Digital Bridge to Nature

I am consulting with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to facilitate teacher workshops about digital nature photography.

This fantastic program, funded by an LCCMR grant, gives teachers (grades 3-9) of all disciplines the knowledge and tools (i.e. digital cameras) needed to bring nature photography into the classroom and plug students into nature.

Each FREE four-hour workshop is standards-based, and is designed to provide training for approximately 12-20 teachers of any subject area.

The format covers the use of digital cameras, basic photo tips, a hands-on photo activity, reveiwing and discussing the photos taken by staff during the photo activity, downloading and editing techniques, and student project ideas. We’ll show how to enhance your curriculum, not add to it!

After the workshops teachers have access to a classroom set of digital cameras to check out for free from the DNR.

I am facilitating two open workshops at the Como Park Street Car station on October 23, 2010. If you are teacher (grades 3-9) email me to register for the morning (8:00 – 12:00) or the afternoon (12:30 – 4:30) workshop. Hurry, space is filling up fast!

On July 11, we had a kick-off event in Luverne, Minnesota sponsored by Jim Brandenburg and his family. We practiced our photography in Blue Mounds State Park where we were all astounded and thrilled to find the rare western prairie fringed orchid.

Jim B. Photographing a Western Fringed Prairie Orchid, Photo by Jane Eaton, Diamond Path Elementary

The blog Information is Beautiful is a demonstration of how art and creativity transform dry data into something stunning, attractive, and readily meaningful.

Check out this musical zen planetary interactive.

Solar System Music Box

Or this climate change graphic When Sea Levels Attack.

When Sea Levels Attack

Here is an oddly beautiful time-lapse video of slime molds and mushrooms:

Amadee Coral Reef New Caledonia in New Caledonia

The commercial was made for the Reality Campaign which is an anti-coal project founded by a coalition of environmental groups.(LA Times article about the group and movie)

For balance, here is a science blog post arguing that clean coal technology is a needed tool during our transition to sustainable energy.

International Children's Digital Library

The International Children’s Digital Library is wonderful website full of great resources for educators, parents, and anyone who loves children’s literature and illustration. 

There are many science and nature themed books with high-res scanned images of all of the pages, including the illustrations. And many of the book’s copyrights have expired so you can used the illustrations for programs. The organization has even developed a Teacher Training Manual. 

“the mission of the International Children’s Digital Library Foundation is to prepare children for life in an ethnically and culturally diverse world by building the world’s largest online multicultural repository of children’s literature.”

Image form the International Children's Digital Library

Sierra Bravo Web Challenge

Web development company Sierra Bravo is again hosting theOvernight Website Challenge. Twelve lucky non-profits were selected to receive a new website created in just 24 hours by over 100 web geek volunteers.

Two non-profits connected to the environmental community were selected: Friends of Fort Snelling and Yea Corps.

The web development lock-in occurs next Saturday, Feb. 28 – so make a note to check out their fancy-shmancy new sites next week!

The deadline for non-profit applications was in early January, so if you know of a non-profit in “www.” need give them a heads-up and perhaps they can apply for next years Website Challenge.

Also, Google has added an ocean component to its already amazing and free Google Earth program. You can dive underwater and interact with ocean creatures and famous oceanographers via a partnership with National Geographic.

 From the first post:

Welcome to Field Notes, the blog of the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota. As the Field Representative for the Alliance, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, I will be using this space to report on my travels and activities throughout the state. I hope to cover local issues, initiatives, opportunities, and ideas that will help and inspire you to work towards preserving the historic places in your community. From time to time I may ask you for your feedback, but you’re always welcome to comment on the blog, emerging issues, or other preservation concerns at PAMfieldnotes@gmail.com Happy reading!

Also, Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is on Facebook, if you are too, become a fan!

Public domain image from grandmasgraphics.com

I think I may have found a great potential resource for environmental educators on BoingBoing today: A website called Grandma’s Graphics is full of free public domain images which I think are pulled from old children’s books. 

BUT there have been so many people visiting, and trying to visit, Grandma’s Graphics who saw it on BoingBoing that it broke the website. I’m sure it will be fixed shortly, and then we can see if this a treasure cove of images or a dud.