Until we meet again... and I do hope we will.

Thanks to all who have contributed to this blog thus far. I have decided to press pause on my career to focus fully on motherhood while my kids are small. I wish you all the very best with this collaboration in my temporary absence.

To build capacity, I have give all of you admin privelidges so you may lead this collaboration however you all see fit.

All the best to you. I will be at papiniinnovations@gmail.com should you wish to contact me directly.

Diana Papini Warren

Michael Warren Bio

Michael J Warren teaches Language Arts and Geospatial Technology at Central Middle School of Science in Anchorage, Alaska. As a teacher consultant for the University of Alaska Geography Program (UAGP), he participates in many cutting-edge K-12 initiatives: GoogleEarth Teacher Institute, National Geographic's Giant Map of Asia, MapTEACH, the AT&T Alascom GeoPortal, GSA's EarthCache Teacher Program, and GIS workshops with partner ESRI. Michael is a recent graduate of ESRI's Teachers Teaching Teachers GIS program (T3G).

Michael recently won the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Teacher of the Year Award (2010), the Milken National Educator Award (2007), and British Petroleum's Teacher of Excellence (2006). Michael and his students created the Geocaching Journeys program for the Anchorage Convention and Visitor's Bureau as part of Landmark, a semester long course at Central Middle School of Science where students investigate Global Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS).

Michael enjoys working to help teachers make Geospatial Technologies a part of their everyday classroom life through hands on PD events and courses.

The 2011-2012 school year will be his 11th year of teaching.

Michael, his wife Tara, sons Nolan and Wyatt, and daughter Eden enjoy traveling around the United States together.

Existing Curriculum/Resources to Consider

Let's share existing curriculum and/or resources that will help us to not reinvent any wheels and possibly serve as models for future resource development.

I mentioned the NASA Eyes in the Sky II Project:
http://serc.carleton.edu/eyesinthesky2/
Fantastic integration of geospatial inquiry with remote sensing and GPS tracks of migrating turtles among many other things!

Katie and AK Folks, we'd love to see links for MapTEACH and other great AK programs mentioned on calls.

Maggie, you mentioned Volcanoes Alive and Aurora Alive, I believe.

There may also be a tie in with MEDB's Island Energy Inquiry Curriculum which I recently led: http://www.islandenergyinquiry.org


Please add resources here via Comments or New Post. As a New Post, be sure and add the Curriculum and Resource Labels. Thanks!!

Essential Questions Brainstorm

Please share any/all essential questions that you think we ought to consider as guides for our collaboration. We can organize and refine as we go. Perhaps numbering them will facilitate our conversations/comments.

1. How can service learning projects that integrate the use of geospatial technology help students have an impact on their local communities?

2. How can students engaged in these projects in Hawaii and Alaska engage in authentic collaborations that will ultimately impact the larger Pacific and, possibly, global community?

3. How can we, as facilitators of this collaboration, effectively develop curriculum, protocols, platforms, and teacher professional development opportunities that will result in a highly successful and sustainable program?

4. How can a Hawaii Alaska collaboration in education authentically celebrate and engage in an alignment of Western Science, Traditional Knowledge, and citizen empowerment?

Please add more questions here via a Comment! And continue numbering! The more the better! Thanks.

TPACK

Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge Framework (TPACK)

http://www.tpck.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_Pedagogical_Content_Knowledge

Bio for Katie

Hello! I must start by saying that I am thrilled at the prospect of collaborating with you all in doing wonderful things with Hawaiian and Alaskan students and geospatial technologies.

I am a former classroom teacher and currently work for the University of Alaska Geography Program as the Education and Outreach Coordinator. I also serve as the coordinator for the Alaska Geographic Alliance. Although my outreach efforts are many-faceted, like Diana, working with geospatial technologies is my passion. Other passions include place-based education and spending time outdoors, so this is right up my alley!

I look forward to hearing about Alan’s, Maggie’s, and Diana’s recent Alaskan events and to continuing the discussion we began this spring. With the statewide GIS licenses, the server space (yahoo!), and the vast experience you all bring, I know we’ll create something wonderful. Can’t wait.

