“…To me who lived in South Korea for 11 years, India was quite new to me. Everything was new, such as roads, buildings, and people…” – Out of Eden Learn student, Cookieman (Yoobin), Chennai, India.
Tae Yeon’s Map
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Gallery Walk: Neighborhood Mapping & Storytelling – Out of Eden Project
21 Mar
Aditya and Nolan present Out of Eden Walk.
Gallery Walk and Peer Review
Mr. Phan and Mr. Hicks listen to Alexandre and Vikram talk about their project.
Gallery Walk
AISC Tech Director, Mr. Crouch, and Mr. Phan, M.S. Principal, look at student work.
Mr. Hoover, Head of School, learns about the Out of Eden Project.
Tsukiho’s map is featured on the Out of Eden Learn Instagram profile. Great work, Tsukiho.
Mr. Stanmeyer sees student work and replies.
Students completed their neighborhood map activity this week for their Out of Eden Footstep #2 project. On Thursday and Friday, we had a gallery walk where students shared their maps and their stories. We invited some special guests, including Mr. Hoover (Head of School), Mr. Phan (M.S. Principal), Mr. Hicks (Associate Principal), Mr. Crouch (Technology Director), 5th grade teachers (Ms. Becky, Ms. Shobhana, Ms. Megha), Ms. Mac (7th grade L.A.) and others. Students commented on other projects and some students volunteered to present the Out of Eden Learn project and Mr. Salopek’s walk to guests. Thank you to the special guests who took time our of their busy schedules to come to our classrooms!
Mr. Martin ‘tweeted’ a couple photos of the gallery walk days and was pleased to see Mr. John Stanmeyer see our photo via Twitter and the hashtags I used. He replied to Mr. Martin and retweeted our photo to all of his followers. Mr. Stanmeyer is the photographer who has taken many of Paul’s photos, including the National Geographic photo featured in the image above. His picture of African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night became World Press Photo of the Year 2013.
This is the power of social media when someone can see the great work going on our classrooms. It’s an authentic or real audience! Here is Mr. Stanmeyer’s award winning photo below. You can find other great photos on the Out of Eden Walk Blog/Dispatch and by ‘Googling’ his name. If you love photography, check out his website here: http://www.stanmeyer.com/
Mr. Martin, Mrs. Hall, and Ms. Jaya are very proud of your efforts and we have featured a few of the maps here. You can see all of them if you stop by our classrooms. Next week we will give you time to look at other maps and stories from the Out of Eden site, and you can provide feedback to other students in our walking party.
African migrants on the shore of Djibouti City at night raise their phones in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia—a tenuous link to relatives abroad. Djibouti is a common stop-off point for migrants in transit from such countries as Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, seeking a better life in Europe and the Middle East. (Photo by John Stanmeyer) – Source: World Press Photo
National Geographic Magazine December 2013 cover – Our Greatest Journey – The story of Paul Salopek. (PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN STANMEYER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC)
Mr. Salopek saw your maps. Here’s his re-tweet of this blog post.
Neighborhood Map Gallery Walk
16 Mar
Due to MAP Testing this week, we had to postpone our gallery walk to Thursday and Friday. We will have some special guests coming to our classes to see your project. You need to be prepared to talk about your map and the Out of Eden Learn project. Here are some things you need to think about before this activity.
1) How would you explain Paul’s journey or the Out of Eden Walk?
2) How does your map relate to what Paul is doing?
3) What is something new or interesting you learned about your neighborhood through this activity?
Please make sure all maps are turned in by Wednesday at the latest and add your story to the document we shared with you. Some of you need to make small revisions to your story.
Out of Eden Q & A
7 Mar
Paul reaches Milestone 27, near Mt. Subhan, Turkey (image source: Out of Eden Walk Facebook Page)
The Out of Eden Learn group from Project Zero at Harvard University recently traveled to Georgia to meet with Paul Salopek. We sent a number of questions from our classes. He answered a couple of them, along with several other questions from around the world. You can see his responses in this blog post HERE. You can also read his last blog post, Trail’s End from his blog.
Creating a Neighborhood Map
27 Feb
Out of Eden Learn student shares a detailed neighborhood map from Mumbai, India (Image Source: Out of Eden Learn)
Out of Eden Learn student shares a detailed neighborhood map from from New York, New York, United States (Image Source: Out of Eden Learn)
Out of Eden Learn student shares a detailed neighborhood map from Canada (Image Source: Out of Eden Learn)
Out of Eden Learn student shares a detailed neighborhood map from Lahore, Pakistan (Image Source: Out of Eden Learn Facebook Page)
A neighborhood map by Out of Eden Learn student in Illinois, United States
A student example from Mumbai, India (Image source: Out of Eden Learn blog).
