Monthly Archives: June 2014

emammal, kenan fellows

Dragonflies and Dinosaur Bones

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Last week might have been the official kickoff for the 2014-15 Kenan Fellows cohort, but I think today is the day that most of us in the Students Discover cohort have been looking forward to.  Today we made it to our workplace for the next three weeks… the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

NC Museum of Natural Sciences
The Nature Research Center at the Museum

Check out this awesome badge they gave me…

They call me, David Glenn, Teacher-Scientist
They call me, David Glenn, Teacher -Scientist

I’m not gonna lie, I have bragged that one of the highest-highlights of this experience that I’m looking forward to is working in a lab at the museum.

There were some great highlights from the day:

1. We started our day out at Prairie Ridge, an outdoor, hands-on classroom environment, open to the public. We got the chance to do some hands-on science catching some dragonflies and counting them for the scientists monitoring their populations.

Look I caught me a blue Pond Hawk.
Look I caught me a blue Pond Hawk.

2. Had some quality time with my eMammal Teamlet, Stephanie, Kelsie and Dayson. Excited to be working with these fine scientist/educators this summer. Also, got to see the lab I’ll be working in and meet our project director Dr. Roland Kays.

Teamlet eMammal
Teamlet eMammal

3. After hearing an inspiring kickoff keynote from Dr. Rob Dunn, the principal investigator on our Students Discover grant, we were led down to the basement of the museum for a behind-the-scenes look at how and where the museum’s collection is stored.

Overall, another great day in this program. I’m looking forward to working with Dayson and Kelsie and Stephanie to make this science available to teachers and students in my classroom and teachers and students around the world. It’s going to be a challenge, but a great one.

I wrap up with one last question from an experience recently that plays right into the heart of my cohort’s focus: Why did the peacock cross the road?

(from glogster media library)

I don’t have a great answer, but one peacock scared the bejesus out of my wife while she was driving us to Raleigh this weekend. (I was just as shocked, I just wasn’t driving at the time) It had gotten all the way out to the right lane of Highway 64 and she had to swerve to avoid hitting it. Just goes to show that we interact with the animals around us whether we intend to or not. As scientists, I think we owe it to our selves and society to understand those complex relationships and understandings between animals and humans and the surrounding environment.

 

 

kenan fellows

Nantahala & Judaculla

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(with so many highlights of my week, I start with this one…)

Nantahala – Cherokee for “valley of the noon-day sun”

Judaculla – ancient figure of Cherokee lore, a slant-eyed giant, master of game

Today was an amazing day full of fun & adventure, history & geology, teamwork & challenges, water & sunsets. I almost feel that words could not contain nor fill enough of the page with the experience, so I’m going to start telling the story by today’s pictures. I hope to come back in future blog posts and share more of my feelings.

A special thanks to:
The Nantahala Outdoor Center and Kelsey for an amazing rafting trip down the Nantahala River.

Jonathan at the NCCAT staff, who gave up his evening to take us out to Judaculla Rock (after working a full day.)

Mr. Parker, who owns the land around Judaculla Rock, who’s grandfather was one of the initial discoverer’s of the rock, and who stopped by and graciously added to the stories and lore of the rock. He also provided an extra trip of the mountain to view a spectacular sunset.

The Eastern Cherokee people, for sharing such an intimate look at their fascinating culture and history.

 

 

 

kenan fellows, videos

Looking for that Mountaintop Experience

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20140623_125402-1
The Smokeys

What a great day to be in the mountains of NC. It has been years since I last visited this beautiful landscape. When I think of a mountaintop experience, I think of exactly what the vision NCCAT has for teachers here – a renewing of the mind and soul.

This past year has been the toughest year in my teaching career. I went from just teaching 6th grade science, to teaching both science and math in 6th grade. A lot of things just didn’t work out. My students’ standardized test scores were… not great. Honestly, it was a year I was happy to get through and get done, and get ready to move on.

So I’m ready for the renewal, and its been a great day just to be on the mountain with some phenomenal teachers from across the state.

Guess Batman doesn't need to keep it a secret?
Guess Batman doesn’t need to keep it a secret?

I think I’m also going to find renewal through this Kenan Fellowship. When I discuss the program with others, some cringe with the amount of work that they perceive needs to be done. I don’t see it that way. I see it as an opportunity to reset my career, charge my batteries, experience a renaissance. I look forward to the challenges that the opportunity presents.

What excites me most is the chance that students will get to participate in “real” science. The model of citizen science in the classroom (as radical as it might be) is intriguing, and I can only imagine students making new discoveries of the natural world.  As much as I hope for discovery – I also look forward to the failures and “missteps” that students might experience. That’s how “real” science works, right?

Professionally, I believe this fellowship will be a stepping stone in my career. Not necessarily out of the classroom, but to be a better educator.

Lastly, I’m already enjoying the new friends and colleagues I’m meeting here in Cullowhee. Our first day activities have already brought out the creativity in the group and the fun. The Students Discover cohort of the 2014-15 Kenan Fellows established a new record in the marble/pipe pass activity with a time of 12 seconds. Check out the video below.

Record Breaking Marble Pass