Module III - Cultural History

Essential Question:

* Is there an "Alaskan" culture? How could it be described?

In searching for an answer to the question, and as part of our weekly assignment, I spent time trying to understand more clearly what culture is. In my efforts I learned from Wikipedia that culture is a set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group. With this definition I would say that Alaska is a makeup of many different cultures. For example, during Module III we read about numerous Native groups that inhabit the areas of Alaska and have been here for centuries. Also, African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Polynesians, and Latin Americans have immigrated to Alaska. They all have commonalities and unique differences that shape their dynamic cultures but to say that we have a blanket "Alaskan" culture is limiting.

Not only is there not one specific "Alaskan" culture, it seems that there are many micro-cultures, or cultures within cultures, evident as I examine more closely. I have witnessed many different cultures existing where I live on Prince of Wales Island. All have changed over time and have done so because of the influence of other cultures.

Examine Question:

* In addition to the wave of Euroamericans who came to Alaska, what other groups emigrated to Alaska, and why?

African Americans, Asian Americans, Polynesians, and Latin Americans are some of the immigrants that came to Alaska. The reasons for coming are many. Let's look at one group at a time and examine the motivating factor for their arrival in Alaska.

*African Americans - There were several reasons for African American migration into Alaska. Many came because of military purposes, some came because of the Gold Rush, and early black immigrants came because of fur trade and whale hunting.

*Asian American - The Asians were early immigrants to Alaska, crossing the Bearing land bridge nearly 5000 years ago. The Filipinos were the largest Asian ethnic group to arrive in the area. They came on whale hunting ships, for fur trade, and to work in gold mines. But the majority of the Filipinos that came worked in the canneries.

*Polynesians - The Polynesians, most from the islands of Hawaii, began arriving around the 1700s when Captain Cook was exploring the Pacific. This ethnic group has been the fastest growing ethnic group in Alaska since the 1990s.

*Latin Americans - Spanish explorers came to the Alaska in the 1700s to see what the Russians were doing in the area. Some stayed. Also, many have immigrated to the state in recent years. The Latin Americans are the second largest minority group in the state.

Evaluate
I would have like to have spent more time exploring the materials in this module. Great resources! It was a very busy week for me. The busyness made it really difficult to thoroughly explore all the material and get my blog posted. I continue to have a busy schedule with a couple more days at the ASTE conference. I am learning some cool new technology but have been slammed with busy schedules and lots of cool information.

I love the content of the class and I am still trying to figure out how to create a good blog. Practice makes perfect, right?

Colleague Reviews for Module II

Investigate Alaska
I explored Betty Hanson's Investigate Alaska blog. She did a great job comparing and contrasting Native knowledge and Western science in her blog. Also, I enjoyed reading more about climate change and global warming.

Educational Exploration in AK
I experienced some of the same impressions as Kristin Ratigan as I worked through Module II. I knew very little about the troubles that were being faced in Shishmaref caused by climate change.

Gary's Alaska Blog
Gary put it well when he questioned whether individuals think about the impact of when the "SUV rolls to life". I think education is wonderful in the sense that it helps enlighten us about the impacts that are made globally because of human behaviors. This takes us back to the idea that we are all connected.

Module 2 - Natural History

Essential Question:

• How have Alaska's natural systems changed over time?

As we all know, the world we live in is constantly changing. These changes aren't which new restaurant arrived in town or the new stoplight at the corner of A Street and 5th Ave. After enjoying the materials in this module it is now more evident to me than ever that this planet is active and changing constantly. We often see on the news how and where things are changing around the world, for example earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, volcanic eruptions in Iceland, but Alaska is experiencing a changing at a rapid pace as displayed in the various resources viewed in the module. I will share some information in regard to Southeast Alaska.

One change observed in my area is the habits of whales that people believe may be related to the increasing temperatures of the water. I have asked many life-long residents of Craig, Alaska about the changes they have observed over time. Some answers are directly related to Alaska's natural systems. One observation is in regard to whale migration. From what I understand, the whales in the area typically migrate to warmer waters in the winter to breed and give birth. Locals have observed over time that whale habits have been changing. It is now common to see whales in the area all year long. I can't help but wonder WHY?

Click on the pictures to learn more.

Picture from www.alaskahumpbacks.org.

Also, because of the temperature increase, residents claim that other species are being impacted as well. One species is the Canadian Goose. I have heard that Canadian Geese migrated through these areas but now are found here year round. Again, you have to ask, what is happening in the natural system that is making this kind of change in behavior? Sometimes we don't have all of the answers but we do have evidence of changes in the natural system.

Picture taken from Wikipedia.org.

Examine Question:

• How has Alaska's climate changed over millions of years?

History has shown that change is inevitable. We have learned this through scientific research. Alaska has experience much change over time and is currently experiencing change at accelerated speeds when compared to other regions of the planet. What was Alaska like in the past? Let me share some interesting information I learned from the resources on the module.

I did not realize that at one point in history a sheet of ice thousands of feet thick covered from Alaska to New York. This planet is not the same planet of the past. This is evident in Alaska by researching and observing the glaciers. Learn more about glacial changes by clicking on the picture at the right.

