Week One Module

• How can educators use new media to better reach and teach Alaska's students?

First educators can use new media to better reach and teach Alaska’s students because they are able to have immediate access to information.  One day I was talking about how back home there are a lot of antelope.  My students had no idea what one looked like so being able to google a picture and show them was very convenient.  Granted this is a very simple example however it was a teaching moment.  When I was taking Spanish in junior high we would have pen pals in different Spanish speaking countries.  With technology today students can Skype and instantly be connected to someone miles and miles away. 

Also educators can use new media to better reach and teach Alaska’s students because of the wide variety of discussion it can generate.  Students are able research topics with more media options than books and newspapers.  Information is easier to find and students are able generate questions quicker.  This then can lead to more in depth conversations.  Some students in Alaska have never been to the lower 48.  With technology they can experience what students in other states go through growing up and relate it to their lives.

Last educators can use new media to better reach and teach Alaska’s students by helping to engage and keep students wanting to learn.  When students are using a form of technology they are more likely to stay engaged and on task.  This can also reduce behavioral problems in the classroom.  With all that students have access to i.e. ipods, ipads, kindle, and always video games, teachers have a lot to compete with.  While I was exploring Teachers’ Domain I was interested in looking at the videos of the bears in Yellowstone Park even though I am from Wyoming. Students being able to see different parts of Alaska would benefit them.

• Why is an awareness of Place important?

The awareness of Place is important because it is a part of who you are.  In the Place and Pedagogy section of Module 1 this statement was made, “It is how many students live and learn every day, whether or not they are in school. And for Alaska Native students, it's how they've survived since they arrived.”  Being able to know the background of your culture gives you a sense of pride. When you are able to identify with a place and own it as your own you take on responsibility for it.  Students can take on that responsibility to care for the land and life around them in Alaska.  I am excited to learn about all the rich culture that gives Alaskans an awareness of their Place. 

Also the awareness of Place is important because it can bring a community together as one.  While exploring the Alaska Native Knowledge Network two of the guidelines for Native Elders that stood out to me are:

·         Make a point to utilize traditional ways of knowing, teaching, listening

        and learning in passing on cultural knowledge to others in the community.

·         Assist willing members of the community to acquire the knowledge and 

        skills needed to assume the role of Elder for future generations.

These two guidelines stood out to me because this concept creates a community that stands together and is proud of where they have been and where they continue to go.  Cultural accuracy also reflects this point.  Cultural accuracy is cultural information that is accepted by the members of a particular society as being an appropriate and accurate representation of that society.  In a region where so many miles separate groups of people it is important to be able count and trust on your neighbor for food and safety if the need arises.

Guidelines for Respecting Cultural Knowledge

Next the awareness of Place is important for safety.  I know this may sound very simplistic but if you do not know about the area around you, you could put yourself in dangerous situations.  For example how I would reach running along the road and coming across an elk or deer back home is completely different than I would handle coming across a moose in Alaska.  Yesterday a friend and I were running when we came along the same path as a cow and calf.  I turned to start running in the opposite direction where as my friend told me to just stay still and patiently wait for them to cross in front of us.

 Evaluation  

I took away some great resources from Module 1.  I am going to explore the Teacher Domain site more and find way to incorporate it into my classroom.  My students are really into nature.  I also enjoyed learning about how elders are still respected in villages and have such a strong role.  Students today frequently are disrespectful to adults.