Saturday, November 27, 2010

Module IV

Essential Question: How do stories of cataclysmic events help inform students about geosciences and cultures?

I am very new to Alaska.  It must be said and, I feel, must be repeated.  Not only am I just passing my one year mark out here on Adak, but out of that one year roughly 12 days have been spent off of this island.  I have turned to some outside help for this module.
 Cindy at the Tsunami Warning Center was an incredible source of infrmation and, if anyone is looking for educational resources regarding ALL THINGS GEOLOGY, I strongly recommend contacting her at the office in Palmer (pictured below).  Also, I took my 5 year-old daughter on a tour of the place and after Cindy's tutorial, I am quite positive she has a pretty good grasp on causes/effects of tsunami's.




The frustration of not finding a community of culture in the traditional sense out here on Adak is growing.  I had the stereotypical images (I am embarrassed to say) of what I thought this island would be like.  When I ask those who have been around here a while (no one is really "from" Adak anymore), I get the feeling I am at the end of the line during the telephone game; where I get some information, but the rest is just filled in with whatever people think it should have been.

As far as educational resources about natural disasters, I have hit a gold mine with Cindi at the Tsunami Warning Center in Palmer, as well as a gentleman named Erv that works with the Homeland Security with Natural Disasster Preparedness.

I was given this video (among a wealth of other information) that illustrates how just the simple act of story telling can lead to saving an entire society.  Although my Alaskan cultural history may be slowly emerging at this time, it is fair to say that the story telling that occured during this devastating tsunami has many comparisons to native culture in Alaska.



It does seem curous that in a time with such incredible technology that the simple act of story telling is what saved so many lives.  When people in neighboring countries are frantically running with cell phones in their hands, an entire community is preserved due to the simplicity of telling stories.

Evidence that story telling in the classroom is effective and valuable.  In the following video clip a young girl saves lifes during the 2004 tsunami in Sumatra simply because she remembered what the indicators were for a tsunami to hit.

The power of telling stories is amazing.  When I think about my own personal education, I am able to recall many anecdotal stories that educators used to reinforce particular topics.  Very informative and a very effective method to reinforce the lesson learned. 

As educators, it is often convenient to do the Joe Friday method of teaching; "Just the facts, Ma'am. Just the facts."  But a story or sharing someone else's story often times finds a connection.  It is necessary for a student to learn and be able to apply the information provided in educational standards.  However, it can be painful for the student to attempt to learn something that they cannot engage in. 

Below are some stories that provide some insight into first hand accounts of tsunami's that, when shared, will demonstrate the impact that story telling has on future generations that may encounter similar experiences.






This is what makes story telling such a visual and beneficial method of teaching.  I am by no means suggesting that story telling be the exclusive method by which an educator conveys information, but it is a technique proven to be effective.  Just see how long you remember the stories above and what you have learned from them.



Colleagues
Janet-  I really liked the way Janet had her links set up.  Easy to navigate.
Alicia- I am inspired to work with Google earth quite a bit more.
Konrad- I enjoyed the use of photos in his blog.  Made it very casual and comfortable.

Additional information:
I have been given a wealth of information that will not transfer.  Either due to the incredibly slow internet connection out here, or simply because of the formatting.  However, if anyone out there would like the infrmation mailed to them regarding Tsunami's and Earthquakes, I would be very happy to get a mailing address and send it out to you on a disk.  Great stuff for the classroom.
Eldon Galear 1946 tsunami story.mp3 (2662KB)









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