My personal testimony for the Impact Costa Rica DSA trip.

1. Jennifer
Jensen
Technology Teacher
Clear Sky Elementary
Castle Rock, Colorado

2. In 1985 & 1986 I planted
1,500 trees in my habitat
areas.
Conservation
Involvement Since Childhood
• 4-H Wildlife – planting
habitat areas, formed club
for peers, presented state-
Planting Mountain Ash & Mrytle wide
Beech trees - Otway Fly, Australia
2009. • Student Teaching – formed
wildlife club for students
• Outdoor Education – serve
annually as chaperone for
6th graders
• Colorado Blue Bird Project –
Share knowledge of
environment with currently monitor nesting
students. behaviors

3. Banana farm - Cairns, Australia.
Farming &
Ranching
• Grew up on Eastern
Ooraminna Station Homestead Colorado farm
Australia.
• Love opportunity to visit
farms/ranches around world
• Learn about & compare
Farmer planting rice -
Bali Indonesia. farming practices
• Understand & appreciate
work & dedication of
farmers/ranchers
Google Earth view of
parent’s farm & my
father’s combine.

4. Learning ancient
traditions in the
shadow of Uluru. Develop
Students’ Global
Awareness
• Provide learning
opportunities prior to the trip
Learning the
global affects of • Continue after the trip – look
deforestation. at creating a “sister school”
relationship
• Utilize Project Based
Learning to continue my
learning experience with
students
Project Based
Learning allows
students to make
an impact on the
world.

5. Children in Bali.
Travel, Culture &
Turtle in Turks & Caicos. Adventure
• Value opportunities to visit
other cultures
• Learn from the locals
Learning from an
Anangu gentlemen at • Have responsibilities as a
Uluru. member of the global
community
• Marine life holds a special
Giving school supplies place in my heart
to students in Roatan,
Honduras. • Scuba diving for 10 years
• Passion for nature and
photography
Attending church in
Taveuni Fiji.

6. Sharing resources with
fellow DEN teachers.
Collaboration
Work with other teachers
• Before trip: create resources
Interviews, photos, for students to learn about
video - collect
media to use with Costa Rica
students.
• During trip: create our own
primary resources
• Post trip: create resources to
use during the year
• Find ways to inspire students
New connections & • Working with locals in Costa
friendships.
Rica
• New friendships and
professional connections

7. Students on DSA trip using
Blackberries & laptops.
Technology
In my computer lab.
• Prior to trip:
-collaborate with teachers
-build background
knowledge in students
• During trip:
-Tweet, blog, Skype
Geocaching with
fellow DEN teachers. -create primary sources
• Post trip:
-reconnect with
teachers/students in Costa
Rica
Utilize technology throughout my -share knowledge with
experience.
students
-create awareness within
school/local community

8. Sunrise over Uluru
with students.
DSA
Newly planted tree
– conservation I believe in and appreciate
projects.
what DSA stands for…
• Develop a sense of global
awareness
• Learn about & appreciate
Cleaned &
rebuilt wombat
other cultures
cage. • Service Learning
• Students challenge
themselves
• Hands-on learning
• Experience once in a
First time in ocean for students -
research on the Great Barrier lifetime opportunities
Reef.

9. Share at state &
national DEN events
& conferences.
Discovery
Educator Network
• I’m Chair of the Colorado
DEN Leadership Council –
2011 DEN Summer
have multiple opportunities
Institute. to share my Costa Rica
experience
• Share experience at this
year’s DEN Summer Institute
in July
• Utilize DE resources before
Students utilize online
and after the trip to
DE tools. educate students

10. Showing my CSE school
spirit while diving.
Why me?
My encounter with a • Adventurous
grey reef shark.
• Dedicated
• Participate in service
projects
• Love of nature & the
School supplies & games
taken to an orphanage
outdoors
& school in Roatan. • Life-long learner
• Collaborator
• Use trip as springboard to
organize student travel at
I want to share the my school
world with my students.