Antarctica field trip newsletter 3 for teachers
Kia ora koutou Shelley here,
It is great to have you on board for the Antarctica field trip. Despite delays due to bad weather we hope to fly south on Friday. The ambassadors and I are all set to go. See previous newsletters from this field trip.
Make sure students have the field trip link http://www.learnz.org.nz/antarctica174
1. Key dates and times
- Wednesday 22 November - check devices, field trip web site and access to Adobe Connect.
- Thursday 23 November - Virtual Field Trip to Antarctica gets under way. First web conference at 9.15am on Thursday will take place from Christchurch.
- Friday 24 November - Shelley and the ambassadors fly from Christchurch to Scott Base.
- Friday 24 November - Read Shelley's first diary and look at the images.
- Friday 24 November - first videos online from day 1 of the Antarctica field trip.
- Friday 8 December at 4pm. Teachers submitting evaluations by this time and day are eligible for the prize draw.
2. Web Conferences and Adobe Connect
Check web conferences which features the timetable, questions, and recordings.
- To access the LEARNZ Adobe Connect meeting room:
- Go to http://connect.vln.school.nz/learnz
- Click Enter as guest
- Type your school or class name (no password needed)
- Click Enter Room
- Introduce yourself and say where you are from.
- Note: Some teachers allow students direct access to the live web conference because their students know how to stay on task in the chat area. Other teachers access the web conference themselves then show it on a data projector and use a shared document to gather extra questions.
- While the formal questions from booked schools are answered, the LEARNZ Adobe Connect meeting room will include related visuals.
- After the formal web conference session, there are opportunities for students listening to the web conference to post extra questions.
- Web conference summaries can be emailed to shelley.hersey@core-ed.org.
- Find out more about LEARNZ on Adobe Connect in LEARNZ support.
3. Get involved in the Weddell Seal Count - a citizen science project
- Your students can help scientists by taking part in the Weddell Seal Count.
- Go online to count Weddell seals in photographs taken at Turtle Rock near Scott Base in Antarctica.
- Scientists need help to count thousands of seals to learn more about their abundance and the threats they face.
- Go to the Weddell Seal Count Project web site.
4. Activities
- Activities related to each background page assist with prior learning for the field trip.
- Look at the planning sequence in the Resources section - good for helping you keep your class on track during the field trip.
- With the class username and password that you set up for them on MyLEARNZ, students can access the web conferences and share their learning at home with family - more.
5. Twitter updates
- Follow me @ShelleyHersey #learnztrip on Twitter during the field trip for highlights as they happen. Get involved and I’ll catch you in the Twittersphere!
6. Videos
- During the field trip, videos with captions are uploaded to the website each morning.
- The first videos (from day one of the field trip) will be online Friday morning 24 November.
See you all soon,
Shelley
LEARNZ Field Trip Teacher
