November, 1998

Mark Weaver, a 1997 Milken Educator from Indiana, is using his Milken Educator Award to look for polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba - and sharing the experience with his students through the power of technology.

Churchill, Manitoba, is a small Canadian town on the western coast of Hudson Bay, roughly on the same latitude as Oslo, Norway. Temperatures there regularly dip below zero. It's the kind of town you can get to only by plane or by train - a place where dogsleds are as common as taxicabs in New York City, and where the aurora borealis shimmers like a natural light show in the sky.

Strange and wondrous sights for a teacher from Indianapolis.

The teacher is Mark Weaver, and such sights are part of why he came last week all the way from the American midwest to this tiny, snow-covered northern village. But perhaps the most amazing sight of all - and the main reason Mark Weaver has made this long journey - is not found in Churchill. It's about 25 miles away, on the icy banks of Hudson Bay, one of the largest denning areas in the world for Ursus maritimus - known to the Eskimos as "Nanuuq," and to the rest of us as the polar bear.

> Northern Experience       Project    > Clay Jr. High School    > Milken Educator Profile    > Churchill, Manitoba Map

Each year, from late October through mid-November, a large number of these bears migrate to the area near Churchill, hunting the frozen waters of the bay for their favorite food, the ringed seal. It's an exciting sight to behold for a biology and life sciences teacher, but even more exciting is the opportunity to share the experience with his students back home. Thanks to technology, Mark is able to do just that.

Although physically speaking Mark is making this trip alone, in a "virtual" sense his science classes at Clay Junior High School in Indianapolis are right there with him - as is anyone else with a Web browser. On his "Northern Experience" Web site, Mark is keeping a daily journal of his adventure and posting daily photos that he takes with a digital camera. It's a classic example of how technology can be used to bridge vast distances and bring students closer to the subjects they are studying.

A large portion of the technology and expenses required for Mark's trip was paid for with the Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which Mark received in 1997. In addition to the unrestricted $25,000 award, Mark also received considerable training in education technology at the 1998 Milken Family Foundation National Education Conference in June. With projects like "Northern Experience," Mark demonstrates how the gifts an educator receives can often radiate out to his students, and sometimes to the world-at-large.

The "Northern Experience" site also features a history of the project, a project schedule and itinerary, a required reading list for his 6th-8th grade students, a suggested reading list, related links, and a rundown of the project's relationship to Indiana's science education proficiency standards. The site is also quite easy to navigate, with an option to return to the Opening Page from anywhere on the site.

According to Mark, the bulk of the polar bear photos will be taken the weekend of November 6-8. Since the photos take a while to post, they may not be available until Sunday, November 8. Other scheduled events include a tour of the surrounding tundra and visits to an Eskimo museum, Churchill's Natural Studies Center, and other interesting local sights.

Mark's "Northern Experience" will end on November 12, when he returns to Indianapolis. Soon thereafter he will be back in the classroom, reviewing his experience with the students that have been tracking his progress on the Internet. Thanks to technology, the class will probably seem more like reminiscence than review - like traveling companions sharing the high points of a trip they all took to a little northern town called Churchill, and the natural wonders they encountered there in pursuit of the great white polar bear.

Article by Johnny Cho
Photographs courtesy of Mark Weaver

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