Final Project - Teacher Workshop

How can digital resources and effective teaching methods be used to integrate Alaska Native ways of knowing and Western scientific methods in order to create greater understanding of, and interest in, geo-sciences for students?

My Final Project is to create a workshop for Elementary Teachers. Rather than have a specific outcome for their greater understanding of geo-sciences, my aim is to give teachers the information, resources and support to explore an earth system of their interest. The goal is for teachers to become familiar and engaged with technology as they explore an introduction to geo science information. If a continued interest comes out of this initial workshop, either the participants then take this Explore Alaska! on-line course or I will work with the University of Alaska Southeast to potentially design an on campus/in person course for elementary teachers that would also have field sessions to local sites.

Out of the following choices, teachers will choose one area, and learn to use Google Earth as well as Teachers Domain resources to tell a story and inform their colleagues of their chosen system. I will also arrange local scientists to give presentations and be available for teacher - scientist collaborative experiences. TD video clips will present a beginning foundation of information about Traditional Native Knowledge and Western Science.

My intention is to offer this workshop at the beginning of the 2010-11 school year, with follow up support in the classroom.

Landform: Plate Tectonics

Atmospheric Science

Weather and Climate

Ocean Science

Polar Science: Arctic & Antarctic

Objectives

1. Teachers will learn to use Google Earth and three different layers (weather, earthquakes or ocean currents) as they explore the local region, finding their home, the landforms surrounding Juneau and at least one feature of the water, tidal or freshwater.

2. Teachers will choose one earth system and use that "lens" to view our surrounding area. Gathering information from TD resources they will create a digital story or group of pictures/powerpoint to share with the group of colleagues.

3. Teachers will listen and view TD resources that identify traditional native knowledge and compare it with at least one western science concept of their chosen earth system.

Rational (what you're doing, where you're going and why)

It is unusual for elementary teachers to have a science and/or math background. The unfortunate reality is also that elementary level teachers are rarely encouraged or offered professional development that has meaningful and relevant science content during their teaching years. It is also of note that most National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conferences, workshops and/or courses also limit the higher level content offerings to middle and high school level teachers. And yet - there is consistent criticism and concern for teachers at the elementary level who cannot teach higher level math and/or science content to elementary age students.

My experience has been that my elementary teaching colleagues are intrigued and interested in science content - especially earth science systems. We usually learn it on our own, independent of our school district system and/or paid professional development. It is my intention to bring the idea forward that teachers would like to have opportunities to learn science content, use engaging resources and put into practice what they know students love to do; explore relevant hands-on inquiry experiences both inside and outside of the classroom.

Only by encouraging and supporting teachers through Professional development opportunities do we build systemic and meaningful change in our school district. I believe that elementary teachers are smart, eager and motivated learners. Providing an interesting environment where they are not intimidated or fearful of the content will mean also making an impact on the students in their classrooms, potentially impacting over 200 students in the Juneau School District.

Teachers, just like students, learn science by doing science and discussing the content through identification and experiences with the concepts. In addition to in school sessions on the computer, teachers will be expected to make contact with one scientist which will be set up through the workshop. Meeting a scientist, being able to ask questions and potentially set up a classroom visit will continue to engage the teacher and students in the relevant and meaningful local connections of science in our community.

Place based science experiences as well as relevant contact with the Tlingit community for identifying the practical applications of traditional knowledge will be part of the ongoing conversation with teachers during the school year, post workshop. Since the Elders and Culture Bearers are already working within our school district, the western science experiences will give teachers more content for asking questions and making connections. I see this as a win-win for teachers, students and members of both the Tlingit community as well as the wider Juneau community. Young people can best be supported by having as many adults in their lives as possible and connecting community through authentic science experiences offers the potential of meaningful citizen science opportunities for all.

links to resources

Google Earth

http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

Teachers Domain

http://www.teachersdomain.org/

Earth Systems

landforms

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.plateintro/

atmosphere & jet stream

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.watcyc.risejet/

Earth's seasons

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuiQvPLWziQ&feature=related

Ocean Currents

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.earthsys.globalsurf/

Climate Change

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyPLusD-tyM&feature=player_embedded

Weather

http://www.youtube.com/user/WeatherSchool#p/u/u-all/2/qABhFeVtgWo

Glaciers

EIS http://www.extremeicesurvey.org/index.php/about/

Polar Science

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.cryoarctic/

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/ipy07.sci.ess.watcyc.cryoantarctica/

Blog Reviews

Blog Reviews

Woven Ideas and Practices

http://misty-wovenideas.blogspot.com/2010/03/module-ix.html

Western science and traditional knowledge have many similarities and yet contradictions, too where the ideas are quite different. Misty's blog, Woven Ideas and Practices invites you in and provides just the right balance of reflection, information, humor, story and resources to keep you intrigued and engaged. The visual images piqued my curiosity and begged me to read more to discover the presence of both imagination and present time connections. I'd love to be a student in Misty's class some afternoon as she presents pertinent content and relevant ways to connect science in an art lesson to bring the best out of both.

