here. 


Tags: Africa, cartography, colonialism, map.

ADEN Africa's curator insight, March 5, 12:43 PM

An interesting historical perspective on the geography of the African continent. 

Mary Patrick Schoettinger's curator insight, March 11, 10:07 AM

Love seeing the  change over time.  Especially on a continent we often know so little about.

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Maps and the Geospatial Revolution

Maps and the Geospatial Revolution | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Learn how advances in geospatial technology and analytical methods have changed how we do everything, and discover how to make maps and analyze geographic patterns using the latest tools."

Seth Dixon's insight:

When I was a graduate student at Penn State, I was introduced to some great people and programs and I'm glad to see that the institution has continued to excel and be a leader.  You have probably heard of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) and been interested in seeing how this might change higher education in the future.  This MOOC is a free 5-week course designed to be an introduction to mapping, GIS and geospatial technologies so you don't need to be a specialists with a mapping background: it's for beginners.  I know that many geography teachers tell their students about GIS, but are afraid to teach with GIS because they are worried that it will be too hard.  This is an easy on-ramp to 21st century geospatial tools and any geography teacher hoping to modernize their skillset would do well to take this summer course fromthe Program of Online Geospatial Education at Penn State, taught by Dr. Anthony Robinson.  For more information on this, see this annoucement from Directions Magazine and from Penn State News.    


Tags: GIS, teacher training, mapping, cartography, geospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

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A Crazy But Rational Solution To Our Electoral College Problem

A Crazy But Rational Solution To Our Electoral College Problem | Geography Education | Scoop.it
On three different occasions, the candidate with the most votes didn't become President of the United States. We call this "The Electoral College Problem." Here a solution. Simple. Mathematical. Rational.
Seth Dixon's insight:

As a disclaimer, I'm not endorsing the removal of all current state borders, but I think that this is a great thought exercise that involves some serious spatial thinking and geography knowledge to create this map (or even to critique and discuss it).  This map represents an attempt to restructure the states so that each state would have equal value in the electoral college with roughly equal populations (county borders remained firm).  What about the physical and human geography would make some of these "states" better (or worse) than the current configuration of the 50 states? How would this 'redistricting' impact your local region? 


Tags: political, gerrymandering, mapping, unit 4 political.

Ken Halpern's comment, March 1, 1:20 PM
Interesting idea but I don't think either political parties will go for it unless it favors them. However, I am not in favor of increasing the number of House Reps. We spend too much money as it is funding the government. I think we should get rid of the old system and simply go by popular vote.
Gary Pascoa's comment, March 1, 9:43 PM
I know the founding fathers would be horrified as this cuts into the whole idea of the electoral college: to place a further check on the majority when electing a president. Nonetheless, I would support a redrawing of the map that would lean toward a popular vote system.
Conor McCloskey's comment, March 4, 8:27 PM
Interesting idea, however I can't say this is a "rational" solution to the Electoral College. It is actually completely irrational to think that the borders could be redrawn and everyone could be redistricted every four years... They can't even manage to get a census out every year... Logistical nightmare. I agree with Ken and Gary, let the people choose with the popular vote
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Rhode Island Community Profiles

Rhode Island Community Profiles | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a simplified Census data map viewer specifically for Rhode Island.  To see a simplified U.S. Census data at the national scale, see: http://sco.lt/7G5rur


Tags: statistics, Rhode Island, census, GIS, mapping, cartography.

Seth Dixon's curator insight, February 24, 11:50 AM

This is a simplified Census data map viewer specifically for Rhode Island.  To see a simplified U.S. Census data at the national scale, see: http://sco.lt/7G5rur


Tags: statistics, Rhode Island, census, GIS, mapping, cartography.

Meg Conheeny's comment, April 26, 7:12 PM
This data really gives you a sense of the community in Rhode Island. You can find statistics on education, economic factors, health, housing and the environment. There are slightly more females than males in Rhode Island. The population pyramid shows spikes in both males and females from the ages of 15-24 and 45-54. There could be a higher population of 15-24 year olds because that age group is enrolled in school so many kids go through the public school system in Rhode Island then stay in state to go to college, trying to save some money. There’s a higher amount of 45-54 year olds because they have established themselves in this state with a job, house, family and roots so they are less likely to leave.
There is a high number of families with children under 18 in Cranston, Pawtucket, Warwick and Providence. This could be because those areas are the major cities and towns in the state so there are more families having kids in those places. There also is a high number of people in the city of Providence that speak English “not well” or “not at all”. Migrants tend to move to the cities to try to find work and cheap housing and Providence is the biggest city in Rhode Island so it is populated with many migrates who are new to English. Rhode Island has some of the highest unemployment numbers. The highest places of unemployment in Rhode Island according to this graph are East Providence, Cranston, Pawtucket, Warwick and Providence. Again this could be because those areas are some of the largest cities and towns in the state.
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Mercator Puzzle

Mercator Puzzle | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This online game where you return the "misplaced" country on the map is more than just an exercise in locating places (there are many online map quizzes for that sort of activity).  What makes this one unique is that as you move the country north or south the country expands or contracts according to how that country would be projected if that were its actual location on a Mercator map.  This is a great way to introduce projections.

