Teachers Teaching Teachers #207 "We've been taken over once again by something that we couldn't stop, can't stop." - 06.30.10

This the fourth week of a summer series in which we have focused Teachers Teaching Teachers on the BP Gulf Oil Spill. Our guests included:

• Matt Montagne, who has been collecting materials, such as: October 28th, 2010 TEDxOILSPILL Talks. The Google Doc that Matt can be found at http://tinyurl.com/voicesonthegulf - And stay tuned! There much more to come under the domain: "VoicesOnTheGulf." (We also eventually agreed on the common tags: "voicesonthegulf" and "edoilspill"
• Diana Laufenberg, a history teacher from Science Leadership Academy who joined us on this topic 3 weeks ago will try (from her family’s farm) to join us again.
• Natasha Whitton, one of the three teachers from the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project two weeks ago, hopes to join us again
• Andrea Zellner, a biology and English teachers from the Red Cedar Writing Project in Michigan will be with us again!
• AND NEW to our webcast: Catherine Tibbs, a former high school English teacher who works for the Live Oak Writing Project in Mississippi joined us. (She is also invited colleagues who will be heard on future podcasts. Catherine wrote this on a Monday late in June :
  

   I don’t know if you know this or not, but oil reached the MS beaches this weekend. We had been fortunate so far to avoid this mess. From what I understand from the media, the manpower was not coordinated in the Gulf to skim the oil that is now reaching us. Isn’t that always the case?
  

• Also new to the podcast is Jeff Mason from Penscola, Florida, a biology and technology teacher. We met a Twitter, and we look forward to a continuing connection. (Jeff came on the webcast last week as well, so look for more from him on future podcasts.)

We hope you will be able to join us in this ongoing project. Help us know how to respond as teachers—and with our students—to this monster that will continue to reek havoc for weeks? months? to come!

Join us to talk about what's happening in the gulf every Wednesday at http://EdTechTalk.com/live at 9:00pm Eastern / 6:00pm Pacific USA (World Times). 

Click Read more to see a copy of the chat that was happening during the webcast.

