QRchaeology: Jamestown

The struggle of every teacher is to make their subjects relevant and real to students.  Throughout my 15 year teaching career, I have sought to engage students in their learning through a variety of highly interactive activities.  Wow, seriously 15?

For our study of Jamestown, I "hired" my students to serve as field and forensic archaeologists to survey both remains and relics found at the site.  With each student having an Ipad this year, it was the perfect opportunity to QR it up!

The site consisted of two grave sites and two trash pits.  Each site had a collection of QR codes and other physical artifacts.  I bought two skeletons at the local Halloween shop to add a bit of macabre to the mix and outlined each grave and trash pit with painters tape.  The QR codes either contained links to images of unearthed items or text clues about the condition of the body.

As they progressed to each site, they were given a series of guiding questions such as;

1.  Based upon the items what can you say about their daily life?  
2.  How did they survive?
3. What evidence do you have that Jamestown began to prosper?
4.  Based upon the examination of the bodies and their burial, what can you say about their status in Jamestown?  Can you determine a cause of death?  (The male was found with a bullet embedded in his leg and died of blood loss.

As with each lesson, you just never know how it will be received.  Sometimes what we think is brilliant can sometimes totally flop with the kids.  When we began the activity this morning I braced myself for blank looks, but they embraced the dig with an incredible amount of curiosity and interest.  Also, they interpreted their findings with a great deal of accuracy which gave them all a nice ego boost.  At the end I designated them all "Student Archaeologists: First Class" which got a hearty round of cheers.

The Jamestown Rediscovery website was primarily used to find the relics and the burials .  If you would like to use the QR Codes that I created, feel free to email me at oneifbylandadventures@gmail.com.  I'm working on getting a more cleaned up version at my website.  Please visit!  I'm always looking for feedback.

The Aura in the Graveyard

Capturing the Aura(ghost) of Vicente Ybor

The sheer amount of technology is wonderful and also a bit overwhelming.  Every day there is something new and exciting so I have to sort of stop myself at times and just concentrate on a few tech treasures and try to master them before stumbling into app overload.

Aurasma has been an exciting one that I will be using with my classes this year.  It is sort of like a QR code on steroids where you can link an object to an Aura.  Basically it can make the inanimate object come to life.

Yup, I love to dress up

This past week, I wanted to start out the year by letting the students learn about local history by using Aurasma at Oaklawn Cemetery in downtown Tampa.  The previous day I had gone out there myself to create the Auras linking the selected gravestones to archival pictures and information about the person buried there. 

After having spent time creating them and also experiencing the nightmare of actually falling into an open grave, the only thing left was to see if it worked with the students.  In my gravedigger outfit, I led them out to the cemetery and gave them written clues about who they needed to find.  Despite the insane heat, the kids loved it and got very excited when the auras would appear.  Admittedly, some of the auras did not work, perhaps due to shading at that time of day, but all in all, it was a successful ghost hunt.

As a class we plan on creating auras to make our class an aura filled interactive classroom linking projects to students explanations and making our bulletin boards alive. 

Aurasma has a lot of possibilities and I look forward to hearing what other teachers are using it for.

The Power of a Teacher Note

Those awkward and sometimes distressing days of junior high are never too far from my mind, especially since I am now a middle school teacher and can sometimes see the same struggles I had being played out again in the halls of my school.

Throughout all of this I will always remember the kindness shown to me by my Journalism teacher Ms. Maurer.  After a series of highly regarded movie reviews penned by me for our school newspaper, The Bunkhouse News, including a stirring tribute to the beauty and grace of Dirty Dancing, Ms. Maurer promoted me to editor in chief during the fall of 1988.

I remember working like a dog on that issue, sometimes letting my other subjects slip due to my sheer devotion to the press.  I was never the popular kid in school and sadly suffered a fair amount of abuse, being constantly referred to as "queer" through the hallways because of my lackluster sports skills.  My fawning over Patrick Swayze in my Dirty Dancing review probably didn't help much either.  Regardless, I had some major self esteem issues and the promotion at the hands of Ms. Maurer served as a much needed boost.

