Farr-Out Links to Learning » Earth Day

I Stop for Eagles

Jen — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:56:10 +0000

Today as I drove home from work I saw the shadow of a bird fly overhead. I don’t know what compelled me to stop the car and drive back to the point where I had seen the bird, but I’m so glad I did. It’s pretty obvious from the title of my post, the bird was an eagle that had landed in a lake along the side of the road.

As I peered at this marvelous bird of prey I was awe struck and thrilled. After watching from the car for approximately 10 minutes I decided I would take a chance and get out of my car to get a closer look. The eagle never moved. It simply stood on a stump perched over the water and looked at me as if to say, “Yes, I own this lake and the land surrounding it. I belong.”

Soon, other cars pulled over along side the road. As people realized that I was staring at the lake for a reason, they quietly got out of their cars, whispered hushed tones of delight, pulled out cameras, and asked strangers to send photos their way. Despite all the quiet commotion, the eagle remained stationery, dipping his beak in the water from time to time. The air was crisp, the sky was clear. The sun glimmered over the water as it began to lower across the horizon of the lake. Eventually people returned to their cars and drove off. I was left alone with “my eagle” once again as I marveled at my good fortune, found peace with nature, and wondering how many majestic moments in my life had passed by unnoticed.

I stop for Eagles. I belong.

Several years ago I created an eagle website. I updated it this evening to honor “my eagle.” I hope you too will take time to stop for eagles.

Click on the screenshot to visit my Celebrating the American Bald Eagle site.

By the way, the photo included in this post was sent to me by a kind soul who carries a camera so that he can record the “eagle moments” of his life.

Road Map to Harmony

Jen — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:39:30 +0000

I recently came across a neat site called Road Map to Harmony. The site is a marvelous place to explore ways we can make all of the parts of our vastly complex world work well together. Like any good interactive site, there are several ways you (and your students) can explore this site. Brush over the java-enabled site to view articles, videos, and photographs or be more systematic in your approach and click on the Get Started Button (see screenshot below) to read a nice introduction and continue your learning journey. You can also explore the site by clicking on one of the following categories: energy, education, substance, health, earth, flora & fauna, connectivity, exchange, or coexistence. You can also use the sort link found in the upper right-hand part of the screen.

Articles have been written by various freelance journalists and videos were produced by GOOD and 3rd Generation Prius. This would be an excellent site to explore if you are working on a conservation unit (if you need an excuse). After you have spent time exploring Road Map to Harmony take time to visit and explore the GOOD site. GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. The GOOD site also features marvelous material to help make our world a happier place to live, work, and play in harmony.

The Wisdom of Nature & Last.fm

Jen — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:05:29 +0000

I will be posting more inspirational posters in the future, but for now this is the last of my Earth day poster series…

Click on this mini poster if you would like to view a larger version for printing.
Click on the title of this blog if you would like to email this poster to a friend.
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I thought that since today marks my last day (for now) posting material for Earth Day, I would end the week with web resource that brings people around the world together through music. Last.fm is a web application that tracks the online music you play and helps connect you to other people who like what you like.

As you listen to songs and interact with the Last.fm service a personal musical profile is built. This information is combined with profiles from other users to deliver intelligent recommendations and radio streams. The recommendation engine used by this site is called Audioscrobbler. It uses a plug-in for your music player or a stand-alone application that you can use to build a personal profile for you. Plug-ins have been developed for iTunes, physical iPods, Skype, WinAmp, Windows Media Player and many other applications. You can also listen to music on the site if you want to avoid the plugins and dedicated application, but please check with your Technology Coordinator if you select this option…streaming is not allowed in a lot of our schools because of bandwidth constraints. The site also features social components that connect users with similar tastes, supports an artist wiki, and an active forum. You may find that this site is blocked in your school because of the social components.

So…you may be asking yourself…why include this resource in a blog that supports technology education? It has social components that some schools may not support and could be blocked because of streaming constraints? Frankly, I had some reservations, but at the same time the site does offer some great opportunities for educational integration. There are a number of free music downloads and videos that could be used for music integration and Digital Storytelling. Also, I am well aware that many educators have found a great connection in music and their curriculum. You often here music as you walk by art rooms, music rooms, and yes…even computer labs. If your school has fine tuned their web filtering to include teacher levels, this is definitely a source that a teacher could use instead of bringing in CD’s or risking the chance of an iPod being stolen. Using the radio feature offered at this site would also help free up user disk space. Some teachers (are you one of them?) save music to their H drive, which can really add up over time.

Frankly, I also feel that it is important that educators acquaint themselves with some of the web resources and online trends that are used so readily by our students when they are on their home computers. On a purely selfish note…I have always been a person who likes to listen to new music, but I have trouble deciding which CD’s or downloads to purchase. Last.fm has saved me hours of standing in music stores with headphones on my head! I have been able to listen to a number of new musical artists while writing my blog and twittering with colleagues…that’s a good think, right?