Students go online for outdoor adventure

Starting this week an international team will embark on a 700-mile Alaskan Arctic journey as part of the “Go North!” adventure learning program. The program, led by University professor Aaron Doering, connects K-12 students with real-world research and exploration via photos and videos.

The program, which involves 900 Minnesota schools and 3,000 schools globally, delivers an online curriculum centered on the realities of oil exploration and the search for renewable resources while crossing academic disciplines.

University professor Aaron Doering is the program’s education director. He said that while collaborating with students and teachers live in the online learning environment, an expedition team will document its findings to help students understand patterns of climate change.

The international team of men and women will embark on a 700-mile journey across the Alaskan Arctic by dogsled while delivering to classrooms worldwide a K-12 online curriculum.

Doering said the team in Alaska will provide daily and weekly trail reports.

He said the trail reports, photos and video are synchronized with the schools’ curricula.

“The motivation for teachers and students is getting to learn from real-world experiences,” Doering said.

Doering said the team will collect data and interview Alaska residents for and against oil drilling, discuss global warming and how their lives have changed over the years as a result.

This research is conducted in collaboration with NASA and the Office of Polar Programs at the National Science Foundation and is brought into the classroom by lead teachers.

Lead teachers like Mick Hamilton support the development of the program and associated research and outreach.

They participate in educational conferences, classroom workshops and informational meetings highlighting the educational resources during their commitment.

Hamilton said adventure learning has a great place in today’s classroom.

“As our budgets get smaller and smaller, this is the next best

thing to getting out in the field,” he said. “Although nothing can replace being in the field, our students need to experience the research and exploration interactively.”

Lead teacher Sheryl Cater said engaging children to love reading, math, science and social studies can be a challenge.

“ ‘Go North!’ is one of the few free educational online learning programs that crosses all academic disciplines,” she said, “and is designed so that a first-grade child or adult will find enjoyment.”

Jeffrey Sipper, also a lead teacher, said he sees the program as a bridge connecting cultures, geography and science.

“The incredible depth of the Web site and curriculum literally gives me the chance to provide unlimited learning opportunities,” he said.

A Career That Makes a Difference

(ARA) - As baby boomers start their migration to the necessary next stage of life - i.e. retirement - their well-documented lack of preparation and financial savvy puts a whole new meaning to the words "financial planning." Providing expert financial help is increasingly a task that's not just about making money, but about helping people be ready to live the rest of their lives.

This has led to some dramatic changes in the financial services industry, and the careers surrounding it have changed, with many people being drawn to work as financial planners as much to help others as to earn a good living. Gone are the days of stockbrokers racing the clock to time individual trades for clients. Instead, financial services professionals now are groomed to take a full service approach to their clients' finances - helping them in all aspects of their financial life. What that means to those considering a career in financial planning is new opportunities.

"What can be more rewarding than knowing you've helped a client have their dream retirement?" asks Tyler Teske, a financial associate for Minneapolis-based Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in Ames, Iowa.

Those choosing a career as a financial services professional often enter the industry after spending 20, 30 or even 40 years doing something else. People from all walks of life, such as teachers, doctors and lawyers have started second careers as financial planners.

A number of factors, including the current economic recovery, have turned the financial services industry into a highly competitive marketplace. What's more, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that "faster-than-average" employment growth is expected in the industry through 2012. To prepare for the growth, many firms are relying on their own niche to attract candidates who fit their culture to serve their clients.

For example, many of Thrivent Financial's representatives are drawn by Thrivent Financial's multimillion dollar charitable giving and the ability to volunteer side-by-side with members from its nearly 1,400 volunteer chapters that do community service every day.

"Because we have a community orientation, people who have made volunteerism part of their life tend to be drawn to us. Fortunately, their volunteer efforts tend to support their career goals - and that's often why they stay with us. It turns out to be a win-win for them and the communities they serve," says Jackie Hintz, Thrivent Financial's director of career entry.

Those who have entered the financial services profession are happy with their choice. According to the College for Financial Planning's 2005 Survey of Trends in the Financial Planning Industry, 99 percent of respondents reported that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with their profession.

To learn more about a financial services career visit the Financial Planning Association Web site at www.fpanet.org. For opportunities at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans visit www.thrivent.com/careers.

Courtesy of ARA Content