Soon before going to press, Ms. Maurer came up to me after an assembly smiling and holding a note.  I will never forget how she simply walked up the bleachers and handed me the note without saying a word and walked away.  This was the first time I had ever been given a note by a teacher and at the time I thought I was being fired from the newspaper.  The note was a simple and sincere thank you for having done a great job on the fall edition of the newspaper.  I was a little stunned by it and read it multiple times throughout the day, each time swelling with pride that someone had noticed and took the time to acknowledge it.

It has been over 25 years and I still have the note proudly framed and hanging up in my house during the summer and in my classroom during the school year.  It reminds me of the power of words, not just spoken words, but also written. 

It has been a goal of mine to do the same for my own students through the years.  Admittedly, I have not as been consistent as I would like to be but each new school year presents us with a new opportunity.  I know that writing an email is simply easier, but I always choose to to go old school and give out a handwritten note sealed with wax.  Hey, it's all about presentation too!

I wish I could find Ms. Maurer and tell her what that note still means to me.  I have attempted to find her through the years with no luck.  Perhaps one day she will stumble across this blog, so Leslie Maurer, if you are out there, thanks for the continued boost and inspiration!

A Gift from Mom

I think we all go through that phase where we are mortified by the thought of being seen with our parents.  I remember clearly asking to be let off at the movie theater 3 blocks away from the entrance, so that everyone would never suspect that I had ever been given birth two by those embarrassing creatures.

My mom especially liked to torment me with her music and would grab anything and turn it into a guitar and wail some Elvis song at the top of her lungs.  My friends always thought it was hilarious but I always wanted to crawl into the nearest closet and hide.


Music was the one constant in our household.  Whenever we had family reunions, my mom's 13, yes 13, brothers and sisters would break out into a beautiful sing along of old gospel hymns, some of which had been written by my grandfather, CC Clements.

My mom passed away after a long illness in 2001 and we were left with the task of cleaning up and clearing out her things.  Mom always had a cedar chest at the foot of her bed which my brother and I were banned from ever going through.

A couple weeks after she died, our dad told us to go through the chest and take what we wanted.  Upon opening the mysterious trunk, we w pored through all kinds of items Mom had kept from our childhood.  Old pajamas, books, assignments both good and bad.  It was a virtual time capsule.

At the bottom of the trunk there was a odd mass of crumbled cellophane that was yellowed and flaking.  I picked it up and began peeling away the layers like an onion.  Much to my surprise it was an old record with my grandmothers writing on it.  Mom had never told us, but she had recorded a demo record with my grandfather and I was holding it in my hands decades after it had been recorded.

I excitedly ran over to a record player that had been gathering dust in my dad's den for the last 20 years and attempted to play the record, but the player had long since broken down.  Where to go?

I finally got the idea to take it to a recording studio and see if they would be willing to play it.  I found one locally and was greeted at the entrance by a giant of a man.  I told him that my mom had just died and that I thought this might be a recording of her.  He seemed interested enough and agreed to throw it on the turntable.  He left me down in the studio and he proceeded up to the booth where he put it on.

After a few very scratchy stops and starts the sounds of my then high school age mother and my grandfather began playing from every speaker in the building.  Within just a few seconds I was sobbing; not only was I hearing my recently deceased mother, it was also the first time I had ever heard my grandfathers voice.  I looked up toward the booth and saw the owner, all 300 masculine pounds of him, also weeping like a baby. 

Although the songs were scratchy and a bit difficult to decipher, one song titled "Don't Tell Me Goodbye" truly resonated with me.  Still in the throes of grief, it seemed like Mom was speaking to me from the grave and telling me that all was well.

It was probably the greatest gift I could have ever hoped to receive.

Lessons from Matthew

Matthew

I can only hope that the path I take in my life can create and leave some positive things for the world around me. I know my path will be both good and bad, but I must continue forward the best I know how. When I reach a barrier or realize a limit, I will simply gather myself fundamentally and continue. 

-Matthew Moore

We have all had varied high school experiences.  Some of us were part of the popular group and were invited to all the best parties, while others of us barely struggled to survive the sea of teenage angst.  I definitely fell into the latter category and often say to others that I should sue Napoleon Dynamite for stealing my look.

