Blog Topic #1

GLOBALIZATION!

This word is so ubiquitous that its meaning is often glossed over or not understood at all.  It is also a very complex idea that does not lend itself well to an easy definition.  One good definition that I like, and which comes from our course textbook, is:

“Increasing interconnectedness of people and places through converging processes of economic, political, and cultural change.”

In this post I want you to find one image that you feel captures the essence of globalization.  Paste this image into your blog and write about what it says and why you selected it.  I like this picture since it showcases one of the driving forces of globalization - international trade, especially by large multinational corporations. 

Good luck exploring and remember that anyone on the planet (with an Internet connection) can read your blog!  So think clearly, write neatly, and share your geographic thoughts, expertise, and creativity.



Welcome Geography Students!

Welcome to World Regional Geography (Geog 202) for the spring 2011 semester. This semester you will travel around the world via video clips, reading, watching movies, studying for map quizzes, using Google Earth and other Internet sites, and creating and using your own blog.

The word geography can be divided into "geo"- meaning earth and "graphy" - meaning to write about or describe. When you travel and then tell others about what you did and saw you are practicing and applying geography. To help students learn and write about the world I use blogs. Since this is my third semester requiring students to blog, I pretty much have it nailed down.

Blogging is a great learning tool and one which is getting more attention in K-16 education.  Nick Bloch, a senior at CUNE, and I published an article in The Geography Teacher in the October 2010 edition titled "Teaching Geography in the Blogosphere."  This article is based upon my experience using blogs in this course since the spring of 2009.  Blogging is a great tool for allowing students to explore and write about the world.

Blog Topic #12

The volcanic eruption currently taking place near Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland provides a perfect opportunity to apply geography. To fully understand this event and its global implications one must pull together information from a variety of sources and disciplines. This is the hallmark of geography - thinking spatially while piecing together the necessary information/facts to understand a specific event or phenomena.

In this blog I want you to read about and research this event and comment on the connections to and/or impacts on each of the following:

1) Location of volcano
2) Economics
3) Physical Geography/Geology
4) Politics
5) Movement of People/Transportation

Blog Topic #11

As I mentioned in class last week - The opportunities in East Asia (especially China) for people your age are endless. Whether it's teaching English, serving as a short or long-term missionary, teaching full-time, or working for a multinational business, there are a multitude of options.

In this blog I want you to choose one of the following to explore more in-depth. Visit the links I provide and also explore related websites on your own and then blog about what the agency/organization does, the opportunities available for college grads, and how it all relates to our flattening (globalizing) world.

1. Hong Kong International School
http://www.hkis.edu.hk/home_index.php

2. Lutheran Church Missouri Synod International Work
http://www.lcms.org/pages/internal.asp?NavID=4861

3. Concordia International School Shanghai
http://www.ciss.com.cn/

4. Language Corps
http://www.languagecorps.com/?gclid=CIr384vKk6ECFR9lswodoS48OQ

5. Jobs in China
http://www.chinajob.com/
http://www.newchinacareer.com/index.html

Blog Topic #10

One of my favorite shows is Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. Shown on the Travel Channel, it combines two of my favorite things: food and geography.

One of the best parts of traveling is sampling local foods, which in this show can be very exotic and oftentimes downright disgusting to us Americans. But, as I always say, it is not taste that determines what we like to eat, but culture. We learn what is good or not good to eat. So while we turn up our noses at drinking fresh cow blood, it is a delicacy to the Maasai of Tanzania.

Go to the Bizarre Foods website (http://alturl.com/amtz) and watch some of the shows video clips or go to YouTube and search "Bizarre Foods." Blog about the strangest thing you have eaten, or seen someone else eat during your travels. Or, just write about why you think people around the world have such a varied diet. How will continued globalization impact what people will or will not eat in the future? Thoughts?

Blog Topic #9

Forbes recently published its list of the world's billionaires. Interestingly, Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim Helu eclipsed Bill Gates as the richest person in the world. His networth of $53.5 billion edges out Bill Gates' paltry $53 billion. Nebraskan Warren Buffet, aka the Oracle of Omaha, is third with an estimated net worth of $47 billion.

As with most things, you can think spatially about where billionaires are found and how they amassed their fortunes. For example, Russia has 62 billionaires, with Moscow ranking only behind New York City in cities with the most billionaires. Meanwhile, Finland and Pakistan have their first billionaires while China, with 89, now has the most outside the U.S.

Go to http://bit.ly/cge0mu and read and learn about the latest list of the world's richest people. Make sure to examine the breakdown of billionaires by region and peruse all the other interesing information on the site.

Assignment: Be creative and blog about the Forbes list. You can select one person or region on the list to write about or write about the list in general. Jazz up your post with videos, article links, or pictures.

Think spatially.

Blog Topic #8

A great way to teach and learn about the world is through online video clips. National Geographic maintains a vast collection of video clips organized by region, country, and topic.

Go to http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/ and search the database to find a video that interests you. Be sure to expand the categories to see the types and categories of videos available. Select and embed one of these videos in your blog and describe why you selected it.