I especially appreciated the mixture of the Star Trek line up, the aerial photo of Cordova and the clear picture in my mind of Misty and her then new husband lighting gas bubbles on winter outings for small town entertainment in Module VII. I also felt a sense of appreciation at the full circle impact of Misty's positive can-do outlook on life, commitment to being a part of the efforts to live more consciously and model thought provoking changes with her family in Module VIII. Isn't that what we want education to be about - providing information so that students - and in this case - us as teachers, take action based on the synthesis of important information!

Dan's Alaska Connections

http://dansalaskaconnections.blogspot.com/

Practical connections from text, image and mind to classroom application are essential to the elementary teacher's toolbox! Dan's ability to take our weekly module of immense proportion and funnel the essence of what is possible for the students he teaches at the intermediate level was extremely helpful for me. In my new position as Science Coach I continue to look for ways to assist teachers to use engaging science content in meaningful processes of guided inquiry. I have the sense that Dan's classroom is full of students who can actually discuss the content they are learning and link it to where they live... making the Alaska connection!

More than likely Dan's blog was also engaging for me because we are both in Southeast Alaska. Just as our students need background knowledge to connect to new learning, especially with challenging content, I found an appreciation for how Dan created a framework for me to weave new information from the course into my experiences living in a maritime climate. Module VII's entry, Big Science in the Northern Latitudes was well versed with multiple examples of how to support real students with real science in real learning. I'd like to interview some of the students in Dan's class to learn more about their perspectives, hopes and dreams as I imagine they have questions and ideas galore about the planet they will continue to explore!

Climate, terrestrial ice and Alaskan indigenous cultures are all connected…

Alaska Native people have adapted to changes in climate and various kinds of human impact in many areas of the arctic and subarctic regions. The increasing changes of temperature and precipitation that impact ice and s

now on land, terrestrial ice, have magnified feedback loops and the study of these changes will continue to offer information for models of predictions that affect the earth’s climate…

Climate feedbacks - the connectivity of the positive ice/snow albedo feedback, terrestrial snow and vegetation feedbacks and the negative cloud/radiation feedback

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/climate-feedbacks-the-connectivity-of-the-positive-ice-snow-albedo-feedback-terrestrial-snow-and-vegetation-feedbacks-and-the-negative-cloud-radiation-feedback

Explain

Creating an image of the world’s water in 1000 drops is potentially powerful for the younger students I teach. Representing the example of 972 drops in the ocean and inland seas as a basketball, with 21 drops in glaciers as a marble and 6 drops in ground water as a bead could be used to help students grasp the significance in contrast. Specks of dust could then identify the one drop each for atmosphere, lakes, rivers and the water content of living plants and animals. Alaskan students can potentially begin to think about the glaciers we see on the globe as holding the second largest amount of fresh water on our planet!

Beginning with the definition of terrestial ice by what surrounds us and what we can see here in Southeast Alaska and then viewing the northern hemisphere as compared to the south gives a reference for students starting from familiar and then moving to the unfamiliar. I would say that spending a lot of time and/or focus on geologic time with students in elementary school is not appropriate. Their understanding is better supported by looking at geographical systems – and then being able to apply the layer of time down the road – late middle to high school. This is documented in the AAAS Atlas – based on development of understanding.

A useful Teachers Domain resource, First Documenting Glacial Change http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/ipy07_int_glacierphoto/ identifies change over time. Even though geologic time is a stretch even for older students, having visual images with dates start building an understanding of the glacier retreating identifying physical processes with additions of plants to highlight change. The Extreme Ice Survey video documentation http://www.extremeicesurvey.org/index.php/see_our_cameras/mendenhall_glacier__alaska/ would come next to more pointedly aim in on one glacier over time... and finally adding UAS Geologist Cathy Connor’s explanation and local perspective about Climate Change http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw8OYCrt-KY giving a short explanation of what she is seeing. This can also give students information about how changes in polar regions affect changes in other regions.

