Rolling on the Tundra

Welcome to "Rolling on the Tundra!" Polar bears are amazing animals. Their habitat is being affected by climate change, and the polar bears existence is threatened.

This exhibit is an interdisciplinary unit of study on polar bears. Within this exhibit, there are lesson plans and ideas for technology integration in many curricular areas-all focusing on polar bears. There are also resources that educators and students can use as they take action to conserve energy, reduce their carbon footprints, and make changes to protect the habitat of the polar bears.

Finally, students can utilize technology to educate the global community about the problems facing the polar bears. Using technology, public service announcements can be created with digital video, a series of podcasts can be made, and information can be disseminated in many ways. Dr. Jane Goodall states that knowledge leads to compassion which then leads to action. It is with that in mind that we hope this exhibit will help you and your students take action to implement projects that will make a difference in our world and the world of the polar bear.

"Polar Bears in a Changing Climate" is a new exhibit that correlates with "Rolling on the Tundra." In this second exhibit, there are:

• Lessons and activities correlated with webcasts which will be conducted live from the tundra in October and November of 2009
• Pre-webcast and post-webcast activities and assessment rubrics
• Challenge Based Learning framework
• Process for active student-directed learning activities
• A focus on creative, action-oriented solutions to authentic problems
• Resources for utilization by students and educators as they take action to conserve energy (and water), reduce their carbon footprints, and make changes to protect polar bear habitat
• Utilization of 21st century skills and instructional strategies including the integration of relevant technologies
• Publishing of digital media a part of the action-oriented solution to a challenge

As part of this challenge-based approach to taking action for solving a real–world problem, students can utilize technology to educate the global community about the problems facing polar bears. Using technology, public service announcements can be created with digital video, a series of podcasts can be created and published, print publications can be produced and shared, and relevant information can be disseminated in many ways.

We invite you to join the Polar Bears International Ning, add information, start discussions, insert comments, share photos, and collaborate with other members who are interested in polar bears!

We also invite you to comment on the blog, "Rolling on the Tundra, A Polar Bear Adventure!" Keep returning to the blog to see new entries. During Julene Reed's trip to the Arctic tundra the first week of November, there will several blog posts published every day. Use the comment function to ask questions of Julene and the scientists who are studying the polar bears of the Churchill area.

And, finally, we invite you to join the Polar Bear Group on the Apple Learning Interchange. You can publish information, connect with other educators, and share project ideas in the networking space the ALI group provides.

So, enjoy this exhibit and all of the other resources that are connected to it!

Check out the recent addition of a polar bear music video that is on the "Music Activities for Polar Bear Studies" page of this exhibit!

Music is a powerful medium through which to tell a story, and the important story of polar bears and climate change is told in this video.

Dr. Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots is partnering with "PBI" to raise awareness about the issues surrounding the polar bears and their habitat in an effort to encourage youth to become active leaders in their communities, promoting ecology and environmental stewardship. Dr. Jane believes that it is today's youth who have the ability to create a better world for the future.