 

Tags: map projections, mapping, cartography.

Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, February 2, 6:26 AM

Des cartes pour comprendre le monde: comprendre la projection Mercator avec ce puzzle en ligne.

Tony Hall's curator insight, February 5, 12:09 AM

This is great fun! A little tricky at first though:)

Kristen McDaniel's curator insight, February 11, 12:03 PM

Great site to show projection and changes in perception on maps.  

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Creating American Borders

30-second animation of the changes in U.S. historical county boundaries, 1629 - 2000. Historical state and territorial boundaries are also displayed from 178...
Seth Dixon's insight:

I love this time-lapse animation of all the county and state-level boundary changes in United States history.  Would you like to see this in greater detail?  Would you want to download the data and create your own visualization of this?  The Atlas of Historical County Boundaries has all of this data as GIS shapefiles, Google Earth KMZ files and PDFs for the whole country as well as for each individual state.  This project sponsored by The Newberry and the National Endowment for the Humanities has tremendous potential for use in the classroom for history and geography teachers alike.  


Tags: historical, USA, borders, time lapse, mapping, edtech.

Sam Capron's curator insight, January 30, 3:01 PM

What I find to be the most interesting aspect of this animation is that each fluctuation of the border has a story behind it. You could teach a really interesting class on just those small changes, and why they took place.

Jesse Olsen's comment, March 16, 1:04 PM
Whooooaaaaaaa!!!!
Betty Klug's curator insight, April 27, 3:50 PM

I love animation maps.  Great for getting students interested in learning.

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Mind-Bending 'Inception' Maps Show Manhattan Like You Haven't Seen It Before

Mind-Bending 'Inception' Maps Show Manhattan Like You Haven't Seen It Before | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"London-based design firm BERG created these two 3D maps of Manhattan, which look like a scene out of "Inception" (via Curbed NY)."

Christopher Chris Benoit's comment, May 14, 3:20 AM
Wow
Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, May 14, 6:06 PM

des cartes..

gokhanht's comment, May 18, 3:59 AM
great article
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Free Online Mapping Course

Seth Dixon's insight:

This podcast explains the MOOC Maps and the Geospatial Revolution.  It is designed to be an easy on-ramp to 21st century geospatial tools and any geography teacher hoping to modernize their skillset would do well to take this summer course from the Program of Online Geospatial Education at Penn State, taught by Dr. Anthony Robinson.  Click here to register for free.   


Tags: GIS, teacher training, mapping, cartography, geospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.

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Topographic Maps

Topographic Maps | Geography Education | Scoop.it
USGS National Geologic Database- TopoView
Seth Dixon's insight:

The National Geologic Map Database is a simple interactive tool to find USGS topographic maps that you can dowload.  Users can search for current or historic maps.  

 

Tagsgeospatial, GIS, mapping, cartography.

Bruce Deitrick Price's comment, May 4, 7:52 PM
Topographic relief maps..get the biggest and best you can afford.. the best way to teach history, science, etc.
Paul Nicoara's curator insight, May 5, 5:05 PM

The National Geologic Map Database is a simple interactive tool to find USGS topographic maps that you can dowload.  Users can search for current or historic maps.  

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WomanStats Maps

WomanStats Maps | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"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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John Snow's cholera map of London recreated

John Snow's cholera map of London recreated | Geography Education | Scoop.it
What would John Snow's famous cholera map look like on a modern map of London, using modern mapping tools?
Seth Dixon's insight:

John Snow's cholera map is often noted as a prime example of using spatial thinking to solve a scientific problem.  Here are a variety of resources to explore this classic example.  Here is an article that highlights the spatial thinking that produced this map, with KML files and in Google Fusion Tables.  See also these online GIS layers of Dr. Snow's famous map. 


Tagsmedical, models, spatial, mapping.   

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A world of projections

Welcome, Metafilter visitors! How can you map a sphere unto the plane? well you can't if you want to keep size, shape and proportions. Here are the alternatives... Learn more about the different projections.
Seth Dixon's insight:

We are accustomed to spatial distortion in maps; when we see that same distortion on a picture, it gives us an alternative perspective on the level of spatial distortion that we see on maps.  The Azimuthal projections (circular) are my favorite for this photographic project.   


Tagsmapping, cartography, perspective, map.

Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, March 24, 7:55 AM

Des cartes pour comprendre le monde...une initiative photographique pour comprendre les projections. 

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Women's Political Rights

Women's Political Rights | Geography Education | Scoop.it
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.

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38 Maps You Never Knew You Needed

38 Maps You Never Knew You Needed | Geography Education | Scoop.it

"Some prime examples of fascinating maps." 

Seth Dixon's insight:

This is a very entertaining collection of maps.  Shown above is a map that displays what is on the other side of the Globe (see, it's the Argentinians and Chileans that would "dig a hole to China").  Superimposed on every location is its antipod/antipode (location directly opposite on the other side of the Earth).  The journal of radical leftist geography is entitled Antipode, implying that they see the world through a different perspective and plays off of this concept. 

skygroundmedia's curator insight, February 23, 10:48 AM

Interesting stuff. 

Dave Cottrell's curator insight, February 23, 4:25 PM

Wrap your head around this!  #wetcoastdaily

Miguel Ángel Vargas's curator insight, March 3, 12:03 PM

Mapas poco comunes, poco útiles, aunque curiosos.

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Mental Maps

Mental Maps | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Seth Dixon's insight:

This comic strip would be funnier if it weren't so true.  Studies have shown that children who are driven everywhere do not have as fully developed mental maps as children who walk through their neighborhoods or ride their bikes.  For some lesson plans on mental maps, click here.   

Ken Halpern's comment, March 1, 1:10 PM
Even as an adult and have been in different parts of the world driving, I still remember how to get around in my home town. It's amazing how the mind can retain that type of information. I still remember the neighborhoods I use to bike through and walk in.
Gary Pascoa's comment, March 1, 9:53 PM
Certainly guilty of this growing up. I have a photogenic memory when it comes to directions and getting around. I think it will only get worse in the future for kids with the advent of GPS who might not take the time to build up a solid understanding of their surroundings.
Conor McCloskey's comment, March 4, 8:37 PM
Proud to say my mental maps are pretty accurate and so are my brothers, however I have two siblings that cannot say the same... I would definitely support the theory that walking through neighborhoods and riding bikes really helped to give me and my brother strong mental maps and geospatial awareness. Also, being a runner has also influenced my mental map making.
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Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks

Rich Blocks, Poor Blocks | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Income maps of every neighborhood in the U.S. See wealth and poverty in places like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Miami, and more.
Seth Dixon's insight:

This is the most user-friendly website I've seen to map economic census data.  This maps the average household income data on top of a Google Maps basemap that can be centered on any place in the United States.  This is a great resource to share with students of just about any age. 


Tags: statistics, census, GIS, mapping, K12.

Alejandro Restrepo's curator insight, February 13, 6:22 PM

Very interesting aspect of our demographics here in Central Falls. Any one with an interest in demographics and the make up our city should take a look a this and compare it to other neighborhoods in Rhode Island. Knowledge is power. Empower yourself!

Lauren Jacquez's curator insight, February 14, 2:16 PM

Can you find your neighborhood HUGGERS?

Allison Anthony's curator insight, February 16, 10:25 AM

Compare the neighborhoods in and around your area.  What trends do you see?  Any surprises?

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Tweetping

Tweetping | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Check out the twitter activity in realtime
Seth Dixon's insight:

What is the social media conversation like in different regions of the world?  This realtime mapping tool lets user visualize the ever-shifting world of Twitter.  In this screen shot, Europe and Africa are sleeping the Americas are buzzing with activity.  

Heather Ramsey's curator insight, February 5, 11:41 AM

This links to a page where tweets on Twitter are tracked in real time and displayed on a dot map.

 

Questions: What regions have the most tweets? Do you think there are differences between what people tweet about in one part of the world versus another? What can you infer about the areas where there are no tweets reported?

Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, February 6, 12:59 PM

Globalisation and the Internet; The US superpower and its softpower

nzgeogeek's curator insight, February 24, 6:50 AM

You need to open this page in Google Chrome. It will not work using Internet Explorer.

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Google releases detailed map of North Korea, gulags and all

Google releases detailed map of North Korea, gulags and all | Geography Education | Scoop.it
Google Maps rolls out a detailed may of the secretive state.
Seth Dixon's insight:

Citizen cartographers have edited Google's North Korea map, putting information on what was previously an absence of data concerning one of the most secretive countries in the world.  In essence, as explained in this video, Google is crowd-sourcing the map.  How might this geographic knowledge change our perception of North Korea?  How might the dissemination of this information affect North Korea?  

 

Tags: North Korea, mapping, cartography.

Ann-Laure Liéval's curator insight, January 30, 9:41 AM

Des cartes pour comprendre le monde: la géographie participative de Google.