The National Geographic EduHub is home to nearly 3,000 (and counting) free educational resources, including articles, videos, maps, infographics, learning tools, and more. Whether you’re an educator looking for Open Educational Resources, a map enthusiast hoping to explore the many layers of National Geographic’s MapMaker, or a curious mind looking to learn something new—like how recycled cellphones are helping protect rainforests from illegal logging—the EduHub helps you explore and learn from just about anywhere.
Here are our top 10 most-viewed resources of 2023:
10. Air Pollution
Coming in at #10 is the Encyclopedic Entry on Air Pollution. Keeping Earth’s atmosphere clean is important for plants, animals, fungi, and all other organisms on our planet. Our entire world relies on clean air to thrive, but humans are the primary source of air pollutants. So, it’s no wonder our visitors saw this as an important topic.
9. Continent
As we use maps to explore the world, it’s important to understand the geographical features that differentiate one place from another. This resource is also available in six different reading levels, making it accessible to a wide variety of readers.
Moving people, things, and ideas around the world is faster, easier, and more accessible now than it’s ever been. But how did we get here? A long history of innovation and technology has brought us to the Information Age. Your curiosity on this topic brought this Encyclopedic Entry to #8 most-viewed in 2023.
7. Human Impacts on the Environment
The Human Impacts on the Environment collection brings together many different resources from across the EduHub that overview the different ways that the waste, light, and noise generated by human activity impacts the ecosystems around us.
Coming at #6 is a resource that helps unravel the science behind how plants (and through plants, most life on Earth!) sustain themselves, whether they’re on land, in the ocean, or anywhere in between. This Encyclopedic Entry has been a part of the EduHub for a number of years, but has recently been made available as an Open Educational Resource, which anyone can adapt to suit their educational needs.
5. Buddhism
Just as we learn about physical and life sciences to help us understand the physical world around us, learning about human cultures and belief systems helps us empathize with others and learn more about ourselves. This Encyclopedic Entry was recently made available as an Open Education Resource, which anyone can adapt to suit their educational needs.
Global warming is not only an important and timely topic in today’s world, it was also our #4 most-viewed resource last year. Understanding the basic science of how our planet is growing warmer offers a starting point to learn about the complex and changing climates around the world.
3. Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Coming in third place for our most-viewed resource of 2023, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch article is not only available in six different reading levels, it is also a reigning champ, appearing in the top ten for many years running. Its popularity is understandable, because the Great Pacific Garbage Patch offers a brilliant case study in pollution, ocean currents, climate, human impacts on our environments, and more. This resource is also available in Spanish for students at a high-school level.
2. Pollution
Having already seen Air Pollution and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch make the list, it should be no surprise to see that the longer article on Pollution claimed the spot for second-most viewed resource in 2023. Human-generated pollution exists almost everywhere we look, but we cannot create positive solutions until we understand the problem, which this article outlines in detail.
1. Compass
Coming in first place, the Compass article offers a poetic and geographic winner for our most-viewed resource of 2023. Maps are an important tool for understanding our world, but before we can go out and explore, we have to know which way we’re going. Though compasses have been around for hundreds of years, the science behind how they work and why remains important today.
Every year, the top ten most popular resources tell a story of what educators and learners around the world are most curious about. Last year, the EduHub helped millions of visitors answer big questions about our world: How are humans impacting our environment, and what effect does it have on Earth’s climate? What types of pollution are there, and how does it impact Earth’s air and oceans? How does our planet’s magnetic field help us navigate, and what does globalization mean in the Age of Information?
In addition to these popular picks, we asked our EduHub staff team: What EduHub resources do you most want our audiences to know about? Here are their responses:
Tyson:
“Sea to Source – Collecting Geospatial Data: This video is part of a series describing a conservation project that’s scalable and repeatable. It features the work of National Explorer Jenna Jambeck and her team as they conduct transects in India, traveling from the mouth of the Ganges to its origin in the Himalaya. The team uses a tool she developed called Marine Debris Tracker to document the types and sources of debris. The data collected through this tool flows into a database of global observations, which can help pinpoint where plastic waste originates and chart how it gets to the oceans. You can participate, even if you live far from the ocean. Armed with data, you can help policy makers develop solutions to increase the amount of plastic that is recycled (only about 9 percent is actually recycled), as well as find other packaging solutions.”
Clint:
“Warriors on a Mission is an upbeat video about “Warrior Watch,” a program in which Samburu men work to promote conservation of local wildlife in Kenya. In a similar vein of wildlife conservation, the Saving the Sumatran Rhino video offers a sensitive look at the effort by the Indonesian government to save this endangered species , told through the stories of the rhinos as well as the park rangers who look after them.”
Bayan:
“Exploring Human Migration with the Out of Eden Walk: This idea set is part of a broader collection of resources we put together in partnership with National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek to bring his global “slow journalism” project, the Out of Eden Walk, to younger readers. It’s designed to help educators introduce the concepts around human migration–everything from the earliest human history to modern refugee crises–to classrooms and other learning environments. Paul writes his stories with deep empathy and a rare worldliness.The articles in this idea set, as well as the collection as a whole, are both fascinating reads and a great way to foster a sense of global citizenship in young readers.”
Margot:
“The Definitions in the Field collection. This 15-part video series takes viewers into the field with some of our National Geographic Explorers, who offer quick definitions and background to all kinds of subjects and concepts, from “Matter” to “Algae” to “Diaspora”. Each video stands alone as a useful resource, but the collection as a whole has a sense of continuity across a diverse range of topics. Another group of Explorer-centered resources is available in the WonderLab Learning Resources. The National Geographic Education team built this suite of resources in collaboration with Explorer Anand Varma, and is designed to help educators guide their learners through the process of slowing down, observing, finding the mystery in ordinary things, and learning from the wonders all around us.”
Thanks for exploring the EduHub in 2023, and we hope you’ll continue learning with us through 2024 and beyond.