December 03, 2024
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Hampden students blog from Costa Rica On an extended field trip with their biology teacher, high schoolers have ‘a totally different experience’ and use the web to share their findings

HAMPDEN – When teacher Serena Morris traveled to Costa Rica in October, she took all of her high school biology students along.

While only 17 Hampden Academy students boarded the plane bound for the Central American country, the 75 who remained home followed their teacher and classmates’ journey on the Web.

Students back home completed assignments about a different Costa Rican location each day, which corresponded with where Morris and the other students were staying.

Meanwhile, the students on the trip were experiencing the country’s culture, climate and cuisine. Each night, the students gathered to reflect on the day’s adventures and composed a blog that was posted on the school’s Web site. Parents, classmates and friends could read the blog to keep apprised of the adventures and give peace of mind to families.

“I wanted to take the trip because of my love for travel and expand the students’ horizons,” Morris said. “Travel gives a person so much more depth.”

Morris said she began planning the trip in 2006 and collaborated with English and history teachers to create a curriculum for the four-credit pass-fail course funded by the students. In addition to teaming with other educators, Morris said she wanted to use technology to continue teaching those beyond her tropical classroom. Michael Hart, SAD 22’s technology director, came on board, as did a digital camera, video camera and laptop.

Costa Rica is the perfect destination for a biology trip because 5 percent of the Earth’s species live in the West Virginia-size country that has 12 different ecosystems, Morris said.

Over the summer, students investigated the country’s religion, education, music and language, and then were required to compare what they learned about Costa Rica to Maine. Instead of writing these entries in a journal collected at the beginning of the school year, though, students posted responses on an internal computer server where they could dialogue with one another and agree or disagree with others’ conclusions. Upon their return, they had to post again noting how their preconceptions of the country changed during the trip. Additionally, they wrote field guides for 12 plants and animals and had to present a digital creation of their adventures to an outside group.

“Being up in Maine, you don’t get a whole lot of culture,” student Jonathan Heeren said when he presented his experiences to the SAD 22 board of directors. “We’ve got potatoes and stuff, but going to Costa Rica, going to a Third World country, is a totally different experience.”

Students returned home telling stories of 70-degree temperatures, two tropical storms, landslides and pouring tropical rain. They also reminisced about active volcanoes puffing black smoke, horseback riding, magnificent waterfalls, kayaking trips and a zip-line tour through the rain forest canopy. A highlight for many students was the visit to a local school.

“It was amazing to go to the school and see how amazing it is,” said student Abigail Sherburne. “They had one teacher in a small classroom, and it was all open with no doors. It was really eye-opening.”

Morris said the Cabecceras School, located near Monteverde, educated students in kindergarten through grade six. The Hampden Academy travelers adored the Costa Rican youngsters, and particularly enjoyed a dance performance put on by the children, Sherburne said. In a pickup game, Hampden Academy soccer stars were humbled by the skills of their young Central American comrades, the students joked.

“The most compelling experience they had was visiting the school,” Morris said. “They saw a lack of resources, and then realized what they were doing. [They knew] to make the most of their trip.”

As quickly as the students moved from one exciting experience to another, Hart scrambled to update the group’s Web site, despite numerous obstacles. One night, he walked about three miles to post a blog entry using a hotel computer, and just as Hart went to submit the work, the power surged. At other stops throughout their trip, the electricity had been out for days because of tropical storms, so reliable posting was impossible. But the Internet was more economical than the alternative.

“One phone company has a monopoly on the phone service,” Hart said. “I think my credit card was charged close to $100 for a quick call home.”

trobbins@bangordailynews.net

990-8074


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