Trophic cascading: A fascinating interconnection story

Image above: Yellowstone National Park, the place of a trophic cascade involving wolves.

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Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'



How wolves change the physical geography of an area by causing a trophic cascade 

This amazing short YouTube on the re-introduction of wolves to the Yellowstone National Park is a fascinating example of the importance of the Interconnection concept in the Australian Curriculum: Geography. 

"The concept of interconnection emphasises that no object of geographical study can be viewed in isolation."

In particular the Australian Curriculum: Geography involves holistic thinking that involves studying the interconnections between phenomena and processes within and between places. The clip outlines how the re-introduction of wolves into the park has not only made massive positive changes to habitats and animal life but also changed the nature of the rivers in the park though a process called trophic cascading. A great positive biogeography story based on interconnection and interdependency. 

Thanks to Jonathon Noble, DECD Education Manager at the Adelaide Zoo for forwarding this example of interconnection.

Virtually getting away

Image above: Fantastic bits and pieces about our amazing world on the Matador Network. Potentially a great resource for the geography classroom wanting to know without going - cheap fieldtrips!!

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Australian Geography Teachers' Association website

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Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


Matador Network is worth a look

Whilst a little 'out there', the Matador Network has some fascinating maps (of just about anything), amazing pictures from around the world  and blog commentaries from travellers just enjoying life on the road. 

In short, the Matador Network is an "independent media company and nexus of travel culture worldwide". The network was launched in 2006 with the vision for a travel site and community based not on “airline reservations and hotel rooms” but the real cultures, people, and places travellers encounter, as well as a broader global discussion of historical, political, and socioeconomic realities that inform the lives of travellers.

For this posting I have made a selection of just some of the amazing maps, pictures and postings on the site to show what great potential the site has to take students out of the classroom, without leaving the room. The site has huge potential for some virtual fieldtrips and the exploration of our world through the eyes of the travellers who contribute to the Matador Network and Community. Enjoy, it makes one feel like heading off!!

* 57 interesting maps

* A 3 minutes video on maps to amaze
 
* 36 maps to make to see the world a new way 
 
* 20 maps to change your view of the world
 
* 4 awesome maps
 
* Aerial photograph art
 
* 75 unbelievable colourful places

* 46 shots of amazing famous places 

* Iconic places to visit before ...

* 22 Google Streetview images

* Tipping around the world

* World heritage sites meet Google Streetview

* Map of Hipster density
 
* Google fieldtrips

* Google Earth helps to find home after 25 years

* Geography teachers trekking the planet
 
* 13 population density maps with a difference

* Matt Harding (dancing Matt) talking seriously about his travels

* African challengers


The Matador Network is certainly a 'mixed bag' of potential resources for the geography classroom. As they say on the site; connect, publish and plan - why not get your students to do just that as they explore the world. In fact, let them connect via the Matador Community and meet passionate travelers, writers, photographers, and adventurers from around the world.

Geogdiscussion tool

Image above: Straw Poll website for contestable geography or pre-knowledge testing.

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Australian Geography Teachers' Association website

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Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it   
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manning@chariot.net.au    

Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


An easy and quick polling option to get geographical discussion underway

Further to the Spatialworlds contestable geography posting on PollEverywhere, here is another useful inter-active polling site for students to share their views on geographical issues. The website is called Strawpoll (www.strawpoll.me) and is a great website that enables you to create short polls for students to complete. This then generates a website that students can go to in order to answer the questions. Responses can then be displayed on the interactive white board in real time in the form of a Pie Chart.  Here is a video showing how to use it, showing the tool is not time consuming at all and very easy to use. It is even easier that PollEverwhere but more simplistic. A really impressive aspect of this site is that no software is required and students can easily access the poll. A really good option for the quick, on the spot poll in the classroom.

A different look at weather

Image above:  The Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Indigenous Weather Knowledge (IWK) Website Project site.

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GeogSpace
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Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it   
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manning@chariot.net.au    

Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


Looking at weather through the Indigenous lens

A very useful website for geography students to engage with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture Cross curriculum priority is the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) Indigenous Weather Knowledge (IWK) Website Project.

The site showcases the seasonal weather calendars  developed over thousands of years by Indigenous communities in Australia. The site is in its early stages of development and will be progressively expanded to include information for additional areas, as well as other facets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interactions with, and knowledge of, weather and climate. Follow the sign posts on the IWK website to access the seasonal calendars. The site goes on to say that ..

"The project recognises the knowledge of weather and climate developed over countless generations by Australia's Indigenous communities, nicely complementing science and statistically based approaches. It provides an opportunity for communities to showcase their knowledge and for other Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life and culture.

