How Many Rhode Islands is a simple web application that shows and tells you how many Rhode Islands would fit inside a given country.

See on howmanyrhodeislands.com

How did the 2008 global recession contribute to the development of the Euro crisis?  This is the question that will be discussed in a lecture sponsored by the Newport Council for International Visitors on April 30th at 6:30pm.  For more information, see this flyer. 

The Lecture will be at the Vasco de Gama Society’s Fenner Hall 15 Fenner Ave., Newport, RI 02840  (map)

See on newportciv.org

See on rigea.files.wordpress.com

This is a clip from the TV show West Wing (Season 2-Episode 16) where cartography plays a key role in the plot.  In this episode the fictitious (but still on Facebook) group named “the Organization of Cartographers for Social Justice” is campaigning to have the President officially endorse the Gall-Peters Projection in schools and denounce the Mercator projection.  The argument being that children will grow up thinking some places are not as important because they are minimized by the map projection.

As Salvatore Natoli (a leader in geography education) was quoted in the video clip: “In our society we unconsciously equate size with importance and even power.” This is one reason why many people have underestimated the true size of Africa relative to places that they view as more important or more powerful.

 Questions to Ponder:  Why do map projections matter?  Is one global map projection inherently better than the rest? 

March and April are key months for harvesting sap from trees, making this sugar time in New England.  New England’s climate and biogeography make this the right time because the because the combination of freezing nights and warm spring days gets the sap in the native species of maple trees to flow.  The sap get boiled down to syrup, but did you know that it takes roughly 40 gallons of sap that to get 1 gallon of pure maple syrup?   

See on newswatch.nationalgeographic.com

“It’s happened to just about all of us when we travel outside the state. You’re absolutely parched and ask a friendly looking stranger….”Where’s the bubbler?” They look at you like you’re speaking Klingon.”

This article comes Wisconsin, one of the few other places that refers to a water/drinking fountain as a “Bubbler.”  Rhode Islanders know that makes us distinct, but what geographic patterns are present in this linguistic quirk?  This regionally-based term comes from  the Kohler Company (from Wisconsin) that trademarked the term to sell their product and the name stuck in a few places (and internationally it is used in Australia as well).      

See on whoonew.com

See on www.washingtonpost.com

Earlier this month our Alliance coordinator Seth Dixon was the keynote speaker for a professional development entitled “Practical Strategies for Teaching Geography” and “Latin America: Inter-related Physical and Human Geographies.”  We’ve asked him to share these resources with us at an Alliance event while the Giant map of South America is available to be at the event.  Earlier the date for this was tentatively penciled in for April 18th, but with the map’s early arrival, we would like to announce that April 2nd will be the date for this event.  

Additionally, members of RIGEA’s strategic planning sub-committee have worked diligently the last 6 months to reconceptualize the structure and vision for our Alliance.  These members are passionate about ensuring that the future of the Alliance is strong and address the shifting educational landscape changes and as geographic tools modernize.  We would also like to share these visions of RIGEA and invite you to share your ideas with the strategic planning committee       

EVENT: Teaching South America and RIGEA 2.0
DATE AND TIME: April 2nd, 4pm
PLACE: 110 Alger Hall, Rhode Island College
Maps: Campus Map and Google Map.
 

See on twitter.com

Imagine your students scaling the high peaks of the Andes, searching for the ancient city of Machu Picchu, then following the Amazon River from its alpine headwaters thousands of miles through the Brazilian rain forest all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. Or, perhaps they will traverse the fertile Pampas on their way to historic Buenos Aires, where they bravely set sail southward around Cape Horn and out to the Pacific Ocean to visit the Galapagos Islands! This and more can happen all in an afternoon at your school on our new Giant Traveling Map of South America, our latest in a series of maps that make geography come alive for your students in ways they will never forget!

This new map of South America invites your students to explore the amazing physical features of this continent. The map measures approximately 26’ x 35’ and, like all Giant Traveling Maps, comes with a trunk of fun and content-rich activities, props, and other educational resources.

See on events.nationalgeographic.com