I want to share three videos that could be really good to use in your classroom. All three focus on human interaction with our planet. They are short, interesting, and most of all, contain an important message that we can be sharing with our students.
Our Biggest Challenge
The first video is a melodic offering from Symphony of Science. The gentlemen you see and/or hear in this video are Bill Nye, Sir David Attenborough, Richard Alley, and Isaac Asimov. Their words have been masterfully mixed together to create a dynamic video on Climate Change.
The Axis of Awesome – Make the Change (Not the Climate Change)
This is a great video made by Australians! My former neighbors are raising awareness about The Reef and how one of the world’s greatest natural wonders is about to be destroyed because there is money to be made. The video urges us to make a change (not a climate change).
From Toilet to Table – Overcoming the Yuk Factor
My friend and inspirational human being Erica Lloyd works for SOIL in Haiti. She and her colleagues were recently featured on the BBC website for their work in restoring sanitation to thousands of Haitians following the devastating earthquake in 2010. The video explains how providing clean sanitation is also providing nutrient rich soil for Haitian vegetable farmers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/embed/smpEmbed.html?playlist=http%3A%2F%2Fplaylists.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fworld-latin-america-29217235A%2Fplaylist.sxml&title=Haiti's%20fight%20against%20disease%20with%20the%20eco%20toilet&product=news
This last video is particularly meaningful to me because of Erica’s involvement in and passion for, the organization for which she works. When my kids last year began their PYP Exhibition journey, Erica took the time to Skype with a group of students who were also interested in humanitarian causes. Our friend Beth, shared the following about Erica when she posted a link to the BBC piece on her newsfeed:
For some time now, I’ve been in awe of my sweet friend Erica Lloyd (who appears in the video at 0:44 -a BBC star!). She gave up a very comfortable life in the metro D.C. area to go to Haiti and work with a program called SOIL, helping to combat diseases such as cholera while educating the community on proper hygiene and sanitation. They have created a system that not only controls human waste, and offers simple necessities such as toilets to those who do not have them, but also recycles the waste as fertilizer to enable the people to grow their own crops in an otherwise stubborn environment. They are saving lives, and making it possible for these residents to live a more dignified, self-sufficient, and clean existence. I’m not sure I would have that kind of resilience, frankly; which is why I thought it was time to ask all of my FB friends to take a moment to watch this video, read the story, and recognize the efforts of Erica and the folks like her who truly do dedicate their lives to helping folks better their own.
How could these videos work in your classroom?
sonya terborg 