Module IV: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tsunamis

This picture shows my husband and dog during one snowfall we experienced last year in Valdez.  This one snowfall dumped more than 5 feet of snow.  Just one snowfall!

 The picture below shows the dashboard of a plane my husband was flying in this summer in Barrow.

These images are in the same folder in my mind as images of things like throwing hot water from a pan when it's 50 below and watching it freeze before it hits the ground.  Alternately, watching my husky pant for all he's worth in the summer because it's 90 degrees outside and he's just too hot to move.  Wild insect hatches like the one in spring when little gray moths covered every inch of every surface outside and the next spring when yellow jacket nests could be seen every 10 feet down the trail around my cabin.  The folder that contains all of these images is my "Alaska is One Extreme Place to Live" file. 

Explain: What new learning have you taken from this module?

Added to that file now are ones from the TD videos this week.  I've seen pictures of the 1964 Earthquake in Valdez but now I can add images of what a strike-slip fault looks like and the shape and length of the Aleutian Trench.  My image of tsunami waves has shifted from one of giant cresting waves to a sudden mass of water filling the land and the sounds of a train or helicopter are added as well.  The 1958 Lituya Bay Tsunami is also now in that file along with a better idea of the physical landscape of the area that contributed to scope of waves.  A USGS site about historic earthquakes contained some aerial images of that tsunami that helped to form pictures of its effects.  

Having lived in Tatitlek, I knew that the Good Friday Earthquake destroyed the original Chenega village site.  I also knew that people still mourn that event each year and that many still feel its devastating effects.  What I didn't realize is that it took 20 years for the new village site to be established or that 1/3 of the population was killed in that event.  The people of Chenega showed a great measure of resiliency in reforming their village after being so far flung for so long. 

In addition to the Alaska file, is an understanding of how the Hawaiian islands were formed.  Seeing visuals from the TD video Hawaiian Archipelago helped solidify my understanding of this process.  Now it really makes sense that only the big island has active volcanoes and how the volcanoes in that chain differ from the Aleutian Chain.

Extend: How can you use this week's resources in your community and lessons?

Again, there were good interactives for kinesthetic learners like Once and Future Tsunamis and Anatomy of a Volcano.   I was just talking to a high school student last week who complained that videos often go too fast for her to be able to pick up concepts.  Being able to control the pace of interactives will be helpful for her.  Again, the visuals in these videos are essential.   Many of my students aren't visual learners and don't pick out important details in textbook diagrams, or they struggle to visualize what they are reading.  Both of these problems are alleviated through the videos and interactives from this module.  Student will be able to view these at their own pace, pause and review when needed, and link to other resources if they're not understanding a concept fully. 

Evaluate: 

The cataclysmic nature of these events holds a natural fascination for kids, and adults.  YouTube videos like the BBC Nature-Mega Tsunami put a human story to these phenomenon and will make geology more compelling to a broader audience.  Interactives like Deadly Volcanoes really illustrate the need to learn about earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. 

The power of the Real-Time Earthquakes feature in Google Earth was illustrated this week.  I noticed the Indonesian earthquake on Monday and was sad to see the consequences of that on the news the following day.  

3 Colleagues' Blogs

I could relate to what Esther said on Explore Alaska about struggling with learning geology.  I could expand that to science concepts in general for me.  I really appreciate the fact that she shared that.  While I don't have any great advice, I can sympathize. 

I visited the Dan Adair Blog site and really appreciated getting some links aimed at elementary aged students.  One I like is Windows to the Universe from the National Earth Science Teachers Association.

I enjoy the stories from the classroom on David's website, like the Uppa's story about the river flowing backward during the 1964 Earthquake.  I'm also impressed with how quickly he's applying resources from this course to his classroom.  The cranberry picture from the last module is gorgeous and beautifully framed. 

Module III: Landscapes of Life

Landscape Forming Features in and around Valdez

Waterfall: Valdez Narrow

Mt. Sanford

Explain: What new learning have you taken away from this module? 
As will happen each week that I practice, I'm continuing to gain new skills in creating this blog and in using Google Earth.  I was also reintroduced to plate tectonics and learned some amazing new facts.  I didn't realize that we're still experiencing measurable aftershocks from the 1964 Earthquake here in Valdez.  I also didn't realize that the Pacific plate was moving 5 cm a year.

