Module III

Explain:

Reading and watching the videos for this module made me think about how different cultures "study" their environment.  To me, as someone who majored in biology at a traditional university on the east coast, studying means following the scientific method and using the appropriate tools.  However, I learned that it could mean something different for someone like an Alaska Native.  Their study might involve personal experience, trial and error, and knowledge from time and elders.  I loved Richard Glenn's quote about how there is not a conflict between these two different ways.  Rather, they are two flashlights shining down the same path.  This is a quote that many western scientists would do well to remember when they conduct research in such a way that gives an impression of "our way is the better way".

Extend:

I'm thinking that I could used some of the teacher's domain videos when we do a unit on biomes.  Normally in my class we have talked about all of the living things in a particular biome except for humans.  We discuss the effect of people on the land, but don't really discuss the people themselves.  It would be interesting if we were studying the tundra biome, for instance, and I could try and include a section about who lives in the tundra in Alaska.  I could also possibly share these resources with the social studies teacher on my team and she could expand on it a bit more in her class.

Aerial photo of tundra from biology-blog.com

Evaluate:

I appreciated the insight that this week's module gave me regarding connections to the land.  Whalers have a connection to the sea and sea ice.  Salmon fishers have a connection to the river.  But western scientists are sometimes disconnected from the land they study.  Richard Glenn talked about scientists who could recognize multilayer ice on a satellite, and yet they didn’t know it when they were standing on it.  It’s disappointing that we can become so disconnected from the things that we purport to be such experts on.  Technology definitely serves an important purpose, but we can't forget to leave our computers and get outside too.

A link discussing the increased use of technology by rural Alaskan kids and how to combat the fact that some of them are becoming less connected to their local environment is at  http://www.fws.gov/arsnew/regmap.cfm?arskey=20592.  It is related to the No Child Left Inside program.

Other blogs I commented on:

Kevin made a point to incorporate science into his lessons when he was a business teacher.
Doug observed that we often see ourselves as masters of the environment, even though this view can be detrimental to us and our environment.
Alison stressed the importance of taking kids outside to experience their environment.