This week we launched Footstep #2 in our Out of Eden Learn project. Students learned what a milestone is and looked at some of Paul’s milestones during his journey. The first project for Footstep #2 is to create a neighborhood map and to write a story about your neighborhood or the area where you live. Directions for the project were shared in class and they are available on our Moodle page as well. The due dates and expectations, along with a rubric are in on the document in Moodle.
Are You a Power Puncher?
24 Feb
Over 700 schools on Out of Eden Learn
Photo by Paul Salopek (Image source from Out of Eden Walk Facebook Page)
This week we will start Footstep 2. Before that, we will reflect on our writing and blog posts for Electronic Oasis. Are your reflections shallow or deep? What is a shallow or deep reflection anyway? Our goal is to help you to become a stronger reader and writer, one who makes deep reflections where you ‘power punch’ your way to really good insights. Check out this map of all of the schools (700+) involved with the Out of Eden Learn project!
Electronic Oasis
8 Feb“Water is gold in the Afar Triangle of Ethiopia. No surprise. It’s in one of the hottest deserts in the world. Walking for three days recently near the western scarp of the Rift Valley, guide Ahmed Alema Hessan and I found one smear of muddy rainwater to ease our camels’ thirst. But we stumbled across a new type of waterhole a day later—a coveted oasis of electrons, the village of Dalifagi.” – Out of Eden Walk, January 28, 2013 Dispatch
The ‘Sole Brothers’ dispatch was a practice reflection and introduction to Paul’s journey. Your final assignment for Footstep #1 is to respond to Paul’s dispatch entitled ‘Electronic Oasis’. Follow the directions on the Out of Eden (OOE) Learn site and remember to write your reflection to these questions below before adding them to the OOE site. Time will be given in class to work on this activity this week. Copy and paste your reflection in the comment section by Sunday. All comments will moderated and approved Sunday night at 9:00pm, Feb. 15th.
What caught your attention or interested you about Paul’s article? What questions or wonders do you now have?
Here is a short video this gives you a picture of what Ethiopia looks like:
“Sole Brothers” – Out of Eden Learn
1 Feb This week we launched our first “footstep” for the Out of Eden Learn Project (Project Zero @ Harvard University). Students watched two videos to learn more about Paul Salopek’s journey following the path of human migration. They learned about ‘slow journalism’ and his reasons for taking this trip. Paul began his journey in January 2013 in Ethiopia (see the map). He is currently in Tbilisi, Georgia for the winter. Our first ‘footstep’ is a practice one and asked you to engage in Paul’s journey and to respond to these questions:
1) What caught your attention or interested you about Paul’s article (Sole Brothers)?
2) What questions or wonders do you now have (about this article or Paul’s journey)?
Copy and paste your answers to these questions from your Out of Eden Learn Document into a comment box and share your answers. Also, reflect on the beginning of Paul’s story:
“Footwear is a hallmark of modern identity. How best to glimpse an individual’s core values at the start of the 21st century? Look down at their feet—not into their eyes.”
3) What can you learn about someone, or their values from their footwear? (see photos of grade 6 footwear)?
Image credit: Photograph by John Stanmeyer-VII (Out of Eden Walk blog).
Ethiopia, the starting place of Paul’s journey.
Paul is currently in the country of Georgia.
Out of Eden Learn – Introduction
23 JanThis semester we will bring you an exciting new learning opportunity with the Out of Eden Learn Project. You have been introduce to Paul Salopek’s journey in class and via his blog which is linked as an RSS feed on our blog. We will now take things a step further and join a ‘walking party’ with other students around the world. Here is a brief description of the project from the Out of Eden Learn website:
Out of Eden Learn is a unique online learning community designed to accompany Paul Salopek’s Out of Eden Walk. Through Out of Eden Learn, students from around the world can engage in Paul’s journey and all that it represents. They explore their own neighborhoods, investigate contemporary global issues, and reflect on how they as individuals fit into a broader geographical and historical context. In addition, they share their perspectives and interact with one another on an exciting digital platform that uses social media as a springboard for deep, meaningful learning. The goal is to ignite students’ interest in the wider world and support them to become more informed, thoughtful, and engaged “global citizens.” Out of Eden Learn is an initiative of Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in collaboration with Paul Salopek.
