Community

Community

Rush Ranch Community Connections Page

The Rush Ranch Geo-Literacy Project a true community project; it involved students at different schools at a variety of grade levels, the University of Berkeley's Don Bain, local community groups and Solano Land Trust. For more on the region and another student project to further understanding see http://geolit.org/RockvilleCSI .

Educational Community Involvement:

Don Bain, Digital Graphics Director, Department of Geograph, University of California at Berkeley. Don's UC Berkeley Geo-Images web site as well as his own, Virtual Guidebooks.com feature his amazing QuickTime VR photography.

Mrs. La Mar's third grade class of 20 students- Students created the Rush Ranch web site. Mrs. La Mar is the founder of The Geo-Literacy Project as well as an award winning science and history teacher.

Mrs. Linda Ferguson of www.lovinlearning.org, a director of the Geo-Literacy Project, and an International Baccalaureate teacher in the San Juan Unified School District assisted with the editing of the Rush Ranch movies and the web site design and navigation. She holds a Masters degree in Educational technology.

Mrs. Link's Fairfield High School Multi-Media program- animal skull rotations, basket rotations and cross-age tutoring and mentoring for object rotations- see sample rotation of a coyote skull (HINT to update this link to our new site)

Mr. Keisling's Armijo High School Women In Technology program- students filmed class working with the blacksmiths and the naturalists- visit the George Lucas Educational Foundation web site about of project and see the students working together

Local Community Involvement:

The Rush Ranch docents:

Virgil Sellars, Don Tayton, and the many volunteers at Rush Ranch turned up on one windy day to assist the students with their research. The blacksmiths opened up their shop and gave demonstrations on blacksmithing techniques. The naturalists volunteered their time to explain the ecosystem to the students. Historians and experts in the field also were available to the students as well.

Solano Land Trust

Solano Land Trust owns Rush Ranch. Ken Poerner and Jim Ball were instrumental in making this project work. They ensured that the Rush Ranch site would be available to us as well as organizing the many docents and volunteers.

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District:

The Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District has assisted in many ways; from paying for the substitute time for the teachers to receive training from Don Bain at the University of California at Berkeley to administrative support across the spectrum.

Greater Community Involvement

Intel Teach to the Future

Intel's Teach to the Future program launched Eva La Mar on her innovative use of technology in the curriculum. With their staff development program, Intel Teach to the Future, she learned how to effectively integrate technology into the curriculum. The Intel Teach to the Future program also donated 10 digital cameras to the classroom. These cameras were instrumental in allowing students to be the photographers of their own site.

Bill and Melinda GATES Foundation:

The Bill and Melinda GATES Foundation gave each Intel Teach to the Future Master Teacher a grant for purchasing technology equipment necessary for a 4:1 computer to student ration. The funds launched the initial purchase of a projector and a QTVR capable digital camera.

Kaidan Corporation

Kaidan specializes in digital imaging technology, engineering and manufacturing products for digital cameras and photographic VR technologies. Kaidan has been an enormous supporter via software and hardware discounts and endless technology support, advice and encouragement.