Explain
Once again, there is some of the information from this module that really stood out to me was logical and not particularly hard conceptually but I never really thought about it. For example, in the introduction the concept that terrestrial ice is frozen fresh water instead of frozen salt water was discussed. Even though this makes sense I had never thought about it.
In the activity Drops in a Bucket with 1000 drops of water I was able to guess pretty close to what the answer was going to be, but it always surprises me. What most people consciously identify as water, atmosphere, lakes and rivers, and in plants and animals, only makes up 3 drops. I also liked the related activity 1000 Snowflakes. This one really did surprised me. I had thought there would be more snowflakes in North America. This is one that I am going to use with my class.
The Teacher Domain video about permafrost was a good reminder that when we are talking about climate change and its effects even a small change in temperature (1.5 degree centigrade) makes a huge difference in the lives of the people. When they were talking with the residents of Alaska Village and that the lakes were sinking because of the loss of permafrost I had never thought about that. The ripple effect is amazing. You start with a degree or two of temperature change, which leads to permafrost loss, which leads to the disappearance of lakes, which leads to habitat loss, which leads to less beaver and ducks that are part of the native food and clothing. It just continues on and on.
It also excites me because with new technology we are able to change and adapt what we know. I think this is a real key to I thought it was very interesting but what worries me is people viewing it and using it as an excuse to be lazy. If the change we are experiencing now if just a "blip" then why worry. The graph that they showed was interesting on how dramatic the climate change was 8,000 BC. Even in the average age of a persons life.
I loved seeing the videos of Dr. Kenji Yoshikawa. My classes have been doing a service learning project with Dr. Kenji (Tunnel Man) for two years now. In a previous blog I discussed the GLOBE program. What I found so valuable about this program, service learning projects, is that students are out doing real science. They are contributing to a body of knowledge that is useful. The data that they are taking for Dr. Kenji is very simple yet important. We have a frost tube that students go out and measure how far down the ground is frozen. The tools that are needed is a measuring stick. Last year when the station was put in students were able to help him and kids were surprised at how simple the materials were and yet he continually stressed how important all these stations are to him and his work.
Extend
While I think much of this information is important and could be adapted and used in my classroom I think I would have to start at a much more basic level. I am amazed at how many students know nothing about glaciers considering they have one in their own back yard. I have found a few resources that I think would be helpful to lay some basic ground work. This Teachers' Domain video on glaciers gives some great background information.
From NOAA's Arctic Theme Page I found a link for Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History this page had a ton of information on atmosphere, el nino, and the arctic. There was so much information here that I recommend everyone spend some time. Lots of great ideas for the classroom. One of the links that I am going to use in my classroom is the climate roller coaster. It looks at the idea of climate change in the Arctic but addresses some of the concerns that I expressed earlier about giving people an excuse and being able to say that the change we are experiencing is natural and that our use of fossil fuels etc. is not the problem.
Another resource that I found is National Snow and Ice Data Center. There is a great deal of information of Glaciers including the education center.
Evaluate
The information in this module will be very useful to me. Currently I am teaching a unit on Earth's Surface. In January we will be finishing this unit with Glaciers. I will be using some of these Teacher Domain videos and the other resources to compliment the unit. One of the frustrations that I have is the limited access to technology that my students have. The more resources and activities that I find on line the more I feel the limited access my students have to technology. As educators I think it is our responsibility to embrace the fact that the face of education has changed and is going to continue to do so. At what point do we allow our students to use their smartphones and other devices to support their education and face the fact that we are losing this battle. Okay I will jump off my soapbox.
Three Colleagues
Janet Reed
Tell your husband great picture! I really liked your activity from NOVA "Whats Up With the Weather". I am going to use that with my students. I also really appreciate the comment that you made about active vs. passive learning. I really enjoyed this module and it is a great reminder as a teacher that we need to have active learning in our classrooms.
Amy Peeke
Amy that you for sharing that video clip. I am going to try and use it in my class. Like Carolyn I am shocked about the amount of money that goes into repairing permafrost damage. Add that to the money spent on moving villages due to water level rise and erosion and it is staggering.
Cheryl Williams
Thank you for your blog. I had never heard of ALISON before and was interested after watching your video to learn more about it. I am amazed at the opportunities that are available to teachers. These opportunities allow our students to do real science and to contribute in ways that our teachers never would have dreamed of.
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