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Education and
Outreach
Education and outreach is a
large part of the search for Bonhomme Richard,
since the Battle off Flamborough Head was one of the most
important naval battles of the Revolutionary War, and an
important turning point for America. Getting students,
teachers and the public interested in this particular chapter of American Naval History is
one of the goals of the project.
During the summer 2006
expedition, the project’s outreach and education efforts met
with great success. Nine presentations were made to school
groups in Bridlington (England) and the surrounding towns. More
than 300 students from ages 9 -17 attended these
presentations. Three presentations were conducted for the
public, and were attended by a total of 150 people. Expedition
team members also spoke at various local meetings. A press conference was held during the expedition,
and a few members of the media were also invited to join the
expedition for a day. Press coverage was substantial via both
television, radio, and newspapers, both in the U.K. and the
U.S. The History Channel filmed portions of the expedition for
a future documentary.
Depending on
funding levels, potential activities include:
●
Interdisciplinary lesson plans
explore the
historical, naval, and technical aspects of the expedition. The
lesson series includes archeology, marine technology, and
careers in ocean technology and engineering. They are
aligned with National Science Education Standards for easy use
in the classroom. Here is an example of a
Powerpoint
presentation on Marine Archeology. Click
here for the lessons.
●
Expedition Webcasts: One or more webcasts during the
expedition will be streamed to
teachers, students, and the public in near real time over the
web from the website mentioned above. Simultaneous PowerPoint
presentations would be offered, in addition to videos that can
be archived for on-demand viewing. Webcasts will focus
on at-sea activities such as the use of technology in underwater
archeology, search techniques, and the survey vessel itself,
often one of the most overlooked technologies in K-12
education. Webcasts could also have a "Career Focus" component
that includes interviews with expedition historians,
archeologists, marine engineers, technicians, and educators.
●
Virtual Field Trip: In order to generate excitement
prior to the expedition, an online "virtual field trip"
was
offered. Through the internet and using multimedia formats,
students, teachers and the public can "virtually" visit
various locations important to John Paul Jones life and the
Battle of Flamborough Head.
Click
here
for a virtual trip to Flamborough Head!
●
Online
Teacher Workshop: A teacher professional development
workshop that is hosted online will offer outstanding
opportunities for two-way exchange between educators and
researchers to discuss the history and significance of the
Battle of Flamborough Head and Bonhomme Richard, the life
of John Paul Jones, and the expedition. Relevant resource materials will be
created and compiled so that teachers can easily integrate
workshop content into their classrooms.
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