The calendars recognise the complexity and diversity of weather over the Australian continent and are finely tuned to local conditions and natural events. Unlike the European spring, summer, autumn and winter, the Indigenous versions include often five, and sometimes seven, distinct seasons."  from the BOM Indigenous Weather Knowledge website

The BOM IWK site is a fantastic resource for student to engage with the Australian Curriculum: Geography Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Culture cross-curriculum priority through the study of weather. 

In short, the site is a great way to: 

... emphasise the relationships people have with place and their interconnection with the environments in which they live. The Australian Curriculum: Geography curriculum also enables students to learn that there are different ways of thinking about and interacting with the environment. It integrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples' use of the land, governed by a holistic, spiritually-based connection to Country and Place, with the continuing influence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples on Australian places, and in environmental management and regional economies. 

from the 2013 Australian Curriculum: Geography curriculum document.

Geognews

Image above: The Royal Geographical Society of the UK 'Geography in the news' site.

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manning@chariot.net.au    

Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'

The right here, right now of geography

One of the many attractions of teaching geography is that it is a vehicle for the exploration and study of what is happening right now in the world. The spontaneity of geography to deal with current events around the world and locally makes geography a dynamic and real subject for students.  The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) of the UK has a great facility on its website called 'Geography in the news'.  On a daily basis geographical stories from around the world are showcased for schools and the geography interested in general. The facility has the potential to make your geography classroom current and relevant. As the RGS says: 

"Geography in the news provides direct support for your students through topical case studies, links to academic research and lectures, plus much more..."

The page also provides some useful links to geography teaching and geography relevant websites, articles on geography and 21st Century challenges, geography lectures, a geography glossary and news case studies. Although some of the material is UK focussed, there are plenty of resources on the site with a global reach. 

I Wonder?

Image above: The iWonder Home Page.


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Geogaction
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GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website

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Spatial Education and technology Scoop.it   
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Email contact:

manning@chariot.net.au    

Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


The new iWonder site from the BBC

On 14 March the BBC launched BBC iWonder. This is a new factual and educational brand from the BBC, and it's all about feeding the curiosity. In the future the site will be perfect for stimulating geography, history, science and social studies classes via questioning and curiosity.  Whilst not all of the iWonder articles are geographical, the potential of the site to ask and answer geographical questions is enormous.
BBC iWonder provides thought-provoking answers to the questions sparked in your everyday life - questions sparked by BBC programs, what's in the news, important anniversaries, or what's trending on social media.

"The BBC iWonder homepage will introduce you to something surprising, provocative, exciting and challenging each day, hand-picking the most inspiring BBC content and blending it with the most wondrous stuff from around the Web and BBC Online."

Hopefully in time, this fascinating site will have more and more geography friendly items. At the moment it is primarily history, art & culture and science.  However the science iWonder on the Northern Lights in the UK has some fascinating physical geography and maps. The line between science and physical geography continues to blur!  This site will be no exception. At the moment it is a great site for history teachers using a great inquiry and questioning methodology to develop curiosity and interest.

A book by it's cover

Related links to Spatialworlds 
Geogaction
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GeogSpace
Australian Geography Teachers' Association website
'Towards a National Geography Curriculum' project website
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manning@chariot.net.au    

Where am I??  
Adelaide, Australia: S: 34º 55' E: 138º 36'


 Just geographically interesting

Over the past year I have been curating a Scoop.it called 'Just real interesting'. As I say in the introduction to the Scoop.it, this site is: 

A Scoop.it of just interesting things with an obvious fascination with all things historical, social,  cultural and geographical (and just things real interesting!)

As a result of this rather vague description and in turn Internet trawling of the Scoop.it, I have curated a rather eclectic site. The site is particularly strong in the area of Cultural Geography and makes for some interesting reading, highly relevant to Human Geography. At times it is a challenge to see how it fits into a definition of geography but considering geography is dependent on the reader using the geographical lens, I think we can claim that almost any story can be seen as geography.  Here is just a taste of some of the very interesting sites from the Scoop.it on the perspective of appearance and culture and the related issues of beauty, sexism, racism and difference.

*  Muslim Woman Discovers Friendly New World When a Winter Scarf Covers Her Hijab

* How people in Muslim countries prefer women to dress in public

*  The burka ban in France

*  Guy Brings His White Girl To Barbershop In Harlem...

* Holloween costumes and racism 

* Supermodel wears Hijab for a day

* Anti-Muslim harassment

* Which place is actually more racist

* Finding cultural voice

* Body modification

* Little boys wearing dresses

* Advertising's Image of Women

* Girls wearing pink

* Muslim beauty pageant

* Fattening rooms for appearance 

* Foot binding

* Tatoos

* Scarification

* Beauty and men

* Concept of beauty

* Lip plates

Go to the Just Real Interesting Scoop.it to view more articles of great interest to the cultural geographer. I think you would agree there is some pretty eclectic but fascinating material there for the human geography classroom.