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Global news with a spatial perspective: Interesting, current supplemental materials for geography students and teachers. http://geographyeducation.org
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Seth Dixon
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"As many I was deeply shocked by the tragedy that occurred in Boston earlier this month...As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect. The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities - the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation."
Seth Dixon's insight:
The fact that this official statement was even made by the Ambassador of the Czech Republic is an indictment on the state of geo-literacy in the United States. The Chechen President also made a statement, saying to "look for the root of evil in America." Delete the scoop?
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Grant Thrall, Ph.D., pioneered a new field of study — business geography — at the University of Florida. Business geography involves using sophisticated technologies to interpret and analyze data to help businesses make decisions.
Seth Dixon's insight:
I understand that my readers are not people that I need to convince the geo-literacy is an essential component for a 21st century education; but we are the people that need to convince principals, politicians, school administrators, teachers and parents that teaching geography is fundamental. Consider this an accessible article to use to make the case for geography for someone who sees the educational value from a business perspective. Tags: edtech, unit 1 GeoPrinciples, geo-inspiration, geography education, models, spatial. 
Tony Hall's curator insight,
April 15, 9:43 PM
While I find business quite boring, I do understand it's necessity. I think this illustrates very nicely the relevance of studying geography and how it relates to the "real" world. Delete the scoop?
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"AP Human Geography Free Response Questions should be approached in a very deliberate and specific way. APHG teacher Tom Landon explains his approach to teaching students how to do it."
Seth Dixon's insight:
For those preparing students for the AP Human Geography test, this video gives great advice to help you instruct students on how to approach the Free Response Questions (FRQs). Understanding the content always comes first, but some bright students who I know understand the content fail to read the instructions or to answer every portion of the questions. This will help those APHG students. Tags: APHG, training, geography education. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
This article from the NCGE provides 10 ideas on how to prepare ninth graders for the AP Human Geography Exam. Although tailored specifically for the youngest of test-takers, these strategies are good ideas for any teacher trying to help students do well on the exam. Tags: APHG, NCGE, Geography Education. Delete the scoop?
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Finding Materials: This site is designed for geography students and teachers to find interesting, current supplemental materials. To search for place-specific posts, browse this interactive map. To search for thematic posts, see http://geographyeducation.org/thematic/ (organized by the APHG curriculum). Also you can search for a keyword by clicking on the filter tab above. Staying Connected: You can receive post updates in the way that best fits how you use social media. Update Notifications: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+. Email: Click 'follow' button at top right of this page.
Seth Dixon's insight:
I hope that you enjoy the content and materials that you find on this website. This represents the best news, materials and resources that I have found that can be used in geography (and other) classrooms. Delete the scoop?
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Where are AP Human Geography courses being taught? What other schools in nearby districts also teach a certain AP course? This data has recently be made public (at least it's new to me) so you can find out where classes are being taught. The actual information for particular teachers is not revealed (for some important privacy issues), but this is still a great starting pointing for local and regional collaboration for teachers. Also additional link will show you where AP institutes and workshops are going to be held in the future. Delete the scoop?
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A while back, I posted in the forums asking for people to help me find a YA book for every single state in the US.
Seth Dixon's insight:
While I can't vouch for all of these books (I read more children's literature than Young Adult), I absolutely love the idea of this project. This is a great way to make geography a cross curricular activity, especially for an English class or just for fun. Scroll down on the right side of this image to see all the books/states on the list. The geographic content of some of these books are minimal, but that's not the worst thing that can happen if more students are reading. What books are at the top of your reading list? 
SchoolandUniversity's comment,
February 16, 2:17 AM
The United States of YA. Hey guys! This isn't an official challenge, but I really wanted to do it.
Lori Johnson's comment,
February 16, 9:49 AM
My favorites on the list: Under the Blood Red Sun, Deadline, The Fault in our Stars, and Dairy Queen.
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Seth Dixon's insight:
The Review of International Geographical Education Online (RIGEO) has recently published a new issue that contains this article about GIS education. While geographers promote GIS education, we need to study the impact, efficacy and pedagogy of GIS education more seriously as we plan for the future. Tags: GIS, mapping, cartography, geospatial, edtech, geography education. Delete the scoop?
