A Month of Exploring Oceans: Week 1 Skype Classroom Visits

Inspired by Fabien Cousteau's record-breaking Mission 31 expedition, Skype Classroom is celebrating our oceans during the entire month of November. I am really excited to be participating in the Exploring Oceans program and kicked off the event with 9 classroom visits last week. This provides such an incredible experience for students around the world, whether they live near the coast or are completely landlocked. No matter where or what, we all need to know about our oceans and this is a great way to connect the world.

I started off visiting a third grade class in Texas, who were also Skyping with a class in South Africa. The technology is remarkable and really opens new doors for educators on a global scale. My next visit was with 5th graders in Connecticut followed up by 4th graders in New Hampshire. This class was a lot of fun because I was familiar with the area, being that my parents live about 90 minutes away.

A student asking my a question via Skype 

Lots of great sharky questions!

I started my next day of visits in North Carolina with a group of special needs students ranging in age from 16 to 22. I am really honored that I was asked to speak to such an incredible group and this was by far, one of my favorite lessons. Thanks Ms. Katie for reaching out! I always tell teachers they can email me additional questions if we run out of time or students think of new ones. Ms. Katie’s class asked if sharks speak English? I answered that I assume sharks speak, “shark,” whatever language they may be. We know they communicate, but there is not yet a full understanding of how this is done.

I then spoke with a group of 3rd graders from Indiana before heading back to North Carolina to finish of the day with another group of 3rd graders. My final day of visits included classes in North Carolina, Canada and Oklahoma. Blows my mind to think about my travels and how many more students I am able to reach through the Skype Classroom program. There is no way I could fly around and do all these visits in person, but through the computer we are connecting the world and creating an army of global citizens.

Speaking to Mrs. Davie's Students in Oklahoma

Hammerheads were pretty popular during the week with questions about their eyes, vision and head shape. Talking about hammerheads is always fun for me because great hammerheads are my favorite animal on the planet. I always get excited when students ask about them or want to see more images or videos. I try to include time for as many questions as possible because I think the interaction is the most important part of the lesson. I have a message about sharks I want to spread, but I also want to make sure students are feeling as though they are being heard and hopefully by answering their questions I am doing this.

Each visit is different and tailored to the age of the students and to their questions. Some classes just want to know more about sharks, while others want to know more about what I actually do. I love the diversity, as it keeps it excited and keeps me on my toes. Looking forward to nearly 30 visits during November, so stay tuned.

Thanks to Ms. Musa, Mrs. Jones, Mr. Ferguson, Mrs. Benevides, Ms. Katie, Ms. Jackson, Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Davies for such a JAWSOME week and for encouraging your classes to care about sharks and our oceans.

Ending October with a Very Sharky Week

Another amazing week of Skype Classroom Visits has come and gone and I am still reveling in the unique, yet always inspirational experience of each visit. The Internet gods have been smiling on our little island and the connection has held for each visit. Writing that statement, though, will surely doom me for a Murphy’s Law moment of Internet failure in the near future. Fingers crossed for continued smooth sailing.

I kicked off the week speaking to 4th graders in Michigan followed by Kindergarteners in Wisconsin. I think Kindergarten and first grade might be my favorite age group to speak with. They have so much energy and excitement about the world around them and it is contagious. The way a child’s mind works at age 5, 6 or 7 is fascinating and I am always amazed at the statements and questions I get. Often times they are random, but I can usually find the logic that might have lead them to a certain conclusion and the journey is always a lot of fun.

Mrs. Harmann’s Kindergarten class wrote in their Skype journals after my visit and here are some of the JAWSOME things they had to say.

Sharks do not have bones-Jacob
Sharks lay eggs called a Mermaid’s purse –Cate
We should not be afraid of sharks –Adam
Sharks can smell their food before they see it –Bennett

This is continuously a learning process for me as well. The world is always changing and the interests often vary from class to class. I am constantly adding new elements and adjusting information to suit the needs of each classroom. They way kids interpret the information is also fascinating. What do they fixate on? What do they remember? What do they think is awesome? My lesson is about being a shark diver and underwater videographer, but is heavy on shark conservation as well. This is a lot of information and the direction each conversation goes depends entirely on questions the students have. I also ask the students a lot of questions because I want to know their ideas and thoughts about sharks. This is critical in providing information to them about sharks and shark conservation, while also making it fun. It is not about driving home the cruel reality of shark finning, it is about providing them with cool facts about sharks, debunking the man-eater myth and instilling the idea that they can make a difference. I want to encourage them to speak up and not be afraid to ask questions. They have a voice and it is important for them to gain confidence in using it.

