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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Rocking Buggy One

My official 'work' up here in Churchill ended today with the final 2011 Tundra Connections webcast that was powered by Edmodo. Facilitating webcasts with an audience of this magnitude has been a completely new experience for me. The feedback that I've gotten from friends & colleagues was been overwhelmingly positive, so I guess I did alright in this capacity.

In thinking about the scope and magnitude of what we've been doing aboard Buggy One this week, I'm amazed by the reach of the Tundra Connections program. While the audiences this week haven't been record-setting for Polar Bears International, they have been by far the biggest audiences for the Tundra Connections program this year.

The ability that technology affords us to connect and collaborate with different people in different places is really exemplified by this experience. We're in one of the harshest, most isolated environments the world has to offer, and the technology aboard Buggy One gives us opportunities that could not have existed a mere decade ago.

Hundreds of classrooms connected to our webcasts each day. In all likelihood, each of these three webcasts were viewed live by approximately 10,000 students from around the world. Not only did these classrooms connect with us, they also connected with each other through the Edmodo PBI Community by asking questions and sharing their experiences with other participants. And the best part is that these webcasts have all been archived, so that they can be continue to support learning in classrooms around the globe.

It's hard to know what's happening on the other end of the camera when you're streaming content out over the web. But what really hit home for me was some of the immediate feedback from teachers that were watching these webcasts and sharing the learning that was taking place within their own classrooms in real-time. Like Leslie Dent-Scarcello, who teaches a Grade 5 class in Bird's Hill, Manitoba. Within minutes of today's 'Polar Detectives' webcast wrapping up, Leslie shared this example of the authentic learning that was taking place in her classroom during the 'Polar Detectives' webcast - AWESOME!

Thanks, Brooke, for sharing your work with us :-)

You can find archives of all three webcasts from this week on the 'Video' page of this blog. And just because my adventure in Churchill is almost over, doesn't mean this blog has to come to an end. I still have so many more photos to share, stories to tell & messages to convey from my week spent rocking Buggy One along with all the other panelists.

If you've been following along with my big adventure this week, how has this experience translated into deeper learning for you and your students?

19 comments:

  1. Andy, unfortunately I was away from my class today so we didn't catch the webcast, but I am looking forward to visiting your blog with them tomorrow. Thank you for archiving the webcasts, I know my class will be happy that we can watch it tomorrow. I'm excited to ask my class what they think polar bears would say if they could talk... I can't help but have tears come to my eyes when I reflect on that question myself. Thank you for posting your pictures to flickr, I'll be framing a few in the class as a reminder to us about our carbon footprint and what we can do to help the environment. I would love for you to visit us when you return from Churchill so that we can hear more about your experience. Enjoy your remaining time with Nanuq!

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  2. Thanks, Heather :-)

    I would love to connect with you and your students in the near future to further share my experiences along the shores of Hudson Bay aboard Buggy One - maybe we can set something up for late next week... lemme know :-)

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  3. What an amazing experience and learning opportunity for everyone involved. These types of projects truly connect people in a positive way for a purpose around the world. Thank you for your hard work in this capacity.

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  4. Ms Blacker, Brooklands SchoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    If polar bears could talk, I think they would ask us to help protect their habitat by reducing our carbon footprint.

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  5. Taylor,Brooklands SchoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    If polar bears could talk what would they say... Iwould Help alot for the whole Winter.

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  6. Andy Ms.Blacker's classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    If polar bears could talk what would they say...

    Stop polluting the air!

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  7. Garry brooklands schoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say...

    If polar bears could talk they would say can you please help stop global warming. Thank you

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  8. Reynald' Ms Blacker's classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say... Please don't litter reduce, reuse, and recycle.

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  9. karen,Ms.Blacker's classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    If Polar bears could talk they would say please help us and recycle to save our homes.

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  10. steeven' Ms Blacker's classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say?..
    please stop littering and throw it in the recycling bin!

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  11. If polars bears could talk they would say 1.stop cutting down trees 2.use less electronic 3.ICE IS NICE

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  12. julian, ms blacker's classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:31 AM

    if polar bears could talk they would say: please we need the ice to stop melting. it's hard for us to find food. we need to feed our cubs.

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  13. Montana Ms.Blackers classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    If polar bears could talk what would they say?I polar bears could talk they would say... "stop using cars!"

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  14. dan ivan,ms blacker"s classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    If polar bears coud talk,what would they say?If polar bears could talk they would say ...Please reduce,reuse,recycle and walk and bike.

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  15. makayla brooklands schoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:34 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say save my home please people keep polluting our land.

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  16. hailey,brooklands schoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    If polar bears can talk...they would say SAVE MY HOME!!!Stop fishing!My kind needs help!

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  17. if polar bears could talk, they would say: stop littering

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  18. Efrel,Brooklands SchoolNovember 17, 2011 at 11:40 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say...

    1.)Please stop GLOBAL WARMING!
    2.REDUCE,REUSE, RECYCLE and RETHINK
    3.Stop cutting trees!
    4.Don`t waste water and electricity!
    5.Don`t throw garbage in landfills!
    6.Don`t use cars because is causes Global Warming.(use bikes,carpool,and buses)
    7.Don`t litter.
    8.Use less paper(use scrap paper)
    9.ICE IS NICE!
    10.Plant more trees.(trees give oxygen to living things on Earth)
    11.Planet Earth is our home!

    By:Efrel,Brookland School

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  19. quintin ms.blacker"s classNovember 17, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    If polar bears could talk they would say: stop polluting the air and recycle!

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