20:50:39 dlaufenberg: hey guys
20:50:43 SusanEttenheim: hi!
20:51:52 matt montagne: hey y'all
20:51:58 matt montagne: how is wisconsin diana??
20:52:04 matt montagne: I used to live in the MKE
20:53:07 dlaufenberg: wisconsin is delightful, best weather ever
20:55:11 matt montagne: `coolio...glad to hear that...we moved from WI two years ago...the June that we moved had record rains...it was crazy!!!
20:58:12 dlaufenberg: its been raining like crazy this summer as well
20:59:53 matt montagne: hey jeff and catherine
21:00:50 Paul Allison: Jeff... are you on skype?
21:01:07 SusanEttenheim: jeff are you on skype?
21:01:08 SusanEttenheim: we
21:01:10 SusanEttenheim: we
21:01:25 SusanEttenheim: we're ringing you but you're not answering
21:02:35 SusanEttenheim: hi everyone - who is here who is listening on the stream?
21:02:38 SusanEttenheim: can you hear ok?
21:02:50 SusanEttenheim: hi andrea welcome to the chat
21:02:54 Andrea: Hi :)
21:03:09 Andrea: Sorry I'm late: I was in another online meeting and lost track of time!
21:04:51 [email protected]: Hi
21:04:58 SusanEttenheim: hi!
21:05:06 SusanEttenheim: welcome to the chat room
21:07:36 SusanEttenheim: hi christina welcome!
21:08:11 christina: Hi Susan ... thanks!
21:08:23 SusanEttenheim: please introduce yourself!
21:08:51 SusanEttenheim: can you hear ok?
21:09:26 christina: yup. ... I'm Christina and I work at the national writing project.
21:10:07 dlaufenberg: i've been trying to think about using something like voicethread to share voices, images, reflection for the kids
21:11:08 SusanEttenheim: glad you could join us tonight christina!
21:11:32 dlaufenberg: in terms of the US fickle'ness with regard to environmental disasters, lasting impact in the minds and lives of students... will come with engagement with the people and places most affected
21:11:47 Paul Allison: http://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1DwyiDUdiooHG9m-10TNrw-3PP1olfhy4...
21:14:42 matt montagne: to view the tedxoilspill archives and speaker roster, visit this doc: http://bit.ly/tedxoilspill
21:16:19 matt montagne: diana, that is a great point about the value of engaging with the people directly impacted.
21:17:08 [email protected]: Thanks for the link, Matt.
21:17:29 dlaufenberg: kids remember personal conncetions, stories that become real to them... I think this is the key especially for the younger students
21:19:05 SusanEttenheim: welcome to the chat andrea
21:19:33 Andrea: Thanks...hopefully I won't have too many more issues.  I think my whole setup here is on it's last legs...
21:19:41 Andrea: upgrade time!
21:19:43 SusanEttenheim: hang in!
21:20:11 [email protected]: We are in the midst of a renovation so my keyboard is covered in dust!
21:20:38 dlaufenberg: i think of this as something we could start a UbD... what are the esssential questions...
21:21:26 SusanEttenheim: d - I'm wondering what my students in NYC can contribute
21:21:32 matt montagne: I was kind of thinking of that too diana...what are the enduring concepts
21:21:53 Andrea: I was thinking about scientists as advocates: how do we make a scientific argument?
21:22:09 dlaufenberg: i think that maybe we need to start in the most basic place... build backward and then move forward... thats what I try to do when I am stuck with a curricular issue
21:22:38 SusanEttenheim: my students were most engaged by those who thought it was a problem vs those who didn't
21:22:42 Andrea: There's a lot of unpacking to do: why is the gulf oil rich?
21:22:51 Andrea: What's the technology that allows us to drill?
21:22:57 Andrea: Why is oil so toxic?
21:23:01 SusanEttenheim: it intrigued me to hear what part of this motivated them to get engaged in the issue
21:23:43 SusanEttenheim: when do local disasters affect non local people?
21:23:48 SusanEttenheim: and why and how?
21:23:50 matt montagne: the use of dispersants continues to be incredibly controversial...many think the dispersants have been used to make it difficult for people to 'see' the oil
21:24:17 Andrea: Oh yes, matt, good point: how might the solutions in turn have a negative environmental impact?
21:24:29 dlaufenberg: I tend to float to questions about who's interests get more power in situations of conflict between government - business - and citizens
21:24:46 matt montagne: Many of my neighbors, frends, family, etc aren't interested in talking about this issue...I fear that students might really not be interested as well.
21:25:05 Andrea: Yes: power and whose voices are privileged.
21:25:09 dlaufenberg: but bring it local... everyone has these env. disasters in their backyard...
21:25:12 SusanEttenheim: my students were enraged by those in YV who were posting that it was just a local issue
