Week 5 Module

1. Explain: What new learning have you taken from this module?

I found the YouTube clip “Ben Franklin and The Gulf Stream” very fascinating. I had no idea Franklin mapped out the Gulf Stream. It is amazing how he was able to create such an accurate map with the technology of the time. This is really a great example of how accurate measurements can be done without the aid of computers and GPS.

I really enjoyed looking at the climate differences between Washington, DC and San Francisco. It is nice to have an interactive lesson where I looked at the two locations, compared their latitude, compared their climates and then looked at how ocean patterns could be affecting their climates. I would like to do an activity like this with my students. It is a lot more fun making the connections on your own instead of just reading the answers.

Image taken from Google Earth

Image taken from Google Earth

2. Extend: How can/will you use this week’s resources and/or others in your community in your lessons?

The video clip “Living from the Land and Sea” I can use for a cultural and ecological connection. An example of this is how an elder talked about putting the leftovers from cleaning fish into the garden. When my students studied the nitrogen cycle we talked about how important it is to put nitrogen back into the soil. This video clip shows that this knowledge has been passed down for generations, they understand how to take care of the land!

Image taken from "Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web"

My students will really enjoy seeing the video clip “Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web”. They love learning about global warming because it affects their way of life. In one of my classes global warming was mentioned and the students wanted to talk about it for the rest of the period. They told me about how in their lifetime they have seen the changing patterns of where they go to hunt polar bear. I love teaching things that the students love learning about.

“Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web” is also a great video for my students because it talks about bird populations. Many of my students hunt the birds on the island for food. They need a healthy bird population to provided food for their families throughout the winter.  Also, the economy of the island would be greatly hurt if the bird populations went down. Gambell is a very popular spot for birders in the summer and early fall. There are a very limited amount of job on the island, and many of them revolve around the birders. 

The video clip “What caused Earth’s Seasons” will be a great reinforcement video for me to show my earth science class next week. We just did an activity where we created a model of the solar system.  One of the points of the model was to demonstrate why we have seasons. It is always nice to have a short video to remind the students what we talked about the previous week.

3. Evaluate: How useful, insightful or relevant are this module’s information and resources for you?

The YouTube clip “Oceans of Climate Change” could have not come at a better time for me. One of the questions on our district assessment is: “During the winter months in Nome, it is often 10 or more degrees warmer than in Fairbanks. Explain what causes this.” I was looking for a lab or other resources to help show the concept of heat capacity to my students. The YouTube clip will be perfect. We can also do the balloon demo in class. 

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Alicia also lives next to the Bering Sea. Geography isn't my strong subject, so I don't where many villages are located. On her site, “Science Explorations”, she commented about how much they rely on the ocean for food. It would be interesting to live in a village that is away from the ocean and see the differences in lifestyles.

Dan, on his site "Dan Adair Blog Site",  writes about using visual aids in class more often. I completely agree with this. It always amazes me how much the students can get out of a 2-3 minute clip. Sometimes they take away more from that then when I lecture for a whole class.

Tommy made a comment, on his site "Explore Alaska", about how slow internet can make Google Earth hard to do in the classroom. I understand what he is saying about the slow internet connection. When I tried Google Earth with one of my classes it took a long time for their pictures to come it. My students were really excited about learning Google Earth, but were not happy with the wait time.