The second section of this module, Cultural Connections, illustrated well how culture is influenced by landscape and how interrelated various aspects of a life can be when you live close to and from the land around you.  For example, the TD Video On the Yukon River demonstrated how central salmon is to a people's language.  From the fact that the word for food in Central Yupik is fish, and more specifically salmon in this case, to a word that is connected to catkins bursting from cottonwoods that means king salmon will be running soon.   The TD video Living from the Land and Sea showed good examples of how the landscape can shape morality and ethics.  Lucille Davis speaks of Sugpiaq people cutting the first salmon of the season in small pieces to give to elders.  This kind of respect would ensure a greater salmon harvest. 

Extend: How will you use these resources in your community in your lessons?
One of the teaching standards I had to address when I taught in Tatitlek was learning about local culture and making a comparison to other AK Native cultures in the state.  I was fortunate to have help from local people in the community with the task of teaching about Alutiiq culture.  My role was to help students articulate a definition of culture that they could apply when comparing life where the live to life elsewhere in the state.  I wish I would have known more about Teacher's Domain then, especially the ones on the Cultural Connections page.  We did a lot our statewide research using texts, online and otherwise, only.  It would have been much more meaningful to have the visual images, and audio input, from the TD videos.

I'm excited to have some resources that kinesthetic learners can interact with like Google Earth.  The same can be said of the Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker and Rock Cycle Animator interactives.  

Evaluate: How useful, insightful or relevant are this module's resources for me?

The interactives mentioned above and the video Tectonic Plate Movement in Alaska are very relevant to students in Prince William Sound as we can see first-hand examples from these resources.  It could be fun to watch these and then go on a scavenger hunt for geologic features in the making.  The Valdez Glacier is a good example.



 

3 Colleagues' Blogs

I like what Tyler said on his Alaskanwisdom blog about having to connect what you're learning with how you live if you're going to really know it.  That's a great reminder to keep in mind for our students no matter what we're teaching.  

I like the reminder on Doug's Explore Alaska Blog to bring in diverse viewpoints when teaching and his book links.

Carolyn's Explore 907 blog held a connection.  I also grew up in a flat area of Wisconsin and spent one of my first backpacking trips in upstate New York.  That was a great place to catch the backpacking bug.

Course Module II

How is everything connected from the perspectives of indigenous peoples and Western scientists?  What are the advantages of knowing both ways?

When looking at the resources concerning the differences between AK Native and Western scientific thought, I was struck by how complementary the viewpoints are.  For example, traditional native knowledge is more cyclical while modern scientific knowledge is more linear.  Traditional knowledge is holistic while modern knowledge is reductionist. According to the ANSC, indigenous knowledge is weak in predicting scientific patterns in distant areas while scientific knowledge is weak in local knowledge.  You can see where one perspective is not more or less valuable and that bringing both perspectives together would fill in gaps for each.

One difference that stood out for me personally is how interrelated science is with all aspects of life from a traditional Alaskan Native perspective.  One challenge I always set for myself as a teacher is to make connections between what my students are learning in all content areas within and outside of school.  It is of note that this is a challenge for me rather than a natural way of life and learning.  This is one difference between Alaskan Native and Western perspectives that I understand on a cognitive level but probably not fully since I grew up with a cultural perspective in which different parts of my life were compartmentalized. 

New Learning and Background Knowledge

My new learning began on the introductory page with needing to look up the four fundamental forces of the universe (electromagnetism, strong and weak interaction, and gravity).  Part of my motivation for taking this course is the fact that I’ve taught primary aged students for years and am now teaching students in all grades PK-12.  Drawing science background knowledge from the recessives of my mind and updating it is going to prove very valuable for my students and me.  My teacher’s domain resource folder is going to continue to be a resource for my own personal learning beyond the scope of this class.

