October 2023 Newsletter
For the many years we’ve been putting out this newsletter, our focus has always been inspiring you. This month we’re starting with a way of getting stories you might not have tried yet, and trust us, if you give them a proper listen, you’ll come away better for it!
Stories of Inspiration
Our founder, Rushton Hurley, has been the program lead for his service group, the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, for almost half a decade. Over that time, the team has interviewed some off-the-charts amazing people, and the best of them are now available to you in a podcast. Check out these as examples:
There’s an organization that will send a teen a check for a thousand dollars to pass along to someone in need the teen nominates.
There’s a world record holder whose excellence came from losing his sight.
There’s a company in Singapore innovatively making it possible for companies to create cultured seafood for their local markets.
You’ll find all of these stories in the Inspiring Solutions for a Better World podcast, and we think you’ll decide these are stories that can inspire your students, as well.
Featuring Favorites
Perhaps the most popular piece of our little website is now the set of posts that takes a really interesting (but short) video and combines it with some discussion or writing prompts. Recent posts:
Have you ever thought about grass (that green stuff on the ground) as a tool for art? In our post, Grass Portraits, you’ll learn about British artists Dan Harvey and Heather Ackroyd and how they make it happen.
What can you learn from a place far, far away? In our post, Lessons from Ice, you’ll hear of the passion of Cristina Mittermeier for Antarctica and what the continent has taught her.
What might it cost to work on something that may take years to accomplish? How might you think of the risk and the reward? Learn about Indonesian eco-warrior Sadiman and why people in his community initially called him a “madman.”
Find all the Next Vista Inspiring Videos series of posts at this link, and enjoy the wealth of activities these posts give you!
Super Sips
Last month, our winners were Konni in den Bosch and Karen Stepic, and they have hopefully had great moments of sipping on a nice drink, Next Vista’s treat, while enjoying a cool autumn breeze.
If you figure that should be you when we next send out news of caffeine wins, you can enter by letting us know which of the podcast episodes featured in the first section you tried listening to and what you thought of it/them.
image by Nathan Dumlao from Unsplash (license)
Cool Contests
How about having students make short videos explaining something that you regularly have to explain repeatedly to students? That could both save you time, and also allow us to recognize the students for their creative ways to teach that topic.
As we do every year, we are running a video contest in which students are challenged to describe something one might encounter in school in 90 seconds or less. Over time, we’ve had some gems (here are all the student winners), and we hope you and your students will take an interest in this year’s contest, Creative Spark ’23!
As always, if you have any questions, let us know. We’re happy to help you make it a good experience for them and you!
Getting Good at Grants
It is rare for teachers to understand how many resources are available to them for the interesting things they want to do. This year, we welcome those who want to learn how to pitch grant possibilities by getting involved in a project that can highlight students’ talents and perhaps even save lives.
It’s called the Wildfire Science And Prevention Project, and it’s a great way to help students better understand issues facing everyone (yes, everyone), while also helping you better tell the stories of your students’ successes to those who will support your school.
To connect with us about having your students get involved (it’s free!), go to our Contact Us page and in the comments field mention the wildfire project.
image by Tengyart from Unsplash (license)
First Finish
As always, we thank you for spending your time looking over what we collect. May something in this newsletter inspire you to find what inspires your students. Or, as we say every month, may you inspire, and be inspired, every day!
In service,
Rushton and the Next Vista team
Muchas Freebies
We love sharing cool free stuff, and invite you to help us out. You can find the best of what we’ve gathered over the years on the Next Vista Resources pages, but if there is something free and powerful you love that you don’t find there, let us know about it using our resources submission form.
Images in the freebies section are screenshots from videos or web pages unless otherwise noted.
