This months lesson tech tool review and lesson are an all in one. In the month of May, Kigluait we will be focusing on the Survival Program. So our lesson of the month will focus on thinking about our environments in terms of survival on a small scale and large scale. Download the Lesson Here

The activity asks students in grades 5-8 to think about their natural environment in their area of the worlds and what elements make it unique. Students then use that information to think about the use of the natural resources in their environment for surviving. Finally students are asked to consider if their are enough resources in their natural environment for the size of the population.

Finally students then take this infomration and using the following message: 

Surviving in the Environment: Surviving, to living, to sharing with our natural resources.

Students create a magazine cover using one or both of the following online sites: 

• MagCover
• Big Huge Labs
  

Creating the magazine cover is quick and simple.

1. Locate an image of you environment.

2. Upload onto the page.

3. Choose the design for the cover

4. Change the headings/ titles to reflect the answers to the questions.

Perhaps you are looking for your studnets to create an entire magazine though?

Check out: Isuu http://issuu.com/

Follow the Iditarod using Web 2.0 Tools

As we quickly exit out of January and move into Febraury, we have only one thing on our mind! Racing. So this months tech tool and lesson of the month focuses on following the Iditarod, the most well known sled dog race around the world.

Of course, these tech tools and ideas can be used for any race such as the Yukon Quest, but we will focus on Iditarod.

The Internet is a wonderful thing, but often we can become overwhelmed by the resources. So the lesson activity, which you can downoad here,  will walk you through how best to choose, use and participate in the Iditarod with  online resources.

The resources can also be found online at http://www.flashkennels.ning.com/ raceready where students can not only access the links, but can discuss them, share pictures of the musher they are following, or share their media from Glogster or Animoto.

What is Glogster? or What is Animoto you ask? 

Well Glogster is an online create your own interactive poster. These can then be embeded in blogs, or in Ning Communities, such as Flash Kennels. What a great way to share about the musher or sled dogs you are following on the Iditarod race. Check out a fantastic Glogster Tutorial here by Traci Blazosky

Well what about Animoto? For those teachers that are looking for something very easy, how about creating a slideshow with images and video? If so then,  this is your tool. Students can locate images or videos of their musher, sled dogs, or specific topic and create a slideshow to share about the musher they are following. Check out the slideshow made by Maryanne Molishus's class that followed the Iditarod in 2009.

Accessing Flash Kennels Ning community is only one way to get involved in the Iditarod, there are many. We recommend participating in the online discussion boards at Flash Kennels site, where both Rich and Charlie will be giving probably the best race analysis around. In addition, do not forget to schedule a videoconference to give your students thechance to interview mushers, see the sled dogs, and check out the sled equipment, and maybe even go for a sled dog ride.

 Below I have listed just a few links from the site above to get you started:

Learn about Mushing and Iditarod 

• Ultimate Iditarod: http://www.ultimateiditarod.com/dummies.htm
• Flash Kennels: All About Mushing: http://www.teachingwow.org/flashkennels/allaboutmushing.html
• Iditarod Website: http://www.iditarod.com/learn/

Follow Iditarod:

• Routes and Checkpoints: http://www.iditarod.com/race/route.html
• Current Musher Listing: http://www.iditarod.com/race/musherlisting.html
• Current Race Stats: http://www.iditarod.com/race/race/currentstandings.html
• Race News: http://www.iditarod.com/race

Participate and Share in Iditarod:

• Flash Kennels Covers it all and allows for participation in sharing pictures, videos, projects, discussions etc: http://flashkennels.ning.com/raceready
• Follow and Interact with Iditarod on Twitter: http://twitter.com/iditarod
• Wikispaces Collaborative Iditarod Project: http://iditarod-collaborative-project.wikispaces.com/Introduction
• Kigluait Adventures Virtual Sled Dog Race: http://www.kigluaitadventures.com/virtualrace
• Meet a Musher on Skype: http://www.kigluaitadventures.com/race
• BSSD Webcasts and VTCs: http://wiki.bssd.org/index.php/Iditaproject_Registration