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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. Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
Some of the best free professional development opportunities are found online as educators develop Personal Leaning Networks (PLN). This is a sampling of important voices from my PLN, with important links, updates and perspectives--so glad to be a part of your PLNs! Delete the scoop?
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Seth Dixon's insight:
This set of 19 short essays (around 3-4 pages each) is a great supplemental text. I am eager to read them and other resources in the ESRI library. Tags: GIS, ESRI, mapping, cartography, geospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples. Delete the scoop?
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I will once again preach to the choir, but with the hope that this will arm you with resources to use in discussions with administrators and colleagues. This article by Walter McDougall (2003 by Orbis) is worth reviewing and is a good reading assignment to start the school year. The link is to a PDF version of the article. Delete the scoop?
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To meet workforce needs, scholarships must be available to support the best and brightest students who choose to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in geography
Seth Dixon's insight:
The authors of this article are from American Geographical Society and discuss the results of a study that indicate that Americans want more geography education in the school systems today. Often geography gets buried within the social studies curriculum and it is up to the individual teacher to ensure how much geography actually gets taught in the classroom. This is not a new problem; in a bulletin published by the Bureau of Education in 1922, it was said, "So long as it is assumed that history is all of the social studies the elements of the others will be neglected as they are now." This article provides good sources to help educators argue for more geographic content in the curriculum at all educational levels.
Tags: Geography Education, geo-inspiration. 
Lulu Farah's comment,
May 8, 1:31 PM
A good question for the educators of Geography is where is Somaliland? If they know the answer then that is good enough for Somalilanders.
Mary Patrick Schoettinger's curator insight,
May 9, 8:26 AM
Many suggest that's those who want more geography education should be satisfied that it is one of the tiers of social studies. But we have seen even social studies be cut to half a year in our elementary schools. How can we build the necessary geographic, civic, economic, and history foundations in such short amount of time? Even now, as we access our news, it daily becomes more apparent how important these studies are. 
Francisco Javier 's curator insight,
May 12, 8:50 PM
Opinion: Geography lessons make a world of difference in education | @scoopit via @APHumanGeog http://sco.lt/... Delete the scoop?
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"Preparing to Teach Social Studies: Geographic Content for the Praxis Exam."
Seth Dixon's insight:
I know that most of my readers are in-service teachers as opposed to pre-service teachers, but I thought it was still worth sharing. Several schools have noticed that without geography classes, social studies teachers have difficulty becoming certified without some core geographic content. As a part of job at the Alliance coordinator for the Rhode Island Geography Education Alliance, I'm giving a workshop tonight at Salve Regina University designed to strengthen pre-service teachers geographic content as outlined on the Praxis Exam. I have prepared these materials with that audience in mind, but if there is anything you find useful, please use it or share it with those that could use it (local School of Education, Alliance, etc). Most of the images in the presentation are hyperlinked to articles, videos and infographics that I have posted here in the past. Tags: Rhode Island, training, geography education. 
Dean Haakenson's comment,
April 19, 2:22 PM
Too bad that many school districts do not teach pure geography courses as well.
Louis Culotta's curator insight,
April 27, 11:26 AM
This will be abig help when i have to take that exam...Thanks for the info on it. Delete the scoop?
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What is a border? What is a peninsula? A look into why geography is important to understand as students around the country prepare for the 2013 National Geog...
Seth Dixon's insight:
I loved participating at the Rhode Island Geography Bee this weekend. This video was shared with all the parents, teachers and students to help them understand that while the Bee may focus on specific bits of knowledge/trivia, it is the beginning and a foundation for spatial thinking to understand patterns and processes.
Tags: geo-inspiration, geography education.
Sally Egan's curator insight,
April 8, 6:58 PM
This is a short video about why Geography is an important subject inhelping to understand the world in which we live.
Samuel Yeats's curator insight,
May 8, 12:37 AM
Q1) Based on the information in this video, would you consider Geography as a broad subject and why?
Q2) Why do you believe that Geography is important? (Using examples from the video and your own opinion)
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WARNING! This video contains explicit geographical scenes that may offend the non-worldy-wise.