Worth the Watch
* We’ll start the watches this month with a visit to Grand Teton National Park. You may think there is an issue with your speakers when you start, but actually, the low, (very) slow-building music seems to be an artistic choice. The mostly time-lapse scenery is stunning, but (thinking of sensitive little ones) you should know that at one point there is a fox carrying in its mouth a critter that will clearly be the fox’s next meal. (3:21)
* Ever heard of the term, “bioacoustics”? Neither had I. Topher White, founder of the Rainforest Connection, used it to describe the fascinating system he’s developed to help teams better monitor activity in rainforests in order to protect them from illegal activity. If you like a cool story about innovative ways to improve the planet, this one’s a keeper. (3:08)
* As you probably know, Japanese Americans were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. It’s a violation of citizen rights that still haunts many Americans today. In this short film called Three Boys Manzanar, a trio whose picture was taken behind a barbed wire fence with a guard tower in the background are brought back together to explore their experiences. Thanks to my friend PVK for sharing this one! (6:47)
* What if you could save someone facing many challenges lots of time? By inventing a simple washing machine that uses less water and doesn’t require electricity, that’s exactly what Nav Sawhney did. In this video, you’ll get the story and learn something about how people who live in difficult situations think about their time. Thanks to my buddy Paella Master Shagrin for sharing this story! (3:03)
* Ready for some cool space science? In this video, learn about the ideas and testing that Sierra Space works with in order to simplify the process of building and living in space. A central theme is one all students need to understand: sometimes you have to fail to succeed. Another thank-you goes to the Paella Master for this video. (6:06)
* Those interested in generative AI and its possibilities for teaching and learning might enjoy the series from Ethan and Lilach Mollick of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. I’ll highlight the third of the Practical AI for Instructors and Students series, called Prompting AI. In this video, they talk about something most people using ChatGPT and similar tools haven’t learned to do, which is to set a frame for creating a system through a single, rather long prompt in order to provide context and steps for the experience you want the user to have. If you’re curious to learn more about the research and philosophy of Ethan Mollick, take a look at his Substack posts, One Useful Thing. (11:41)
* This National Geographic video, called Climbing Giants, is cool for the stunning trees and views from their tops. Cooler still is that they shot the video using a 360° camera, so this is one you can put in a VR system for the full effect. (3:25)
* While we’re celebrating nature, feel free to enjoy Autumn in Central Park by Christopher Putvinski. One option is to use it to talk with students about urban parks or colors of leaves. Another is to watch it after a hard day simply to decompress. Both are winning choices. (2:12)
Worth the Read
* When it comes to data from “educational research,” I tend to be skeptical. In When a Tiny Fraction of Teachers File Most School Discipline Referrals, a recent post from EdSurge, however, it appears that they’ve engaged in strong controls in the methodology and that the questions raised are also very good. This is a great read for how we think about training teachers in issues of classroom management.
* Visual Capitalist is a company that sends daily infographics to its list, and one series of theirs is called Vintage Viz about historical work in the same expressive realm. This one, called The Incredible Historical Map That Changed Cartography, is by a 15th century Italian monk. Its story combines history, religion, and politics in fascinating ways.
* If you’re intrigued by complex interrelationships in the natural world, take a look at Why Bumblebees Love Cats and Other Beautiful Relationships by Stefano Macuso in this post from Longreads. It starts with some background of Charles Darwin’s work and moves to mind-blowing examples of Aztec dye, 20th century Chinese history, and moths in Australia. Hat tip to the folks at Future Crunch for spotting this wonderful read.
* Building rapport with students is a complex coordination of what you say and do, and in this short post from Michael Linsin, you’ll get some strong advice on what will make for a stronger classroom environment for you and your students.
* Finally, for when you need a “break,” take a look at this take on stained glass. It’s more something to try than something to read, but oddly interesting in its own way. Yet another thanks to Shags (really his name), a.k.a., the Paella Master, for spotting this and sharing.
Recent Newsletters
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Last Bit
One of the NVIV posts we highlighted above was from Indonesia, and in honor of Sadiman, we found this one from Hugo Matilla on Unsplash:
photo by Hugo Matilla
from Unsplash
(license)
See you next month!
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