My older son is heading west
During the last week and a half we have been closely following the trip of my older son, Noah. He is traveling about 6,000 miles to take a look at part of the country through his eyes as a student, photographer, skier, and explorer. His studies are part of his senior project at College of the Atlantic (COA). Graduation takes place at COA on June 5th and we are looking forward to that day!
Not many of us have or take this type of opportunity to learn. Noah learns well through hands-on experiences. All students receive a degree in Human Ecology at COA. Many people ask what the heck is that? Basically, it is how humans interact with the world around them. I think if more people looked closely at that we’d be in a much better place. His experience this trimester is taking him to places to examine his relationships through different environments than we find in Maine.
During the first part he traveled with a small group of friends to the Gaspe Peninsula for a few days of back country skiing. They put “skins” (a thin layer of fabric) on their (wider than regular) skis. He hiked or climbed up the mountain, no chairlifts in the Gaspe Park, de-skinned and skied down. Often they ski where no one else has so the sensation is a bit different than skiing at a resort.
The next part of his adventure took him to Tuckerman’s Ravine in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire. This was his first back country adventure alone. You can imagine this can be dangerous with the possibility of snow storms, avalanches and of course losing your way. The slope is 55 degrees so the ski down is steep and fast. He met some guys who make an annual trek to ski at Tuckerman’s and ended up skiing with them and learned a lot.
Nicholas and Noah skyping with us (we're in the bottom left)
Now he is off on the last part of his studies, a month on the road. He left a little over a week ago stopping first to visit his brother at University of Rhode Island (URI). He headed west in his Subaru wagon with his camping gear, food, camera equipment, skis, bike and various other items he thought might come in handy. Presently he is in the Tetons in Jackson, Wyoming. He is finding and learning so much, meeting interesting people and seeing beautiful places. You can read about his travels through his eyes and see some of his photographs at his wordpress blog called Noah Kleiner’s adventures. His next major stop is Olympic National Park in Washington.
His brother finishes his semester at URI tomorrow and in another 10 days will fly out to meet Noah in Seattle. They dipped their feet in the Atlantic Ocean a little over a week ago and plan to take a dip in the Pacific Ocean.
It has been fun Skyping with Noah during the last couple of days. To hear about his findings first hand has brought us closer to the learning that is taking place. My husband and I are proud of Noah for striking out on this adventure… often learning takes place in classrooms with groups of students, sometimes other types of learning happens. With the use of technology Noah’s learning is taking place “in the field” somewhat “in the moment”. It is being shared by documenting as he goes, not just in a follow up article or paper. Here is a segment of his writing to give an example of what I mean:
“I stopped at the historic Snake River where one of my favorite images of all time was taken by Ansel Adams. Imagining myself in this place when he took that historic image brought tears to my eyes. Bringing my camera along to capture the view in my own scene of the world by standing on the roof of my car. It seemed only right considering that Ansel did the same thing for years.”
Several years ago Noah’s great grandparents took a trip across the country, his grandparents did the same probably 15 years after that and in 1998 my husband and I went with the boys for three months. All of us documented our trips by keeping journals and taking pictures that are stashed away in our homes. Many people visit Noah’s blog daily to learn about his whereabouts, read his stories and see his photos. Consider how you might use a blog in your teaching and learning environment to enhance the educational experience.
During the week of July 26-30, the Department of Education is partnering with the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. The Farnsworth will serve as the host site for New York City’s Lincoln Center Institute’s International Educator Workshop. Designed for K-12 teachers, this workshop helps teachers discover how to unlock imaginative learning through engaging with works of art. Throughout the week, participants will attend theater performances by Figures of Speech Theatre and visit the Farnsworth Museum to see art works by artist Louise Nevelson, and participate in hands-on workshops focused on these works of art. Led by three teaching artists from Lincoln Center Institute, this workshop is a complete, in-depth experience in teaching and learning through imagination and the arts. Scholarships to attend the workshop are being offered by the Farnsworth to any full-time Maine teacher. For more information, please contact Denise Mitchell at dmitchell@farnsworthmuseum.org, tel. 596-6457 ext. 103.
me arts ed 