Extend

I think it is extremely important for Alaskan students to understand and compare the different processes of melting sea ice in the Arctic vs. an ice shelf breaking off in Antarctica. Ice shelves are different from sea-ice in that they are grounded which changes the understanding of the concept of sea level rise as students explore and compare that with sea ice melting. The melting of sea ice contrasted to melting of terrestial ice is like our phun lab of using ice cubes in a glass… not much changes because the ice is already in the water. The stark comparison is adding ice and/or water to the jar of water – watching it rise overall.

The temperature of the earth over geologic time can be measured through historical records that come from cores of sediment, as well as annual rings from trees which also give records of precipitation and from corals which grow for hundreds of years and also in ice layers. Combining all of these sources gives the most accurate record – and according to Richard Ally - the warming trend is what is “standing out” dramatically.I’m a huge fan of Richard Ally – his explanations, models and even dances are entertaining and informative!

The digital resources that are most useful for me contain interactive models, short video’s and even music and action oriented film since in addition to studying climate change and human impacts on systems young people need to feel that there is a sense that they can make a difference – Take Aim at Climate Change – Polarpalooza. http://passporttoknowledge.com/polar-palooza/whatyoucando/taacc/

When I first saw this video I shared it with every teacher I knew and many ended up using it for assemblies and other events – giving students a sense of the kind of media that could be created as well as the changes in their own communities they could employ to feel more educated and thus empowered.

There are many other resources for educators from ANDRILL and Lousie Huffman, education and outreach coordinator is a helpful resource for other activities and potential teacher – researcher experiences. lhuffman@andrill.org

You can also write my friend/colleague David Frisic, NSF at Office of Polar Programs and ask him to send you resources to support your students – he can send you full posters, printed copies of the Antarctic book and other resources you may be interested in. He is a wealth of information, friendly and available and a welcome contradiction to the glacial-speed change of education in our system – YOUR fed tax dollars actually supporting education! dfriscic@nsf.gov

I feel very fortunate to have made two trips to Greenland and the Summit Research Station. Hiking along the Jakobshaven Glacier near Illulisaat, I finally had the sense of a gigantic moving river of ice that was always the “book” definition in school. We also made a boat trip to that gave us a tremendous perspective

of how small we really were in this massive area of ice. When I eventually get to Antarctica, I would like to be able to compare glaciers, ice shelves and the Dry Valleys and hopefully fly some of the coast line to see it with my own eyes! Meanwhile I have found these many resource, useful for viewing…

I have noted Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears in previous blogs – I think it’s one of the best resources for finding information that is accessible for students. In this case there is a great interview with an Antarctic Scientist – Juanita Constible –who is studying the southern most free living insect in the world! This resource is important for sharing information with the K-12 education community.

http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/polar/2010/01/04/meet-juanita-constible-an-antarctic-scientist/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email

I also found this an engaging article – and potentially more accessible to a different population of students as it is found in Popular Mechanics. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4349415.html An article in Popular Mechanics about the JOIDES

And last for this grouping, a general article that identifies life for scientists working in polar regions. http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/index.php?date=April2010

Evaluate

Affects of climate change in our area are being documented through a series of interviews with elders, noting the change of Mendenhall Glacier and differences in plants blooming time, availability of plants and seaweeds and also specifically the changes in herring fisheries as well as notes about the bycatch of different warm water species. My final project will be to identify some of these resources from past and present to use to inform teachers and support their understanding of climate change.

I think it’s important to remember that Climate Change is considered evidence collected over more than 30 years of time – often I hear students or teachers giving more value to patterns in weather change – and this can be confusing. Rather than focusing on the politically charged terminology of “global warming” or even Climate Change – I think we empower students through good informational resources, actual data – evidence of a particular area and then letting students make claims based on that evidence.

Recent educational research has identified critical missing pieces in science education. Rather than giving students the background knowledge to think and analyze, we - meaning districts who are driven by state mandates - have become more directed to use a “cookbook” type science, citing explicit answers for aiming at testing and predictable labs that show students the information we need them to know. The contrast to this is using real data - examples above - and getting students to think about topics with open ended answers. Climate Change and systems science could provide the opportunities for students to have exposure to relevant information and systems science. In this way we are supporting scientific inquiry, thinking and making connections and linking pathways of how information is collected and then applied… potentially giving students ways of how this affects policy, community planning and hopefully strategic citizen action plans for the future.

