Mushers Set To "Unlock" Special Checkpoint Information

Despite the hectic holiday season, the Idita-Read.org Support Team has been hard at work adding a new feature to Idita-Read.org. Following the 2009 race, Team Managers were surveyed and they suggested that we add some sort of "special content" about each of the Iditarod Trail checkpoint locations.

So, I have been on a research quest (one of my favorite activities, actually), working to develop both an interesting and unique collection. Meanwhile, our amazing technical crew has built-in this Checkpoint feature like a game. What will happen is that as a musher reaches a checkpoint, they will "unlock" access to that "special" content. Team Managers will get to preview these pages before the race (I expect to complete them by Feb. 1), so that they have a chance to decide if they can or want to integrate some of those related topics into other learning opportunities that make sense for their group.

In general, the featured content on each checkpoint page will include (see screenshot at right as a sample):

• A "factoid"
• Local weather
• Local Alaska Native language vocabulary
• Other interesting nuggets, including additional related Supplemental Learning Links not found in the Racing Kit.

Another supporting printable I just created and posted is the Checkpoints Weather Log (PDF) and a Blank Weather Log (doc) packaged in the Trail Tools as part of the Racing Kit. Team Managers can print and distribute these log sheets to students, so that they can record the basic weather information they will find on each of the special Checkpoint pages. Teachers may find these useful in prompting students to compare those weather patterns with local weather patterns, or compare one checkpoint's weather changes that were recorded by the team when each musher arrived at that location at different time periods.

I have not yet added the Alaska Native language vocabulary tidbit yet — more on that in another blog entry!