I am Jodi and I am taking Ed 329 Teaching with Technology. This class is very important to me because my school began the one to one computer initiative last year. All of our high school students now have a laptop in their hands and there are two carts of laptops for middle and elementary classes. It is important to me teaching 7 -12th grade to engage and enhance my students learning experience with technology.
I began teaching science and art in Alaska five years ago. I came to Alaska to work for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as a wildlife biologist. Coming to Alaska to work for the USFWS, I worked in remote field camps. I went to Mother Goose Lake where on the first night at camp we were called to the lake. I wondered what was up as I walked from the cabin to the lake. I heard excited voices and hurried to find out what was happening. When I got to the lake to my amazement I saw a pack of wolves stalking a moose calf trying to split it from its mother. The pack finally caught the calf, but the wolves and we were watching a brown bear heading at a fast pace down the shore. The wolves backed off and the calf almost reached its mother and the safety of the other shore. Then like a bolt of lightening the bear reached the calf and we all heard a sickening cry as the calf was crabbed by the neck. The bear headed off into the willow and the wolves watched from the distance as the distraught mother moose looked for her young.
I realized then that all my years of education, field labs, and field work brought me here to witness such an awesome sight. Much of my education consisted of taking field courses and doing research. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was getting a place-based education utilizing inquiry-based lessons. I have since decided that I want to share my love of nature and learning. Being in the field and learning by hands-on experience. Science is observation and inquiry. I feel that students will only learn by actively being involved and engaged in their own learning. To really make this effective technology is a must. I hope that this course will enhance the use of technology in my classroom.
About Me
- Jodi
- I have a Master's in biology. I wrote my thesis and did my research on wading birds in an aligator breeding marsh at Gatorland, FL. I am currently working on a Master's in Education at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
4 comments:
What a beautiful description of the bear-wolf-moose encounter, and an even more eloquent observation about the power of place-based learning and the power of technology to tell our stories. If I were going to make a single statement about the purpose of ED 329, it would be this: we are going to learn to use technology to tell our stories and to teach our students to tell theirs. If we're not telling the wolf-bear-moose stories, who is? If we don;t educate people about New Stuyahok or extreme winters or subsistence issues, who will? I think we have a lot of stories to tell, and even a responsibility to tell them. This is one of the reasons that I like blogs so much.
This should be fun!
I agree hands-on education is key. Your students while only benefit more from the beautiful experiences you share with them.
What an opportunity to see wildlife as God has made them. It is nice to know that you didn't interfere and let nature take its natural course. Sad for the mother moose but how real. It makes me want to take my computer out with me just to write down everything as it happens so I don't forget any of it.
Jodi, you have certainly seen some awesome sights. Living in rural AK I am constantly in awe of how beautiful our country is. In fact,my sister and I always reminisce about the days growing up in camp and it was with such wonderful people, including my late folks.
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