21:25:13 Andrea: Why are they privileged.
21:25:18 Andrea: Unpack that a bit.
21:25:42 SusanEttenheim: the bird pictures really upset them
21:25:46 Andrea: I do think it's important to tie to local environmental issues, but sometimes there are different parts in comparison.
21:25:52 SusanEttenheim: they sensed it
21:25:55 dlaufenberg: showing the historical relevance did a lot for my students to understand where this one fits in a progression of disasters
21:26:00 Andrea: The images are incredible.
21:26:25 matt montagne: a great question that came up in TEDxOILSPILL: Would this situtation be reacted to differently if if happend off of Los Angeles or NYC or Chicago in Lake MI? If
21:26:43 dlaufenberg: I think that the loss of a food source is an enormous issue that many people don't think about enough
21:26:43 jeffmason: http://www.incidentnews.gov
21:26:45 Andrea: We are here worrying about Asian carp in Lake MI.
21:27:18 matt montagne: let's be clear with our students about this...this incident is NOT an "accident" It happend due to incredible, incredible negligence.
21:27:32 Andrea: Absolutely, Matt.
21:28:23 matt montagne: change that last thought...let's not be clear with students...let's have them analyze it to come to their own conclusion about accident vs negligence
21:28:38 jeffmason: the incident news has the "1o famous spills" that may beused for compare and contrast
21:28:56 [email protected]: Good point, Matt.
21:29:07 [email protected]: The students will get it if they analyze it on their own.
21:29:10 dlaufenberg: @jeffmason I used that for my unit at the end of the year
21:29:22 matt montagne: how are corporations influencing our thinking?? This is another interesting question...
21:29:41 dlaufenberg: influence in general... who gets the ear of the govt... and why...
21:29:55 dlaufenberg: (that's my govt/history lens coming thru)
21:29:56 matt montagne: for example, corporations talk about lost jobs due to moratorium on exploration. But how many jobs have now potentially been lost in other industry??
21:29:58 [email protected]: Lobbies. I don't think that students understand lobbies.
21:30:38 dlaufenberg: @nwhitton my students will all be tackling an issue (of their choosing) and acting as a 'lobbyist' in the fall
21:30:45 Andrea: I also see that as a framing issue: when we don't understand the science, we are often easily swayed by the argument that the technology is safe.
21:32:43 jeffmason: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-long-will-oil-spill...
21:33:29 matt montagne: alternately, how many jobs could be created through a clean tech path and economy? Corporations don't tend to tell us this (and neither does govt as govt is influenced so heavily by corporate lobbyists)
21:34:57 jeffmason: (corrected) http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-long-will-oil-spill...
21:35:51 dlaufenberg: building background is important... but so is digging for primary source docs that allow people to determine their own understanding of the information rather than trusting media outliets
21:36:27 jeffmason: filtering is important skill
21:36:33 dlaufenberg: the US has an interesting history with nature, industry, citizens...
21:36:40 [email protected]: Yes, I agree @dlaufenberg.
21:36:50 [email protected]: The students need to do research on their own.
21:37:33 dlaufenberg: the drilling moratorium is only on exploratory drilling... not all drilling
21:38:08 dlaufenberg: i see this as an enormously ripe situation for an interdisciplinary unit... science, writing, history, art, math...
21:39:05 matt montagne: yes, that is correct...it is just an exploratory moratorium
21:40:04 dlaufenberg: we're subject to testing ;)
21:41:05 Andrea: Well, there's also the idea of student directed exploration of the topic: science, power, writing stories could all be lenses that the students self-select
21:41:36 dlaufenberg: we don't do AP... leaves us really flexible...
21:42:55 matt montagne: I learned in tedxoilspill that there are over 30,000 holes that have been poked by oil companies as they explore...
21:43:14 matt montagne: 30K holes in the gulf that is...that is an intense stat
21:43:37 Andrea: Wow, that's an astounding statistic
21:44:09 [email protected]: What are we going to do with all of those holes?
21:44:26 matt montagne: if you poke 30K holes in the ground, at some point things are going to get out of control.
21:44:42 jeffmason: There really is going to be no shortage of contexts in which to place this topic
21:45:21 [email protected]: I agree, Jeff. Good point.
21:45:36 [email protected]: I'm a science undergrad who has found my way to English.