This week we will finish creating a username (not your name) and finding an avatar that you will use for this project. Next week we will introduce you to project, discuss how it will be organized. Project Zero will soon organize walking parties and place us in a group. We are sure you will enjoy this semester-long project.
Out of Eden Walk: Paul Faces Obstacles
16 Dec
Trail to Kars, Turkey. Photo by Murat Yazar (Facebook Page – Out of Eden Walk, Dec. 9, 2014)
“As opposed to the first year, which was high adventure and culture and deep history, the turmoil in the Middle East did knock me sideways,” he said.
This week, National Public Radio’s Morning Edition‘s Steve Inskeep caught up with Salopek in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he plans to hunker down for the winter. Listen to his five minute story and see the related article on this link.
Click the link below to learn more about Paul’s journey and to find out his plans for the winter. We will join Project Zero’s (Harvard University) Out of Eden Learn Project after the winter break.
NPR Story and Interview
Out of Eden: Mother Rivers
30 NovPaul Salopek’s Out of Eden blog features a new dispatch. Paul is still in Turkey and moving east. You can read his new dispatch (blog post) entitled Mother Rivers. It features information on the effects of dam building on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers:
In Turkey, hundreds of dams big and small stopper the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates, the two most fabled rivers in history, the streams that moisten the Fertile Crescent. The government insists that these tons of poured concrete are essential for agricultural self-sufficiency, for irrigation, and through hydropower to help reduce the country’s dependency on foreign energy. Environmentalists and archaeologists disagree. The rivers are throttled, they say. And if the Tigris and Euphrates can be deemed the mothers of modern urban life—the nurturers of history’s first cities—then the frenzy of construction, they say, represents a form of parental abuse.
Read this National Geographic article about the dams. Paul also introduces us to his two guides.
Pilgrim Roads: Out of Eden Journey
19 Nov“For almost two years, the Out of Eden Walk project, which traces the global spread of early humans, has taken Paul Salopek from Africa’s Great Rift Valley to the Middle East, birthplace of cities and agriculture. On this stretch of his journey, Salopek left the “oceanic vistas of Arabia” to trek the ancient corridor of the Jordan River Valley to Jerusalem and the West Bank, a route long the focus of conquest and conversion.” – Ryan Morris, NGM Staff
Paul Salopek is still walking in Turkey. A few updates on his journey: He has just written an article for National Geographic that will appear in the next issue. This article is about his walk through the Middle East. You can see it HERE. Also, this is a map of his journey there. Finally, here is a brief video (less than two minutes long) about his experience there.
“Pastures of stone. The Kurdish nomad heartland, near Mt. Karacadag, Turkey.” Image source: Out of Eden Walk – Facebook Page
“A palate of whites. A nomad breakfast—yoghurt, goat cheese, roasted peppers, honey. Mt. Karacadag, Turkey.” (Image source: Facebook Out of Eden Walk page)
Out of Eden in Ancient Mesopotamia & Club Update
7 Nov
Thirsty mule eyes Euphrates River. Photo by Murat Yazar, as it appears on the Out of Eden Walk Facebook Page
This photo appeared on the Out of Eden Facebook page today. We are currently studying ancient Mesopotamia and Paul is walking near the Euphrates River. Here is a recent blog dispatch from him entitled, Loose Thread on the Silk Road. Here is a link to the Out of Eden Map Room where you can see his current location. Turkey is a large country and it will take time to get to the eastern border.
In regard to the Out of Eden Club, there does not seem to be enough interest right now. We realize a lot of students are involved in clubs and sports. We’re all busy! Our SS/LA team is going to look at some options where we can all participate and do the activities created by Project Zero and the Out of Eden Learn program. Stay tuned for more information!
Out of Eden Walk: Mesopotamian Moon God
30 Oct
Photo by Paul on Salopek – posted on his Our of Eden Walk Facebook page, 10/30/14
We are now studying ancient Mesopotamia. Paul Salopek just added this photo to his Facebook page today. Home of the Mesopotamian moon god Sin. Center of medieval Islamic learning. Erased by Mongols. Harran, Turkey. Paul is here (click on the map to enlarge):
Out of Eden: Paul Answers More Questions
27 Oct
Untouchables among refugees: destitute Turkmen nomads from Syria. Kilis, Turkey. (Photo by Paul Salopek)
During the vacation, Paul Salopek wrote me directly for the first time and answered some more questions from our students. Please see his response below and read his two latest dispatches on his blog, Out of Eden.