Resources Helpful for K-5 Teachers and Students

One of the challenges of being an elementary teacher is that many workshops, on-line courses and even difference conference sessions are frequently not recommended for elementary levels. Rather than inviting and encouraging elementary teachers to develop and build their foundation of science content, it is assumed they do not have the background and/or interest? to take on more information. This is one of the reasons I have found this course beneficial and important for potentially getting more information out to elementary teachers.

The best resource that I have found that is aimed at K-5 teachers is Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears – this is an extremely thorough and informative site with a range of diverse resources. There are many interviews with scientists, photos from Polar Regions, lesson plans, connections to standards and a monthly focus that is always interesting. I would highly recommend this for all K-12 teachers – since the content and background information is applicable at wide ranges. It’s also a great site to share with parents of students who are especially intrigued with Polar Science. The link is included in the Climate Change sites.

Arctic sea-ice, climate and culture are all connected...

Explain Climate change in the Arctic presents a complex and potentially dramatic impact on the fragile ecosystem. With a thinning and lessening of overall sea ice, a gradually warming ocean, the effects of albedo and the positive feedback loop that creates, arctic animals on land and ocean will be forced to adapt. Even with a small change in the ecosystem, the impact sets up a chain of events for animals and humans. The marine ecosystem, with less biodiversity is more vulnerable to climate change. This change in climate ultimately makes an impact on humans as they are also forced to adapt to a change in lifestyle –in subsistence, transportation and geographical location. Native Alaskans as well as other indigenous peoples of the Arctic have made adaptations for thousands of years and yet this change is happening at a much faster rate.

Extend

Last summer I was part of an Education Summit that went to Greenland. I was able to post a blog and photos through Polar Trec as well as make an archive of a webinar we used to inform students and other participants prior to going to the Summit Station. You can choose to just look at the slides and/or listen to the sound as you view the slides.

http://www.polartrec.com/archives/10183

I invited scientists that represented atmospheric science, remote sensing, modeling and social science - Mary Alpert who leads the webinar has an informative slideshow and explanation of the changing conditions of the cryosphere. There are many other valuable resources via the PolarTrec site with webinars that have been archived on a variety of different subjects – all focused on the polar regions of our planet. Check out the different teacher expeditions and the informational resources. http://www.polartrec.com/

This winter I went to Chena Hot Springs, near Fairbanks for a Snow Science Workshop, CryoConn II, aimed at Elementary Teachers. In addition to taking perspective of the changing conditions in the artic regions, learning from scientists and taking active participation with snow science tools we were invited to look over many websites that could potentially inform us about snow and ice. The Snowtweets project seeks out people to report about snow pack data in your region. It gave us food for thought for creating an interactive website where students from across Alaska could report on snow conditions, document winter with digital images and perhaps share experiences from their region http://snowcore.uwaterloo.ca/snowtweets/snowbird/

This led to discussions about how to bring more detailed snow pack and photo documentation of changes in snow around the state of Alaska. Matthew Sturm is presently traveling on a snowmobile, visiting communities from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay to share information about the science of snow and ice and the changing conditions in the Arctic. He has a children’s book out now – Apun as well as a teachers guide. http://polarfieldservice.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/apun-is-no-joke-in-the-arctic/

Current western science data collection combined with knowledge from Native Elders who continue to live with changing conditions can inform us of the varying environmental situations. A friend and colleague created this site to document the many quality polar resources available for educators. http://polarscienceeducation.wordpress.com/

In addition there is also this delicious site – http://delicious.com/stemipy some redundancy but worthy of the time it takes to look for the information you need.

Evaluate Easy and safe investigations that are available to younger students in Southeast AK happen naturally on these welcome spring days. Going out to recess wearing different clothing, we can compare the effects of wearing a dark vs. lighter clothing – emphasizing students who are wearing a white t-shirt vs. a black t-shirt. Making use of time before we go inside, students stand in the sun and make observations of what they feel and/or notice about each other. With the intensity from the sun, students can identify the absorption of the light on the black t-shirt and the reflection of the sun on the white t-shirt wearer. Continuing inside to use the lab of dark paper/light paper with a light and measuring the temperature enables those students who need more concrete experiences to attend to the predictions they will be expected to make. Adding interactive websites, animations and then the accountability for explaining their meaning through discussion means more educational gains than sometimes a video can have. I think all of these resources can be used in different ways so that a broad foundation is created for student understanding of the impacts of climate change. I appreciate the variety so that we can engage learners in different ways supporting the emphasis on how students learn. Transferring this conceptual understanding to the arctic regions can lead to identifications of how it works and can help students think about the impacts on a larger scale. The value of talking about clothing we wear, changing weather and seasons and moving it into an engaging lab supports students to think about the practical applications of science, the thinking process and the relevant connections they can make in their everyday lives.

