At West Creek Hills Elementary School, students in Mr. Todd Baldwin’s third grade class and Mr. Dan Peck’s fourth grade class have been studying Alaska and the historic race that pits men and their sled dogs against the harsh elements of the Alaskan wilderness.
On February 18, 2010, the third and fourth graders at West Creek Hills Elementary School (East Pennsboro School District) joined students from Northside Elementary School (Central Dauphin School District) and Steelton-Highspire Elementary School (Steelton-Highspire School District) in a videoconference that connected students with dogsledders in Kigluait, Alaska.
Alaska is a big state with harsh weather, few roads, and tough geographic conditions. For thousands of years, dog teams have been an important part of the Alaskan lifestyle. The Capital Area Intermediate Unit provided the advanced technology that allowed students in three school districts to interact simultaneously with the dogsledders.
During the videoconference, students went for a real time dog run, saw a sled dog kennel, and visited mushers as they introduced their favorite dogs and shared their love for the mushing lifestyle.
According to West Creek Hills third grade teacher Todd Baldwin, “The technology side of this is the biggest draw. Who wouldn’t want their students to have this experience? Most of my students can’t comprehend how far away Alaska is.”
In addition to the video conference, Li Kohr, Senator Pat Vance’s legislative assistant, brought her two Siberian Huskies, Lobo and Kita, to give the students a hands-on experience (Pictured below).
Visit the online photo gallery under the "news + events" tab to view more photos of the Sled Dog Videoconference event.