Yes, my teenage years were not exactly the best years of my life but they do still hold some valuable lessons that I pass on to my students who are just entering that sometimes troubling time themselves.   Going into high school was panic attack inducing for me.  Feeder schools all cycled into one massive high school and from the moment I got my schedule in the mail, I was frantically calling my limited friend list to see what classes, if any, that we had together.  One of my biggest fears was that I would walk into a class and not know a single person.  Sadly, it came true.

Upon walking into my first history class of the year, I discovered that I did not recognize anyone.  Being a few minutes early, I put my books down on the closest desk and ducked out of the room in hopes of seeing a familiar face coming down the hall.  No such luck.  When I knew that I couldn't delay it any longer, I walked back into the classroom and discovered that someone had taken all my materials and had tossed them to the ground.  To add insult to injury, everything had fresh dirty footprints all over, ruining a binder and fresh stack of paper.  The teacher was nowhere to be seen (smoke break) and several students sat in their chairs giggling at me, seemingly enjoying my pain and embarrassment.  Even as I write this, my hands are shaking just bringing it back into my memory.

Me, glasses and all

I stood there for what seemed like an eternity literally frozen.  I stared at my books but felt immobilized and not sure what to do.  People had picked on me through the years, but this was different.  They were strangers.  I had done nothing wrong except put my books down.  Yes, I did fit the ultra nerd look, but it was not my fault.  I did not choose to have bad vision and wear bottle thick glasses.  I did not choose my bad skin.  I did not choose to have my crazy out of control hair.  (I was still a year or two away from discovering hair gel.)

In the middle of my desperation, a student named Matthew Moore, stood up and became my advocate.  He came over to me and began picking up my books, even straightening out the crumpled papers that seemed beyond repair.  I stood there, still frozen watching him do this.  Once he was done, Matthew put his hand on my shoulder and said "Come on, there's a seat over here" and he took me to sit beside him.  Although still wanting to crawl under a rock, I was so relieved to have Matthew there with me.

My schedule soon changed and I moved out of the class, never to have another class with Matthew again.  Despite that, every time I passed Matthew in the hall, he always smiled at me and asked how I was doing.   No, we were not best friends and we certainly never hung out in the same social groups.  He was one of the most popular kids in school, while I was relegated to dork status, especially once I began the torturous task of getting my jacked up teeth fixed with all sorts of torture devices.

I never got the chance to thank Matthew for what he did for me that day.  If I did, I would say that he was the closest thing to a physical guardian angel that I ever had in my life.  Tragically, Matthew and another student, Seth Adams, were killed on their way back from a spring break trip to Chicago.  Their deaths sent shockwaves throughout the school and left our Senior class in shambles.

Although a long time has passed since Matthew died, I still think of him often.  What was probably to him just two or three minutes of being kind to a stranger, has in reality impacted me for the last 25 years.  Matthew left behind a quote for our literary magazine which says;

"I can only hope that the path I take in my life can create and leave some positive things for the world around me.  I know my path will be both good and bad, but I must continue forward the best I know how.  When I reach a barrier or realize a limit, I will simply gather myself fundamentally and continue."

As a teacher, I try to instill the idea of being kind to one another into my classroom.   The way that they treat each other can have a long lasting impact, either good or bad.  I begin the year by doing a journal writing activity based on Matthew's quote and telling them the story above.  Although, it is a bit uncomfortable for me to share and also embarrassing, it helps to create a personal connection with the kids.  I feel that sharing personal moments like these with the kids can help broaden and open up communication.  There is nothing wrong with showing our humanity to the kids.

I wrote earlier that I never got the chance to thank Matthew, well here it is:  Matthew, thank you for being kind.  Thank you for looking up from your desk and seeing someone in need and taking action rather than doing the easy thing and simply ignoring it.  Thank you for providing a moment that I can share with my students and even though you are gone I hope that I can keep your legacy of kindness alive so that others can learn from it.  You were taken from this world far too early but your memory remains in the hearts of your closest friends, family and a formerly scared kid that you helped when he needed it the most.