Climate Change Humor

Earth's Climate is Connected to its Geological, Biological and Cultural Systems...

Explain

Earth’s systems are connected and work together in complex ways - all worthy of interdisciplinary studies that include the perspective of atmosphere, landforms, oceans, fresh water, weather, all living things and the impact we humans have had due to our potentially naïve choices in the beginning and now informed choices, too. Since I was immersed in Polar Science last year I saw a lot of animations and drawings of positive feedback loops that described what was happening in the arctic. Our systems approach identifies a warming trend, brought about by an increase in CO2, emphasizing the impact of burning more and more fossil fuels with consideration of CFC’s and methane – I acknowledge that it is a more complicated process than I have written here or is described on the National Snow and Ice Data site here (NSIDC). http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/patterns/feedback_loops.html There is a simple drawing that illustrates as there is less sea ice and albedo, the pattern continues with even less sea ice and warming, pattern repeats and just as we are seeing now, less sea ice overall. We can no longer act as if there are unlimited resources – the data has been and will be collected, analyzed and communicated in various ways. While there may be confusion and differing perspectives on what the data means – I don’t think there is any question that we have a responsibility to care and make decisions grounded in thinking of the future based on the evidence of climate change.

Extend

The students I work with are just beginning an introduction to a systems approach. In the early grades, young children can learn to use tools (thermometers, magnifiers, Science Notebooks), take temperatures, notice patterns in the weather and the change of the seasons. Students are given opportunities to visit the environment close by the school and eventually to branch out to beaches, trails and other areas. Simple investigations of the local environment are important and I have invited elders and culture bearers into the classroom to teach the stories that represent Tlingit stories of creation, bringing light to the earth and explanations of the moon and the tides.

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/echo07.lan.stories.raven/

Adding depth and more complex information to the intermediate grades means also teaching stewardship and what it means to take care of the environment. I know that students watch a lot of TV, are on the internet and exposed to not always age appropriate movies. Students have heard many of the terms that adults puzzle over – climate change, global land-ocean temperature, CO2 levels, ocean acidification and they are curious and often concerned, mostly because they hear the tone of voice of the adults around them. I have also noticed students reflect the views of their parents and families– making statements that are not always based in facts and evidence. Obviously it’s important for students to have access to information, tools (intermed. students can begin to use microscopes, temperature probes and heat sensors as they gather and analyze data in Science Notebooks) http://beyondpenguins.nsdl.org/issue/column.php?date=August2008&departmentid=professional&columnid=professional!literacy discussion and ways to do investigations that assist their understanding and empower them to continue to think and learn! I appreciate that an elementary age student needs and appreciates an integrated approach to science as they develop the concepts needed for higher level math and science in the middle school and high school classes. These are our future voters and decision makers! As we identify the plants and animals in ecosystems they begin to make the connections. While I think it’s important to take systems apart and look at what makes up a system, it’s also critical to give younger students a perspective of “whole” – which is why I now see how much more of Google Earth and all the different layers of it can be accessed for some of the lessons I am now doing with 4th graders.

I’m hoping to create more opportunities for students to take on the role of “citizen scientist”. There are project ideas for cleaning up streams, counting birds, noticing buds on plants and other local ways to get involved and learn locally. I have read about a Citizen Science project for students collecting water samples in the Seattle area and I think more could be inspired in Southeast Alaska as look at the impacts of the tourist industry. An older article but food for thought… in addition to learning science methods for collecting data and potentially making connections, I also appreciate the idea of bringing more groups of diverse people together in every community! http://www.edutopia.org/service-learning-citizen-science

Evaluate

While many of the resources in every module have possibilities for elementary classrooms, I’m making sure K-5 teachers are aware of the access they have for their own background. Younger students need to DO science and BE scientists and these resources can inspire and inform – yet care has to be taken so we don’t feed misconceptions by trying to make simple explanations. Elementary students need to be able to have discussions, ask questions and observe evidence so that their skills of observation get better. Persuasive writing, informative pamphlets and open ended creative sketches for potential future inventions are ways to inspire ideas about alternative energy before watching a video clip and/or inviting a scientist into the classroom. Students can feel empowered and hopeful as they learn about the content that explains the science of the words they hear day to day.