First: Yes, I would be interested in visiting your school because I have been making educational presentations starting from the trail head in Ethiopia. I can’t guarantee when I’ll be near your area (as you note, the closest I will come is northern India) because the route ahead is so unpredictable. So let’s just keep in touch about this–it could be early to mid-2015.
Again, your interest in the walk is keenly appreciated. I’m glad to have your school walking along.
Warm regards, P.
===
1) What is a typical day like for a child or teenager like in the refugee camp in Kilis (from Sriya, Bahraini)?
The children in some ways have it easier than adults, because at least they can attend a camp-run school. After classes, they help with small chores in their homes, which are shipping containers–those long metal cubes that fit on the back of lorries–refitted to serve as shelters. There are several playgrounds in the camp, too. But what the children don’t have a normal town or village setting to grow up in. Their future is uncertain. For example, once they graduate from primary school, there is no guarantee that they can continue to study in secondary school, because all such schools are taught in Turkish–the language of the host country. For the parents, life is even worse: Without work, without a way to earn an income, they are trapped in the camp with no future at all.
2) What percentage (approximately) of the children are separated from their parents or family (from Lucie, France)?
Good question. I don’t have an answer. All the children I met were with their families. Children who lost their parents in the war have two options: be taken in by relatives, or go to government-run orphanages. Many of the children with families are missing fathers–many of the refugee men have stayed behind in Syria to guard family property or fight in the war.
3) What initially inspired you to take this journey (from Sunny, S. Korea and Alice, France)?
Storytelling. I had been working as a journalist for many years, and decided that this project would be a good way to tie together all that I have learned, and to string together an important series of questions–where we came from, who we are, where we are going–into a single long journey story. We all love travel stories. This is a very old way of communicating knowledge. It goes back to the very beginning of humankind.
Thanks for your great questions.
Paul.
A Journey of Learning
8 OctPaul Salopek shares a video message to students around the world from Turkey where he currently is on his Out of Eden Walk. His latest blog post is entitled ‘This is not a life.” It is about his time in a refugee camp in Turkey on the border of Syria. Check it out!
Out of Eden Walk
19 Sep
Source: pulitzercenter.org
In class we are learning about early humans and migration. Follow this great story and blog by National Geographic writer, Paul Salopek as he makes a seven year journey following the footsteps of man. His Out of Eden blog can be found here. Read more about his project here:
From 2013 to 2020, writer Paul Salopek is recreating that epic journey on foot, starting at humankind’s birthplace in Ethiopia and ending at the southern tip of South America, where our forebears ran out of horizon. Along the way he is engaging with the major stories of our time — from climate change to technological innovation, from mass migration to cultural survival — by walking alongside the people who inhabit these headlines every day. Moving at the slow beat of his footsteps, Paul is also seeking the quieter, hidden stories of people who rarely make the news.
You can follow his blog or dispatches on our class blog. There is an RSS feed listed on the right side of the blog and you will see his most recent posts. You can also ask Mr. Salopek questions about his journey. He posts thematic maps here and you can see where he currently is, if you see this Google Map. This is a very cool story, one that you can follow for the next several years. In class, we are brainstorming questions we would ask Paul. We will collect the best questions and post a message on his blog, Out of Eden Walk. Hopefully we will respond during his trek. Below is a video playlist about his journey and human migration (see pages 46-47 in our textbook).
Out of Eden – A Journey Through Time
21 Apr
National Geographic – Dec. 2013 issue
What is the Out of Eden Project?
From 2013 to 2020, writer Paul Salopek is recreating that epic journey on foot, starting at humankind’s birthplace in Ethiopia and ending at the southern tip of South America, where our forebears ran out of horizon. Along the way he is engaging with the major stories of our time — from climate change to technological innovation, from mass migration to cultural survival — by walking alongside the people who inhabit these headlines every day. Moving at the slow beat of his footsteps, Paul is also seeking the quieter, hidden stories of people who rarely make the news.
Their tales highlight a central truth of our humanity in this globalized age: The most important narratives of our time, once monopolized by the developed world, now increasingly appear at the world’s margins. Click here to learn more about the Out of Eden Project. We have created an RSS feed on the right side of the blog where you can see dispatches or blog posts from Paul Salopek’s journey. The website, map room link, and other information are very interesting, and we believe this will be an interesting journey to follow over the next seven years. You can follow his journey using a variety of social media sites – Twitter, Facebook, and the Dispatches blog to name a few.
Source: Out of Eden
Out of Eden Walk
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