Please visit my website at One if by Land Adventures

Let me read your Aura

I have to admit that there are times now that I am absolutely overwhelmed by the technology that is available to us.  Every week it seems that there is something new that will change the face of education.  The challenge is sifting through all of it and finding out what meets the needs of our classes.

Aurasma is one tool that I found to be very interesting and useful.  Sure, when you first hear or read the word it sounds like some sort of disease that would require some serious ointment, but Aurasma is an augmented reality app that could have great potential in the classroom.

Each year, we do a major research project in which students pick a person or event that they would deem worthy of a memorial or monument.  They submit a standard research paper but the true star of their project is the memorial that they design and build a model of.  Through the years, we have had submissions turned in that would rival some of the best memorial designs in D.C. for their sheer symbolic quality.

The issue has always been that when kids bring in their projects, passersby are sometimes left to wonder what their design means.  This year each student filmed themselves giving a guided tour of their project which we then linked in Aurasma.  Now, when looking at the projects, the viewer can simply open the app, point it at the project and the student pops up to explain it virtually.

We also used the app the create interactive bulletin boards as well where short videos were linked to a picture or item.  For example, a picture of former president could be linked to a student created one minute bio.

This year, I plan on exploring Aurasma even more by incorporating it into a family history project.  Every year we do what I call the "panel project" in which students create a hanging timeline of their family history in which they share a family moment while also sharing about what was happening in the United States and the world at that time.  Basically, how were your family members a part of the time they were living in and how were they affected?  Using Aurasma, I plan on having the kids link in interviews with family members.

The fun downside of using the Aurasma app is that now the kids think EVERYTHING has an aura and they are constantly scanning things to see what pops up.  Hey, it's obvious that their curiosity is sparked.  One way I solved this is by printing out the company logo and attaching it to things that have an aura.

Yes, there are many things out there to use and just going through the app store can give you heart palpitations, but I really think that choosing a few and really focusing on those is better than inundating kids with dozens of apps.  In the last year, I have seen quite a bit of app fatigue among colleagues and students.  This year, I plan on developing multiple ways to use Aurasma so the kids feel very comfortable in using it and also using it well.

I welcome any feedback that anyone has about using Aurasma.  I'm sure that I have not begun to scratch the surface of its uses.  Please visit my website at One if by Land Adventures.

A Beekman 4th

Reality television.....love it or hate it, it is definitely a part of the American culture today.  There are a limited number of them that I can take before I feel as if my brain cells are being depleted and I shake my head at the utter nonsense of such shows as Honey Boo Boo and the loads of Kardashian garbage.

That being said, a friend told me about a reality show called The Fabulous Beekman Boys a couple of years ago and I was instantly hooked on the show.  It explores the trials and tribulations of Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge as they move from city living to establishing their own farm and lifestyle brand known as Beekman 1802.  The great thing about the show is there is a true sense of honesty and both Brent and Josh are incredibly likable.  The inhabitants of Sharon Springs, NY are also featured and they add the kind of flair that instantly makes you want to move there.  

Josh and Brent are probably more well known as the winning couple on a recent season of The Amazing Race, which I must admit has been the one reality show that I have been a constant viewer of.    When they were announced as contestants I was very excited to see them on TV once again, but after the first few episodes I honestly kinda figured that each episode would be their last since they were just barely hanging on and other teams seemed to be getting more air time.  Much to my surprise and excitement they ended up winning.  It was seriously the first time I have ever jumped for joy during a TV show.  

Being a geography teacher, I decided to see if the Beekman boys would Skype with my class as an introductory geography lesson.  While Josh and Brent were on the show I was especially impressed with the way they played the game.  Rather than resorting to back stabbing all kinds of negative behavior that is often portrayed on reality shows, they played with dignity and fairness, not forgetting common decency.  I felt that was important lesson for my students to understand.  Luckily, Josh agreed to chat with us and answered the kids questions about the race and what he and Brent learned on their journey around the world.  