Seth Dixon's insight:
This music video is just for fun, but there is some solid content embedded in the lyrics...if you never want your students to laugh or smile, I do not recommend sharing this with your classes. If your students already see you a goofy, fun-loving teacher, this might be right in your wheelhouse.
Tags: geo-inspiration, geography education.
Sally Egan's curator insight,
March 25, 5:41 PM
Here is something that might really get you thinking about what Geography is in the real world! Think like a geographer every day!
dilaycock's comment,
March 25, 10:10 PM
Love it. Thanks for this Seth. Just in time to promote Geography at parent/teacher night!
Samuel Yeats's curator insight,
May 8, 12:34 AM
A facetious look into the world of studying Geography. These students have obviously gone to a masive effort to explore their passion for Geography. While it may not be a stereotypically academic or intellectual piece, this video is a great representation of how a Geographer thinks broadly, critically and evaluatively.
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I have a longstanding obsession with J.R.R. Tolkien’s 'The Hobbit,' starting with the great 1977 animated film that captured my young imagination. Hobbits are content to be intensely local and ignore the world beyond their neighborhood until Gandalf instills in Bilbo and subsequently Frodo to learn about the wider world. I’ve always seen that as push for all of us to get to know more about the world, and to experience it first-hand. Sometimes academic geography forgets the explorer component of geographic inquiry and discovery; it is these types geographic quotes from the movies and books that I wish to share.
QuizFortune's comment,
March 11, 5:34 AM
Huge fans of Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Love this application to your work.
Adrian Bahan (MNPS)'s curator insight,
March 11, 11:36 PM
Reminds me of the scene in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams is chastising Matt Damon for only sourcing his knowleged through books and not personal expeience.
Nancy Watson's curator insight,
March 15, 5:17 PM
Even movies like THE HOBBIT have geographic elements. No we cannot see it in class, but you can watch it at home or in the theater.
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The Road Map Project brings together experts in geography, education, and research to chart a course for the large-scale improvement of K-12 geography education in the U.S.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Some great educators and geographers have collaborated to design a "road map" for the future of geography education. This is their report.
Seth Dixon's curator insight,
February 23, 9:42 AM
Some great educators and geographers have collaborated to design a "road map" for the future of geography education. This is their report.
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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, images, geospatial, edtech, geography education, unit 1 GeoPrinciples.
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Geography contributes to a sense of identity on a personal level and collectively as a nation. So what does it mean when we don’t know where Africa or Europe is on a map?
Seth Dixon's insight:
This article by the chair of the Canadian Council for Geographic Education shows how the decline in student's geographic knowledge is linked to it's erosion within the curriculum. In an era of globalization, geographic knowledge and spatial thinking becomes all the more essential.
Tags: geography education, geo-inspiration.
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Their expense has so far made them rare, but with prices coming down, these glowing, programmable spheres are set to become more common.
Seth Dixon's insight:
Due to the expense, only science centers and major museums can afford these digital globes that we see in futuristic movies. However, as with all new technologies, the price will drop as it is refined and made available for larger market, even if that time is still a ways off. If this were available in your classroom, it would be splashy, but how much added value would it bring? What kind of lessons could you teach with this?
Tom Perran's curator insight,
January 11, 6:21 PM
Very exciting development in classroom technology!
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Focus (WILL) - listen online, on demand topics and episodes, location, contact, schedule and broadcast information
Seth Dixon's insight:
This is the audio archive of a 2007 radio interview with Jerome Dobson, Geography Professor at the University of Kansas and President of the American Geographical Society. In this interview he discusses many topics including the importance of geographic education, how to define geography and showing the relevance of the disciple in solving real-world problems. He gives historical context as to why geography became minimized within the United States.
Tags: geography education, geo-inspiration, podcast.
Tony King's comment,
January 10, 11:31 AM
This is a uniquely American phenomenon, and a very unfortunate one. The study of geography makes you much more aware of the planet and how human interactions are gradually destroying it.
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Global news with a spatial perspective: resources for educators and the inherently inquisitive.
I recently revamped the layout for my 'Geography Education' scoop.it site. I hope it adds to the experience.
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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.