Katie

Diana's Bio

Firt and foremost, I am a mother of two small children, 4 and 1 years of age. It is a beautiful, busy time as a working mom. Fortunately, I love my work and I have learned how juggle 25 things at once with only a few drops here and there. :)

My current role is as a Project Manager for MEDB's Women in Technology Project. WIT is a workforce development program based on Maui but offering STEM eduction programs statewide. I am fortunate enough to be the facilitator of our GeoTech for Hawaii Schools initiative, and I have really enjoyed working with teachers across the state via GIS workshops and other geospatial PD opportunities. I have also developed a program called Island Energy Inquiry to help science teachers integrate energy science more effectively into the classroom by way of authentic scientific inquiry. We recently published curriculum and have run statewide workshops for teachers for two years now. Students across the state are building wind turbines, conducting energy audits of schools, and developing PV System proposals for schools as a result! FUN!

My real passion, though, is geospatial technology, and my goal is to help support the growth of a project-based, place-based geographic inquiry project that engages students in authentic collaboration as they solve real world problems! I think I have found the right group to work with on this!! I look forward to our continued collaborations and conversations!

Bio for Alan

Hi,

Good to see that we are expanding partnerships with AK, as well as working with some "old" friends.  As with most of you the ending of the school year has kept me very busy but some exciting things are on the horizon.  My area of specialization is in science and technology education and I have been a teacher in Hawaii for 27 years. Teaching has allowed me some great opportunities and I especially like traveling to Alaska, but have also had the opportunity to travel throughout the US and Europe. The main goal for me is to continue to work in science education and develop programs that are not only fun, but provide unique and innovative learning experiences for the students and teachers that I teach.  With that in mind I just accepted a new position with the Hawaii DOE as a State Office STEM teacher (based in West Hawaii).  My hope is that this will allow me  to spend more time developing science programs and projects and less time monitoring schools for federal compliance.


I will be in Craig Alaska in June working with some of the Craig School teachers and there may be some connections that could be developed from that group of teachers.  I think Katie has already been in touch with some of organizers of the Craig workshops.  This is a link to the brochure for the workshops if you are interested is what will be covered:

 www.ccsd.k12.ak.us/staffweb/cbobo/img/tech_camp_broch_11.pdf

 Will keep you updated on projects that we develop in Craig.........


Aloha,


Alan

Bio for Joseph Kerski

Greetings and Aloha Everyone! I am a geographer by training, stationed in Colorado, and I believe that spatial analysis with geotechnologies can enrich, enhance, and transform education and society. That's basically it in a nutshell! I serve on the education team at Esri, focusing on curriculum development, professional development for educators, communications and partnerships to promote GIS in teaching and learning, and some research on the effectiveness and implementation of GIS in education. I have worked with Diana on the Waihe'e Preserve; great to see someone else mention this wonderful place already. I traveled to AK when I worked at the USGS (I also worked at the US Census Bureau) and I have taught with Diana several times in HI. As a geographer, I value and treasure places, and as an educator, I respect and value all of you educators and students. I look forward to learning from you all and thank Diana for setting this up!

Bio

Aloha all!
I teach about 145 seventh grade students science at Kalama Intermediate School in upcountry Maui. Kalama Intermediate School serves five Maui communities, receiving 900 students from Paia, Makawao, Kula, Pukalani and Haiku elementary schools. Located in small town Makawao, Kalama is the intermediate level site for the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program and is a TRIBES school, where staff and students strive to provide an orderly and supportive environment essential for students to become academic achievers, contributing citizens, and effective communicators. Our school goals include increasing student achievement in math, especially measurement, data analysis and interpretation, reading, and technology integration. To that end, my students do scientific research on water quality and near shore plankton at Waihe'e Land Preserve. My students collaborate with two Alaskan Schools in a project we call 'One Ocean On Earth.' (www.oneoceanonearth.blogspot.com) Thanks to Maui Economic Development Board, Ke Alahele Grant, and Women in Technology's patience and time, we are taking this student data, mapping it, trying to interprete it using GIS. This is tough work people! I can only do it with a whole boatload of support. I loop with my seventh graders into 8th grade next year, and look forward to continue my learning adventure with them and you!

Welcome

Welcome. I hope this blog will be a useful tool to house our conversations and resources as we develop this collaboration.

Please share ideas freely, but be sure to add as many Labels with each of your posts as possible. Some suggestions for labels, since they aren't already 'set' might be - Bio, GIS, Resource, Resource Person, Pedagogy, Inquiry, Culture, Tip, AK, HI, Map, GPS etc. Whatever we would hope to be able to 'search' for by keyword down the line.

Although we have already introduced ourselves, it would be ideal for us all to share a bio post (and label it Bio).

Mahalo,
Diana