21:45:46 dlaufenberg: we will never have enough time to teach *all* of anything... but when we have an incredibly momentous disaster, we need to make sure we take the time to provide context, background, perspectives
21:45:48 [email protected]: I think the bigger issue is making the classroom relevant.
21:46:11 matt montagne: that is exactly it nwhitton...
21:48:12 dlaufenberg: I find that students best learn historical relevance when it is tied to a current event that they can latch onto with their own eyes/ears
21:48:18 matt montagne: great opportunity for media bias analysis
21:48:27 Andrea: I was just looking at this article about this 11 year old blogger at the TedxOil spill conference.  Newspapers don't celebrate the teacher who only teaches the standards nor the student who knows the standards.  We really do value this type of teaching.
21:48:33 matt montagne: some students might groove on doing some satire as well...
21:48:33 [email protected]: Yes, media bias is a good one to explore.
21:49:05 matt montagne: the BPGlobalPR satire twitter account brings much needed humor to the incident
21:49:55 dlaufenberg: newstrust has good info on news literacy and has a stream of articles, reviewed for bias... on oil/gas
21:52:00 matt montagne: energy is also a moral issue...always has been. This could make for some interesting discussion
21:52:14 [email protected]: Do you think that students think of it as moral?
21:52:15 dlaufenberg: do you think Discovery would be up for a partnership on this? or too political for a business to tackle?
21:52:41 [email protected]: I have been following the twitter feed. Very funny.
21:53:03 matt montagne: if they start thinking about it in a historical context, yes nwhitton...slavery was a cheap form of labor that our country relied on...
21:53:27 [email protected]: True
21:53:49 catherine: No more Gulf shrimp po boys......
21:54:21 dlaufenberg: my students picked up right away on why BP wanted to use so much dispersant
21:54:51 matt montagne: that is awesome, diana...
21:54:52 jeffmason: this problem is global, local and personal
21:55:10 matt montagne: definitely, Jeff...
21:55:39 dlaufenberg: @matt I'll be in your neck of the woods in a few weeks... we should grab a meal
21:55:41 SusanEttenheim: yes - my students would definitely be interested in their stories
21:56:06 matt montagne: GEO Academy??
21:56:17 dlaufenberg: i also think if the stories are told from the students perspectives... that decision makers may listen differently
21:56:22 matt montagne: for sure diana...absolutely
21:56:24 dlaufenberg: @matt... yup
21:57:08 dlaufenberg: work can be published under initials or 'handles'
21:58:09 jeffmason: I agree. A tag would be great.
21:59:35 dlaufenberg: #oilspilled ;)
22:01:22 dlaufenberg: understanding settlement patterns is also a very teachbale moment...
22:01:32 dlaufenberg: or teachable ;)
22:02:22 matt montagne: you're in farm country...so you're excused ;)
22:04:09 dlaufenberg: edoilspill is an unused tag
22:04:26 matt montagne: I like that one diana
22:04:59 matt montagne: or reverse ed and oilspill... oilspilled
22:05:11 dlaufenberg: that one is used...
22:05:17 matt montagne: rats
22:05:17 dlaufenberg: not a deal breaker... but
22:06:17 dlaufenberg: oilspilledu
22:06:36 [email protected]: writingoil?
22:06:45 [email protected]: Edoil?
22:08:21 dlaufenberg: energy and faustian bargins...
22:10:00 matt montagne: a faustian bargain indeed...
22:11:02 Paul Allison: We lost the connection...
22:11:13 matt montagne: I'm still hearing folks
22:11:21 dlaufenberg: hey there
22:12:10 Paul Allison: THANKS!
22:12:10 Paul Allison: I'll add a thank you and next steps to the end of this.
22:12:10 Paul Allison: But I think we were more or less finished.
22:12:46 dlaufenberg: i think looking at policy is a HUGE teaching moments
22:13:13 SusanEttenheim: calling you back
22:13:18 matt montagne: students could write a simple energy bill...engage in a letter writing campaign
22:13:18 dlaufenberg: where oil is in their lives... Jeff, I think that is a great idea
22:13:41 Paul Allison: It's all good! Thank Jeff and Dave... and we'll continue next week
22:13:42 matt montagne: create mixed media messages, poetry, etc, etc.
22:13:48 SusanEttenheim: ok
22:14:19 matt montagne: and of course representing their thinking through visual and performance art
22:14:35 matt montagne: bye everyone!!!
22:14:40 dlaufenberg: thanks all
22:14:49 jeffmason: thanks for the invite.
22:14:57 catherine: Thanks!
22:15:00 dlaufenberg: night.
22:15:02 [email protected]: Thanks!
22:15:58 Paul Allison: Thanks everybody!
22:15:58 Paul Allison: Than you Jeff!
22:16:17 SusanEttenheim: thanks everyone goodnight