And from my own perspective…

As teachers, community members, parents and citizens I would like to think we could agree on decisions that make our planet a better place for our grandchildren…or at least one that takes human impact into account. Even with doubts and skepticism and the politics of climate change, it seems ridiculous to deter the progressive inventions of better technology in alternative methods of energy. I now understand or at least accept that new laws, government regulations and licensing has to be a part of the bigger international plan, since humans have to be protected from their own greed. Yikes – I’m starting to sound like my Father!

Earth, atmosphere and cultures are all connected...

Explain

Google Earth is an incredibly useful tool to connect learners across the globe and I am now sharing it

with many of my colleagues as we build it into our science curriculum here in Juneau. My most recent example is from travel along the west coast…. I left Juneau on a gorgeous sunny day and had incredible views of mountain ranges, inland waterways, islands and eventually the string of volcanoes in Washington and Oregon – eventually arriving in Portland, Oregon. The next day I went to take a snapshot to record my perspective of the northwest coast up to Southeast Alaska, thinking it would be a clear picture with the weather overlay - and found that my friends were skiing fresh powder! In this case I was just envious but in the bigger picture the recording of weather patterns assists in understanding seasonal changes in different regions, transportation issues and the way weather impacts decisions of all kinds.

Extend

My goal is to build in more uses of looking at the same regions over time with grades 3 – 5. As students identify seasonal changes they can begin to “see” the weather patterns and make predictions based on their experiences with different sites. They have their own experience outside of the classroom for connections and those students who have travel stories from other regions can predict and identify their thinking about those. It also helps for students to talk to each other and bring real stories to different geographical regions beyond Southeast. They learn a lot from each other when they bring personal experiences that connect with what they see on the screen.

While searching for more resources to document standards, links for development of concepts and yet more lessons I explored the DLESE site which has an easily accessed AAAS project strand maps – and I explored the lessons which are attached as well as identification of student misunderstandings. The strand maps are teacher friendly as you can see the construction of knowledge – concept by concept from Kindergarten through 12^th grade. If you are not familiar with them - your time spent exploring will be worthwhile - esp if you are interested in the development of science content and why many of our middle school and high school students don't necessarily have solid understanding as they take higher level courses. I have also used these with parents to show them the importance of science education at the earliest grades.

Since my emphasis is on grades K-4, I am consistently looking for sites that can support teachers to build on what students know as they plan ahead for developing understanding of new content. Check it out: specifically loaded on the atmosphere map but you can easily browse the site for other educational resources and information about AAAS, standards and common misconceptions. http://www.dlese.org/library/literacy_maps/?id=SMS-MAP-1698

Evaluate

I took photos out the plane window on my way north and noticed the effects of wind, formation of clouds near the mountains and eventually an opening as we neared the inner islands coming into Juneau airport. It made me aware of the snapshots I had taken using Google Earth earlier in the week, looking for signs of snow and cold fronts around the northern areas. I found the patterns of swirling dense air, eddy’s around mountainous areas interesting to note as we flew through the troposphere on my way home. It was a good connection for me as I had been messing around with Google Earth over a period of different days when I remembered to look.

In my reading, discussions with other teachers and thinking about stagnant pollutants in arctic regions I was inspired to remember the instruments that are part of the Research Station at the summit of Greenland. Snow samples, air samples and other data are taken over the summer and the volcanic ash as well as pollutants from European factories were accountable for the contaminants measured. I now have a much better understanding of the currents and other pressure differences that cause the flow of these systems.

Continued connections...

Alaska is a huge geographic region that is sometimes connected by water but not necessarily by a road system, travel by airplane is essential. A diverse population, Alaskans live in remote villages, the outer coast and interior areas where they depend on planes and even those of us in our urban Capital City rely on the outside support needed by small wheel planes and/or floatplanes.

Weather plays a major role in the use of small planes and there are many pilots that do not return from their work, recreational pursuits or choices to transport goods, people and/or materials. Even with the best of equipment and weather information, pilot error, changes in the weather and perception of terrain often means tragedy. Pilots have to land in very a variety of conditions and I have had more than one float plane trip to the coast where I wondered about the outcome – either due to changing weather conditions, low fog on the water, or an overloaded plane where we had a tough time getting off the water.

An Alaska Native pilot may be able to rely on experiences and/or knowledge shared over time that other pilots may not have. In this case, I would expect that a combination of the best technology for local conditions reports as well as local knowledge would bring the best chances of safe and successful trips.