Dark Bilious Vapors

"More than 16 million students will view an electronic field trip of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., on March 22 through a partnership with Ball State University. The electronic field trip, "Sharing Perspectives at the National Museum of the American Indian," will be a 90-minute live broadcast via satellite and Web cast from the museum that is geared toward students in grades 4 through 8. The program will be broadcast twice via local public television stations-once at 10 a.m. for schools in the eastern United States and 1 p.m. for schools in western areas. The electronic field trip is sponsored by the Best Buy Children's Foundation.

To gain access to the live broadcast and Web cast of "Sharing Perspectives," educators must register online on the Ball State University Web site, http://www.bsu.edu/eft, before the electronic field trip is held on March 22. The website offers student registration and provides a range of classroom lessons that prepare students for the program prior to the electronic field trip. The program also will be archived by Apple Learning Initiatives and available through the Ball State University Web site.

"The electronic field trip, 'Sharing Perspectives,' with Ball State University is an excellent platform to bring the National Museum of the American Indian to classrooms across the United States," said Helen Maynor Scheirbeck (Lumbee), the museum's assistant director for public programs.

"Sharing Perspectives" will demonstrate how the museum is a Native place and home to diverse, contemporary Native peoples from throughout the Americas. Native music and dance will be demonstrated and discussed by museum staff. Several students from the Milwaukee Indian Community School in Milwaukee, the Irving Middle School in Norman, Okla., and the Hardy Middle School in Washington, D.C., will be on the show-answering questions and participating in activities. Students watching the broadcast or Web cast will be able to call in and ask questions to Native American museum staff."

Karen on 03.18.05 @ 06:18 AM CST