[CINC] CI Live Dive article

[staci at savzsea.com]

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jun/12/live-dive-plumbing-the-seas-depths-on-land-to/

Plumbing the sea's depths on land
Technology brings ocean's treasures to the classroom

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jun/12/live-dive-plumbing-the-seas-depths-on-land-to/

By Rachel McGrath
Correspondent
Thursday, June 12, 2008


Sixth-graders at an Oxnard school are the first students in the county
to explore an underwater ecosystem off Anacapa Island without leaving
their campus.

About 120 students at Blackstock Junior High School gathered in the
school cafeteria Wednesday for an interactive journey among the kelp
forests and fish.

The broadcast was transmitted live via microwave technology installed by
the Ventura County Office of Education.

"They're underwater and you're still on land, and that's really
amazing," said Robin Mathis, 11.

The "Live Dive" event was part of an ongoing remote learning program run
by Channel Islands National Park officials in partnership with the
county Office of Education.

During the half-hour event, the students could see, hear and talk to 30
of their fellow sixth-graders who actually traveled to the island for
the event. They were also able to interact with underwater naturalist
Andrea Moe as she communicated with them through her oxygen mask from
28-feet below the surface.

Moe, who described underwater teaching as "a dream come true," showed
the students a sea star, sea urchins, a horn shark and a spiny lobster
— all inhabitants of the protected area next to Anacapa Island's
Landing Cove.

"Is it dangerous?" one student asked as Moe held up the small brown horn
shark for them to see.

"If I put my finger in her mouth, it would hurt," Moe said, "but she
doesn't want to eat me. We're not her prey."

Another student wondered how cold it was in the water. Moe said the
water temperature was about 55 degrees and even though she was wearing a
dry suit, her teeth would start chattering in about 20 minutes.

"The most interesting thing was seeing underwater and how deep it was,"
11-year-old Patricia Soria said.

"It was an amazing experience," said Paul Matthew Desales, 12. "The best
bit was when I saw the spiny lobster, because I'd never really heard of
the spiny lobster, just regular lobsters."

Adrian Palazuelos, principal of Blackstock in the Hueneme School
District, described Live Dive as "empowering."

"We finally have an opportunity to be able to take students who, in some
cases, don't even get to see the beach and live just less than a mile
away, to an island just off our shore, into the water and see life for
themselves," he said.

County education technology specialist Cathy Reznicek hosted the live
broadcast at the school. "It was wonderful to have finally pulled it
off, and it's the next step in getting it into the classroom, and that's
our ultimate goal," she said.

The public can experience Live Dive events at the Channel Islands
National Park visitor center at the Ventura Harbor, where live
broadcasts are held every Tuesday through Thursday through Labor Day.
E.W. Scripps Co.