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Those of you who have been with us for a few months will remember guestblogger Silvia Tolisano, technology integration facilitator at San Jose Episcopal Day School (SJEDS) in Jacksonville, Florida. In a series of three posts Silvia described her work using web 2.0 technologies, maps (both the traditional sort and new generation tools), and a teddy bear named José to bring the world—and 21st century learning—to her students.

 Silvia’s been busy this fall exploring new sites and sharing her adventures with the students at SJEDS and the rest of the World Wide Web. In the third of her international expeditions, Silvia and fellow SJEDS educator Mrs. Pickering journey to Costa Rica and Peru in Latin America. They’ve even worked up a fun theme playing off of the popularity of the latest Indiana Jones film: “Indiana José and the Quest for Pachamama.” José the teddy bear is tasked with finding a crystal skull to unlock the “Book of Knowledge,” as explained in this excerpt from Silvia’s travel blog:

"Indiana Jones gave Mrs. Pickering, Mrs. Tolisano and me very clear instructions.

We absolutely HAVE to find Pachamama. Indiana Jones said that Pachamama is the only one that can help save the rainforest and so many endangered animals that live there. If we don’t find Pachamama, they will disappear from earth FOREVER.

We can’t let that happen!!

The problem is though, we don’t know who Pachamama is and where we can find her.

Indiana Jones told us that the the only way to find Pachamama is if we are able to return a piece of quartz that has fallen out of some crystal skull. We need to find it and return the quartz. It is  the ONLY way to open THE Book of Knowledge that will reveal who and where Pachamama is…

Indiana Jones gave me, José the travel bear, a flash drive that is guarding the quartz. I am keeping it safe in my pouch. I can’t loose it. Mrs. Pickering, Mrs. Tolisano and I are on our way to Costa Rica and Peru and we have promised Indiana Jones that we would find a way to save the precious animals and their habitat."

Oh the drama! The adventure! The…rich learning opportunities!

I hope you’ll follow along with Silvia and the students at SJEDS as they travel around Latin Americain search of Pachamama. I can’t stress enough how wonderful the blog is as an example of how to use technology to bring real-world learning to students.

Of course, geographic knowledge and skills are central to Silvia’s Latin America blogging curriculum. But read just a couple posts and you’ll quickly discover an impressive breadth of interdisciplinary focus. Here a few of my favorites from the Costa Rica leg of the trip covering a range of topics:

1. Bon Voyage! Don’t miss videos and pictures from the kickoff event at SJEDS; these really provide context and set the tone for the journey. I think you’ll find the students’ excitement contagious!

2. Stages of the Butterfly. Can you put the developmental stages of the butterfly in the correct order? Watch the video for clues!(biology)

      3. Fruits of Costa Rica. Warning: Do not read this post if hungry; it will leave your mouth watering.
        I remember when I traveled to Costa Rica and was similarly awestruck to see pineapples growing--
        in bushes on the ground! (agriculture)

      4. President’s House. Did you know that voting is mandatory in Costa Rica?
        Talk about civic participation. (civics/politics)

5. Miguel Angel and Chepe. Meet Miguel Angel, intrepid tour guide whose family regularly hosts foreign exchange students. Can you calculate when the Arenal Volcano had its last major eruption? [It’s still experiencing minor eruptions and lava flows today—this was one of my favorite sites when I traveled to Costa Rica five years ago!(foreign exchange/math)

6. Coffee, Café, Grano de Oro. Mmmmm coffee. (science, agriculture, global economics/fair trade)

7. Money! Learn about Costa Rican currency. (math/exchange rates)

8. Cloud Forest. I can tell you from my own travels that these regions are aptly--and not merely fancifully--named. They truly are forests amidst the clouds! (animals, sustainable tourism, geographic coordinates)

9. Crocodile Safari. Dramatic video of a real crocodile encounter. ¡Ten cuidado José!

      10. Off to Perú. Silvia has a layover in Quito before heading to Lima, Perú. (maps, geography)

I’ll feature highlights from Silvia and José’s trip to Peru next week on the blog. Stay tuned!

Sarah for My Wonderful World

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