Out of Eden Learn
This week, we began our work with the Out of Eden Learn Project. The project follows National Geographic Fellow and journalist Paul Salopek as he retraces our ancestors steps out of Africa and across the globe. His purpose is to practice “slow journalism” in order to provide greater context to our current news cycle with the hopes that hidden connections between events will be revealed and understood on a more mainstream level. The journey will take seven years to complete and we will follow his journey as he shares dispatches from the field. We will be using some of his dispatches to investigate how journalists share stories in a way that connect with readers.
Our involvement also includes joining a virtual walking party with fellow members in the US as well as Tanzania. As members of the walking party, we will be slowing down to more carefully observe our own communities, reflecting on how local events connect to global ones. We will exchange stories with others in our party about identity and place and make new connections. During these engagements, students will be asked to situate their own lives within broader historical and geographic contexts.
More information about the journey can be found below:
Digital Citizenship
Understanding digital footprints is an essential skill for students growing up in our increasingly connected environment. To illustrate the permanence of information they share online, I asked students to share something embarrassing on a sticky note, assuring them that no one else would view the note. I then asked them to erase what they wrote. Murmurs of “I can still see it,” or “It’s not erasing,” were heard. I then asked if they would be comfortable passing the note to the person next to them. There were screams of “No!” Notes were torn. Others were stuffed in mouths. After I assured them that no one else would see their notes, we talked about the permanence of our digital footprints and how hard it is to take back something that has been shared online. Some students then began working with Common Sense Media’s Digital Passport, an online suite of games that address critical skills related to digital safety (privacy and cyberbullying) as well as effective searching.
Seeds
In our elective, we harvested buckwheat seeds from the garden this week. Thus began a craving for buckwheat pancakes. Students researched recipes while others harvested the stalks and collected the seeds. Some of the students also started seeds in rock wool. Once strong enough, the starter plants will be transplanted to the aquaponics tank. We are unsure what will do well but are looking forward to a potential harvest of broccoli, lettuces, eggplant and sweet peppers.
We also began to examine the current challenges we face in the areas of Food Production, Water Management, Transportation, and Waste Management. Students discussed the challenges and agreed that the systems in place were not sustainable. We will be exploring potential solutions being worked on in our community over the course of the year.
Math – Reasoning and Justifying
Take a square of origami paper. Now make a square 1/4th the size of the original square. Now that you have done it, convince someone else that you did. This straightforward exercise requires students to reason and justify their responses, essential practices in mathematics. More folding challenges to come next week.