While I’ve glanced through Teacher’s Domain materials before, I’ve never done so as a learner.  Putting yourself in your students’ shoes is always insightful and it proved to be so in this case as well.  The “Frame, Focus and Follow-Up” process for using these types of resources is in line with best practices in lesson plan development and the Learning Cycle (http://www.coe.ilstu.edu/scienceed/lorsbach/257lrcy.htm).  The Related Resources on each TD video page will also be useful for students who still need to explore a concept or who have a special interest in pursuing it further.  As a time-strapped teacher, having these resources at the ready is appreciated.

Another benefit of this module for me is mastering some new technology skills and tools.  I’ve never created a blog before and many of my parents are asking for one to be created for our program.  Learning how to monitor and manage this blog will help me get that project under way.  I’ve also never used Google Earth.  One challenge when learning about something new is having the mental images to support what you’re learning about.  Google Earth will be a good tool for students to use to create those images and to be able to explore a place in more depth than looking at a static two-dimensional image can provide.  Looking at my hometown through this program sparked more geographic and geologic questions for me than looking at photographs alone has done in the past.

Landscape of My Birthplace

I was born in Madison, Indiana.  By Lower 48 standards, Madison is a small town with a population of around 12,000.  When it was first settled in the 1800s is was predicted to be the future capitol of the state.  This fact can also be seen in the architecture of the well-preserved historic district along the riverfront.   

It is nestled between hills on the banks of the Ohio River.  Madison sits atop a bed of limestone that can be seen in the architecture of many of it's historic buildings.  I believe that is was the strength of this bedrock which prevented the landscape from being leveled completely during glacial advances.  There are rolling hills and deep valleys all along the Ohio River in this area of the state.  Another physical feature I remember clearly from childhood is the many waterfalls running down limestone cliffs.    

                           A view of the town from Kentucky, just across the Ohio.

                           All images are copied from Google Earth.

 

 

Course Module Colleagues' Blogs

3 Colleagues' Blogs


             Science Explorations

Alicia took away a great message from this module as evidenced by a quote from her blog, "It is impossible to be in a place like this without recognizing and honoring the different perspectives."  No matter where you teach, I think this is a powerful perspective from which to approach life and learning in the classroom.  Also, I love the photo at the top of your blog.  It's like an invitation to learn about Alaska and your scientific explorations therein.

chenalakesfarm

Tracy brings up an interesting point, "When spirituality connects with science, violence usually ensues."  I was thinking the same thing when considering how compartmentalized a Western viewpoint can be.  Might this clash also be due to a tendency in Western science to rely on experts who control knowledge rather than a less hierarchical approach in which knowledge is shared?  Your connection with the Salem Witch Trials is a good one. 

Explore Alaska

Thanks for the many thought-provoking reflections and questions you posed on your blog.

One that I really connected with was what E.H. said about a "dissimilarity in worldviews" that "leaves the individual in a place apart from the web".  One theme that kept occurring to me when watching the videos "People of the Arctic" and "The Spirit of Subsistence Living" was that of purpose.  It seems that when your learning is so connected to all aspects of your life and embedded in your survival that the question of your purpose would be more easily resolved.  So often in the classroom we have to stop and ask ourselves, or explain to our students, why we are teaching something.   Because what we are doing seems so disconnected with the rest of our students lives, this question of purpose comes up again and again.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to get to a place where what you are doing is so intertwined that the connection is inherent?

 

 

Connection to Place

While it would be difficult to choose one favorite place on the planet, Prince William Sound is definitely one beautiful place to live.  My husband and I moved here three years ago when the charm of a decade's worth of 50 degree below zero winters in the interior of Alaska began to diminish.  Sparked by trips to Montana and Colorado in college, is the feeling of connection I have with mountainous terrain.  Though I grew up in landlocked locations in the Midwest, I've always felt the lure of the ocean and pictured living in a marine setting one day.  It is amazing to live in a place like Valdez now with Prince William Sound at my doorstep and the Chugach Range in my backyard.  Who knew you could hike in the alpine and then spend time on the beach with your dog all in one day?