Climate Change Impacts Alaska Glaciers

The Warming Trend and the Greenhouse Effect

The extensive research that is being conducted reveals that currently Alaska, as well as the rest of the planet, is heating up. Because Earth is changing, we are learning that there are several negative impacts of the warming. Several examples were exhibited in the module we read. These changes will impact the future of our students. As we have viewed there are many educational resources readily available for classroom use. We can use these resources to help our students gain a global perspective on climate change and how Alaska has changed over millions of years.

Extend:

*How might you use content from this module in your professional practice?

We learned in Module II that changes are occurring to climates on Earth. In my blog I shared information about changing water temperatures in Southeast Alaska. I would like to use some new science tools to help students learn about the changing water temperatures in and around Craig. Recently our technology department purchased some WebQuest sensors that can test temperature as well as the salinity of water. I would like to involve my students in the research of changing water temperatures. I could use many of the videos on Teachers' Domain to help students get a perspective outside of Craig. Looks like some field trips! :)

Evaluate:

The module material took much longer to go through than I had anticipated. I did enjoy it though, as it was very educational and entertaining. I will have to plan more time for the viewing of materials next week.

The blogging is getting easier. It is a cool resource. I can see many useful applications for blogging. I am sure I will learn more about it as I go.

Module I - Place and Pedagogy

Essential Question:
*How can educators use new media to better reach and teach Alaska's students?

I believe that people are somewhat limited in their ability to understand certain concepts because they often lack concrete experiences directly related to those concepts. We can use new media to better reach and teach students in Alaska by creating concrete experiences. One example I have that has led me to this understanding is observing tidal changes. Before living near the ocean I could explain how tides worked but I didn't truly understand. I could explain how the tides worked. I knew that the water levels would rise and fall in a pattern of time but I didn't really understand what that meant. Through concrete experiences I now understand what it means when people talk about tides. New media can present information that will create concrete experiences, which, in turn, will create a deeper understanding.

The media resources we have at our fingertips can help bridge the gap between knowing and understanding. This coming week our state recognizes Elizabeth Peratrovich for the contributions she made to civil rights for the Natives of Alaska. During my reading I found media resources that I was able to use to bring a piece of our Alaska history to life. I found the movie on the Alaska History and Cultural website. The link is listed below.
http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=418

I have learned and taught many things about civil rights. Much of what I have shared has been about Martin Luther King, Jr., or Rosa Parks and is important to learn and understand but this video clip helped my students connect on a deeper level because this happened here in Alaska, the students' homeland. We now have media accessible to help students gain those connections and concrete experiences that were more difficult to provide before our technological advances.


Examine Question:
*How does the connection between people and place appear in your community?

The people living in my community are very much a product of the Place in which we live. Craig, Alaska is made up of a variety of different people from all over. Many of the people have either family ties that date back centuries, or have been brought here because of what they do for a living. The people here are what they are and do what they do because of Place.

Many people call this Place home. The Natives that have inhabited this land for centuries and are still thriving here, have a deep connection to this Place. Many still live a subsistence lifestyle, meaning they live off of the land and sea. In order to live, they work hard to harvest berries, sea greens, seafood, deer, and other resources. Also, many people here benefit from the abundant fisheries and large spreads of lumber. This occurs because Place. Fishermen and lumber companies would not be successful if the Place was different here.

All people in this Place are connected. Many of us rely on the same resources and it requires a balance of use to sustain resource availability. We must all work together to keep our Place healthy in order to guarantee the availability of resources in the time to come.

Extend:
*Look for ways to share culturally relevant digital resources you may find.

As mentioned earlier, I used media resources I found on Elizabeth Peratrovich in my classroom last week. We are currently preparing to perform at our annual Elizabeth Peratrovich celebration and I wanted students to have a better understanding about who Elizabeth Peratrovich was, and the contributions she made to positively influence the civil rights movement. I am always excited when I find great media resources that will increase understanding of the content we are learning.

Evaluate:
I found the resources in this module interesting and useful. I always enjoy finding resources that I can use immediately in my classroom. I was able to share some of my findings right away. The resources available in this module are now bookmarked on my computer and are just a click away. I am excited to learn more throughout the future modules.

Places I Love

I moved to Southeast Alaska in 2010 from Utah. I have lived in Utah most of my life. It is the world I understand best. It was my Place. The world I knew. But I needed a change. I wanted an adventure. I wanted new experiences. I truly had no idea how different this new world would be.

If you know anything about Utah you probably know that it is a desert. It is hot and dry in the summer, and cold and snowy in the winter. The sun loves to shine in the state of Utah. In Utah we received about the same number of sunny days as Southern Alaska receives rainy days. Utah has a few lakes but nothing that compares to the Pacific Ocean. I didn't even need to know what flotsam was. We didn't have any in the state.

Southeast Alaska is my new world. I want to learn all that I can about this beautiful place. Although this is my new favorite place it reminds me of a story I read recently - Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say. I connect with the message of the story -when I am in one place, I am homesick for the other.