Makani N' US ???

I am still searching for more enlightenment as to whether or not I can make blogging as valuable a medium for me as my students successfully do for themselves (and me I suppose).

So I would like to selfishly take a stab at using it as a canvas for collective project brainstorming with people I more than likely would never be in the same small space with to have this discussion. So, I will act spontaneously, despite reservations.

More time to plan projects is not synonymous with better ideas. Not in my case at least. My ideas come when my head is quiet, my eyes are open, and my ears are attuned to my surroundings. It takes work and is always really hard for me to accomplish, but I do do it :)

Considering our good ol' habits of mind "relevance" factor when thinking about possible humanities project products for a green semester of sorts, How can the students do work that has value and at the very least contributes to a knowledge base outside of the class room? In the same way I did for Camp Darfur and even the graphic novel project, I want the student's work to move people and be civic-oriented as well. Hopefully with more success this time.

Whichever direction we go when planning, what the kids study and what they DO has to matter. It has to stand proudly on its own. Making the "process" stage of a project have intrinsic meaning and value that is visible to 15 year olds is challenging, but when it is embraced, it contributes to shaping a beautiful classroom culture. That is what I aspire to do.

To make a long story short, we come to the key idea of which I am interested in any ideas you may have as always.

Makani Power, Inc. is a US kite company based here in California. They are brilliant and on it! www.makanipower.com

Below is a section from an article posted yesterday mentioning Makani's role as kite producers and the potential to harness wind power with kites:


Wubbo Ockels, a professor of sustainable engineering and former astronaut who leads the Laddermill project, believes kites are a cheap way to harvest the enormous energy in the wind at a kilometre or more above the ground, where winds carry hundreds of times more energy than on the ground. 'We need to use all the energy supplies that are offered to us by nature, we need diversity and kites are ... intriguing and fascinating,' he said..

"..kites could easily get to these heights. Furthermore, thanks to the high-speed jet stream, countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark are particularly suited to flying kites."


Click Here to read this article.

I think integrating Makani into our project, particularly now, when they are "developing" off the big stage and amist an energy crisis, would be a fantastic and enlightening experience for the students. Ultimately a connection with HTH would be beneficial too. Jade and I are going to most likely enact a project relating to alternative energy and conservation, and here are the reasons Makani can help. Oh for so may reasons...Here are just three:

1. They are located in Alameda, maybe a Silicon Valley-esq green-tech haven down the road. Place of future employment of HTH'ers post graduation?! Maybe.
2. Google invested 10 million dollars last year in Makani. Enough said.
3. With the popularity of alternative energy projects at HTH cross disciplines, across the village, a real space of endless possibilities presents itself on a larger, institutional level.

This company researches and produces products and ideas offering physics teachers a playground of project/activity inspiration and opportunities. Can you imagine getting some technology from them for our students to play with in a physics lab?
I mean, what if they were integrated into the authentic research of leading researchers on harnessing wind energy, for example. All 9th grade kite projects can exist on a totally new playing field. Students can write/blog/contribute writing to the organization. Endless potential.

In a similar manner to the senior project, where kids are creating real products for real people, maybe frosh can do it too.

We can essentially guarantee a connection and hopeful career opportunities for some of our students in an emerging and ever important industry. Maybe secure funds for future HTH projects and ventures in and out of the classroom. I bet Sunbelt Publishing would be interested in documenting this project in some way...Now I am rambling.

I am going to brainstorm more about Makani and their industry peers, and product possibilities, but I wanted to share this initial idea . If this idea creates an interesting avenue of thought, I would love insight, input, thoughts, comments, friend's email addresses, what-have-you.

Thanks for reading. Comment if you please.