I still get the, “have you ever been bitten by a shark question,” but not as frequently and I also get different versions including, “do I know someone who has been bitten,” and “has a shark ever tried to attack me when I am diving?” I (touch wood) have never been bitten, but I do know people who have and in each case it was the person’s fault. I am not going to say shark attacks do not happen, but I will always reiterate that we are NOT on the menu for sharks.

This week I was also asked by a few students whether I touch the animals I am filming, like sharks or dolphins. My answer is no. I ask them if they would want some stranger coming up to them and grabbing their shirt? No way, so why would an animal want someone to grab onto it? I talk about respect for wild animals and how important it is. I can see them processing the thought of a person grabbing their shirtsleeve and it not being okay and I know they understand this analogy in relation to wild animals. I do not grab sharks. I do not ride sharks or other wildlife. I don’t see the point and it is not something I support. Yes, sometimes we do swim sharks if they are not doing well and we need to get oxygen into their system, but it is not a joyride. “Sharks are NOT underwater scooters,” as a dear and respected friend in the industry, says.

After an awesome time in Wisconsin I spent 4 visits in North Carolina with Ms. Smith’s third and fifth graders. I finished up the week in New England speaking to fifth graders in Rhode Island. Always good to go home!
A lot of the students this week were very interested in goblin and cookie cutter sharks. I love when students ask about a more diverse range of species. Tigers, great whites and whale sharks are consistent, but goblin shark is rarely mentioned, but definitely deserves the attention for being such a cool animal. I think my favorite reactions came from discussions about tiger sharks being able to invert their stomachs and the fact that bull sharks pee more frequently in fresh and brackish water than they do in the ocean. The “ughhhh,” that is so gross, but so awesome reaction is one of the most fun parts of my classroom visits.

It has been another rewarding week and something I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do. Skype Classroom is celebrating Ocean Exploration during the month of November and I am honored to be a part of it. I have nine visits next week and I cannot wait to recruit more shark advocates around the world!

Thank you to Ms. Smith, Mrs. Naasko, Mrs. Harmann and Mrs. VanRossum for encouraging your students to care about sharks and our oceans.

School is Back in Session: Skype Classroom Visits

I love spending time in the classroom speaking with kids about sharks, but work over the past few months has really limited my ability to do so. My audience is slightly limited because I live on a tiny island, but Skype Classroom has really changed the way the world learns and has opened a lot more doors for me. (Classroom doors that is) I remember having guest speakers as a child growing up in Maine, but it didn’t happen very often and they were always local. I am blown away at the ability to broaden horizons and expand a child’s sense of the world, through a small window on the computer.

I have done classroom sessions before via Skype, as well as interviews for various shark projects, but last week I did my first visit organized through the Skype Classroom program. I was nervous and excited as I waited to connect with Mr. Grabowski’s 6th grade class, located in Guelph, Ontario.

I spent forty minutes speaking about sharks, shark diving and underwater video. The kids had really great questions about why sharks are important and what they can do to help. The time flew by and I closed the connection feeling a renewed sense of inspiration. The world of shark conservation is full of ups and downs and these classroom visits are the peaks that renew my resolve and challenge me to do more.

I did two more visits this week, one with second graders from Connecticut and one with an 8-year-old home school student in Michigan. I wanted to do a few to start and see how the logistics would be before I dove in completely. I think the experience is amazing and I have seven visits booked next week. It really opens the doors for students who do not have access to the ocean or maybe have never even seen the ocean. We all need the ocean and every child needs to know how important our oceans are and how important sharks are. It is also essential that every child realize he or she has a voice and that they can make a difference. Think global, but act local. We need to create the next generation of global citizens by initiating a conversation about things every person can do each day or each week to make a change.

I highly recommend this program to teachers and parents alike. You can bring the world to your classroom or to your children and make connections that cannot be found in any textbook.


MY SKYPE CLASSROOM PROFILE

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