There is a brand-new exhibit at National Geographic that I had to share with everyone!
Coming to us from Canada, Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology is now open at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC.
This exhibit has a dual purpose: to take the visitor in-depth into the trilogy of Indiana Jones movies, while at the same time educating the public about the real-time work that archaeologists do and the science behind them. I am happy to say that this exhibit succeeded wonderfully at both!
Now on through January 3, 2016. Come on down and explore the roots of the Living Museum!
http://www.indianajonestheexhibition.com
Friday, May 29, 2015
Friday, May 1, 2015
Back to the Field
Happy Spring, fellow wayfarers!
I apologize for the long delay! April is the beginning of testing season for the public school system, and while I don't have to take the tests, administering them in accordance with each child's IEP and 504 really takes it out of you!
I attended a fascinating lecture at the National Museum of Natural History the other day and I want to share it with you all. The lecture was offered as part of the Castle Lecture series and was entitled "Ethics in the Anthropocene". [www.si.edu/consortia/castlelectureseries]
Here is a basic definition of terms to get you started;
Anthropocene: The age of humans, wherein humanity is seen as a geological force. It is being proposed that this term be used to describe the age that we are living in now, at the end of the Holocene. Characterized by collective human domination of nature fed by a large population and correspondingly large levels of consumption, as well as power of and reliance on technology which make action at spatial and temporal distance possible. [as proposed by Dale Jamieson, Reason in a Dark Time]
Ethics: a code or series of codes of behavior and/or conduct by which one lives one's life.
Ethics of the Anthropocene: now that it has been proven that humans are/have altered the planet, what are the new responsibilities we have as the dominant species on the planet to preserve and protect it?
Dale Jamieson proposed a new code of ethics for this epoch which he named the "Green Ethics" consisting of:
- Preservation, couched in Humility
- Rehabilitation, couched in Temperance
- Creation, couched in Mindfulness, Cooperativeness, and Respect for Nature.
He proposed these ethics in light of his belief that Morality needs to be revised in order to catch up with the times, such as in the areas of civil rights, animal rights, and the rise of capitalism.
This latest lecture was given by Dale Jamieson and had a panel response consisting of Dr. Rick Potts, Connie Bertka, Elliott Dorff, Fred Edwords, David Haberman, Betty Holley, and Nancy Howell.
In the Classroom: This information dovetails with current public school lessons in a number of ways. I've listed a few below and would be very interested to hear your thoughts and reactions. (I don't mention private schools simply because I have no experience teaching at them. I'm sure that similar lesson plans could be made to accommodate these needs.)
School-wide
- the importance of recycling programs, and the recent rise in popularity of school gardens and composting
- the importance of being global citizens, and what that means
- taking responsibility for your actions
- careful consideration of what job you will have one day, and how that job will affect the stability of our world
Science
- studying the changing chemistry of our world to see how it has been affected
- studying the changing chemistry of our world to see how we can repair the damage
- examining the adaptations of plants and animals to this new environment
Mathematics
- calculating the rate at which the planet's atmosphere is changing
- calculating the rate at which the population is growing and the amount of resources we consume
- calculating the rate at which we would need to replace those resources and the probability of doing so
Biology
- examining the changing morphology in human beings over the ages
- can we predict what changes will occur next?
- what animal species have we already lost?
History
- has this phenomenon happened at any other time in history?
- is there a historical precedent?
- what can we learn from the past to impact the future?
Language Arts
- how do we talk to each other about what has happened?
- do we need to create new terminology?
- we need to learn how to calmly and rationally approach this issue and look for solutions.
The question I would like to leave you with is this: In light of our new information on the effect humanity is having on the planet, do our ethics and moral codes need revision? Or are there already moral codes in place that account for these changes?
The lines are open - let discussion abound!
I apologize for the long delay! April is the beginning of testing season for the public school system, and while I don't have to take the tests, administering them in accordance with each child's IEP and 504 really takes it out of you!
I attended a fascinating lecture at the National Museum of Natural History the other day and I want to share it with you all. The lecture was offered as part of the Castle Lecture series and was entitled "Ethics in the Anthropocene". [www.si.edu/consortia/castlelectureseries]
Here is a basic definition of terms to get you started;
Anthropocene: The age of humans, wherein humanity is seen as a geological force. It is being proposed that this term be used to describe the age that we are living in now, at the end of the Holocene. Characterized by collective human domination of nature fed by a large population and correspondingly large levels of consumption, as well as power of and reliance on technology which make action at spatial and temporal distance possible. [as proposed by Dale Jamieson, Reason in a Dark Time]
Ethics: a code or series of codes of behavior and/or conduct by which one lives one's life.
Ethics of the Anthropocene: now that it has been proven that humans are/have altered the planet, what are the new responsibilities we have as the dominant species on the planet to preserve and protect it?
Dale Jamieson proposed a new code of ethics for this epoch which he named the "Green Ethics" consisting of:
- Preservation, couched in Humility
- Rehabilitation, couched in Temperance
- Creation, couched in Mindfulness, Cooperativeness, and Respect for Nature.
He proposed these ethics in light of his belief that Morality needs to be revised in order to catch up with the times, such as in the areas of civil rights, animal rights, and the rise of capitalism.
This latest lecture was given by Dale Jamieson and had a panel response consisting of Dr. Rick Potts, Connie Bertka, Elliott Dorff, Fred Edwords, David Haberman, Betty Holley, and Nancy Howell.
In the Classroom: This information dovetails with current public school lessons in a number of ways. I've listed a few below and would be very interested to hear your thoughts and reactions. (I don't mention private schools simply because I have no experience teaching at them. I'm sure that similar lesson plans could be made to accommodate these needs.)
School-wide
- the importance of recycling programs, and the recent rise in popularity of school gardens and composting
- the importance of being global citizens, and what that means
- taking responsibility for your actions
- careful consideration of what job you will have one day, and how that job will affect the stability of our world
Science
- studying the changing chemistry of our world to see how it has been affected
- studying the changing chemistry of our world to see how we can repair the damage
- examining the adaptations of plants and animals to this new environment
Mathematics
- calculating the rate at which the planet's atmosphere is changing
- calculating the rate at which the population is growing and the amount of resources we consume
- calculating the rate at which we would need to replace those resources and the probability of doing so
Biology
- examining the changing morphology in human beings over the ages
- can we predict what changes will occur next?
- what animal species have we already lost?
History
- has this phenomenon happened at any other time in history?
- is there a historical precedent?
- what can we learn from the past to impact the future?
Language Arts
- how do we talk to each other about what has happened?
- do we need to create new terminology?
- we need to learn how to calmly and rationally approach this issue and look for solutions.
The question I would like to leave you with is this: In light of our new information on the effect humanity is having on the planet, do our ethics and moral codes need revision? Or are there already moral codes in place that account for these changes?
The lines are open - let discussion abound!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)