The best thing about this project: I joined this project because I couldn't find anything for my college class to join, and a good friend who is a second grade teacher wanted to try this project. It sounds interesting--a sled dog race across Alaska, which students can follow by accessing information on the website. The site is fairly sophisticated, providing various types of information about the race: rules and regulations, biographies of mushers, occasionally letters from one of the sled dogs (meant to describe what's going on to children), connections to furthur information about Alaska, etc.
The worst thing about this project: The project itself turned out to be very disappointing. The information for teachers on the website consists of ordering information for teaching packets. We ordered the basic packet which includes only the same information that could have been downloaded from the website, and a few disconnected superficial teaching activities. There are absolutely no activities or even suggestions for using the website information, which will include updates on the race once it starts on March 1. There are no suggestions for interacting with other classrooms, nor is the website set up to facilitate it. Frankly, this is very much a commercial site, designed to make money, and with no involvement of anyone who knows much about education. The large and small maps included in the packet are unreadable for most adults and useless for elementary students. There is a one-page second grade level teaching outline which is difficult to interpret and which refers to materials for which there are no references. Advanced level packets (we got the basic) include nifty things like a dog bootie and a deed to 1 square inch of the Iditarod Trail.
What I would change to improve this project (and why): For this year, we will check the website to see what kind of information is presented about the actual race after it starts, and perhaps involve the class in one activity related to the race. We have too little information to do much more and no time to plan activities as the race starts March 1. The packet took much longer to arrive than we were told it would, so we didn't get it until the beginning of this week and there's nothing very useful in it. However, this site has a lot of potential. Therefore, I plan to work with the classroom teacher to develop a teaching unit which could be used next year, including Internet-based activities and a project which would allow for interaction with other classrooms involved in following the race. My "joining an educational network project" will therefore turn into "creating an educational network project" because there isn't really one in existence at this time.
Joined by: Sheila Ashbrook
Date: Friday, February 28, 1997 10:07:00 AM