When I hit the road earlier this month, I decided to travel up to the Adirondacks and decided to stop by the Beekman 1802 Mercantile for a little shopping trip and hopefully thank Josh in person for Skyping with the kiddos.  When I got there, Brent was manning the store and Josh was nowhere to be seen.  Looking back, I really hope that Brent was not offended by my disappointment that Josh was not there.  

I guess sensing my sadness, Brent told me that they were going to be grilling some hot dogs in the local park and that I should stop by for a visit.  Honestly, I'm not sure whether he was asking me to do a quick meet and greet and then be on my merry way or not.  Regardless, I showed up and and Josh graciously offered me a bourbon slushee which helped ease my nerves a bit.....especially after the second one.

I have never been a social butterfly and meeting new people has always made me freak out a bit.  Small talk has never been one of my strengths, but armed with the slushee, I did manage to chat up some of the locals who were exactly how I thought they would be; very friendly and welcoming.  Despite that, I felt a bit like a party crasher and fidgeted a bit not sure of what to say when the conversation lapsed.  I figured since 2 slushess were doled out then I couldn't have been too unwelcome.  

Toward the end of the evening, Josh asked me out to the farm for an early morning tour which I jumped at the chance at.  Seriously, who would turn that down?  Luckily, The American Hotel, which is featured in the Fabulous Beekman Boys had some availability that night and I was able to stay there, furthering my reality show experience.  The owners, Doug Plummer and Garth Roberts were especially gracious and made me feel more like a long lost relative rather than a hotel guest.  It was the first and most likely last time I will ever be hugged by the owners of a hotel upon checkout!

Selfie with Josh Kilmer-Purcell.  Dang, wanted Brent too!

Luckily the Beekman Farm was easy to find and I seriously hoped that Josh remembered that he had invited me.  I certainly did not want to be that creepy fan that just shows up and knocks on the door.  Despite my initial fears, Josh met me on the porch and proceeded to take me around the property for a little farm and history tour.  The Beekman Mansion is gorgeous and the television show honestly did not do it justice.  Usually when I visit famous locales, I am often a little disappointed due to my elevated expectations.

Josh pointing out details on a tombstone

Josh led my down to the family crypt and explained that the Beekmans had buried their dead in an adjoining field but that it was totally trashed and the tombstones were knocked over.  The recovered tombstones were all relocated into the family crypt which gave it an even more eerie quality even though it was light outside.  One cool thing that Josh pointed out was that some of the family members listed the cause of death on the stones.  One unfortunate member of the family was run over by a carriage at a young age.  Josh hypothesized that they inscribed the cause of death as a warning to others in the family.  In addition, to the stones, there are also some human remains like what appeared to be a jawbone and a tooth.  Josh picked up a pliable piece of material and asked me to guess what it was.  Turned out it was a piece of a lead lined coffin.

Who could go to the Beekman Farm without paying tribute to the famed diva of the property, Polka Spot the resident diva llama.  Polka Spot became a celebrity in her own right on the Fabulous Beekman Boys for often naughty behavior and eccentric personality.  When I entered the barn, Josh pointed out Polka Spot and she immediately cast some shade my way.  She totally earned her diva status by looking at me and then staring me down until I left.  Luckily, Farmer John who tends to the goats was much more personable.

After checking out the barn, Josh told me that I was free to roam around on my own since he was needing to hop in the shower and get ready to head to the mercantile.  Josh and Brent recently got married and he told me to go check out the hill on the property where they conducted the nuptials.  I'm glad that I stuck around and trudged up the hill because the views from up there were like something from a postcard.

When I made it back to my car, Farmer John was mowing and waved at me.  With that, my Beekman adventure came to an end.  I was very fortunate to be able to spend some time in Sharon Springs and with these two very down to earth and friendly men.  I was hoping that the way they were portrayed on television was an honest view, and from my short experience with them, in real life they are even more likable.

Polka Spot staring me down.

A visit to Sharon Spring is highly recommended and even if you can't make it there you can order the Beekman brand and get some amazing recipes at Beekman 1802.  Honestly, I got the Mortgage Lifter Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta and kept just eating it out of the jar with a spoon.  The Salty Goat Fudge Cookies I bought were originally meant to be a gift, but they did not survive very long on the car with me.

The Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs, New York