Alex Porpora, LCF's distance education instructor, observing the
red ruffed lemurs in the forest at the Myakka City Lemur Reserve.
Swing into Spring with Lemur Lessons! March 22-26, 2010
Join us for an exiting week of distance learning classes from
the Myakka City Lemur Reserve (MCLR) at the Lemur Conservation
Foundation in Myakka City, FL! Broadcasting live from MCLR
students will have the opportunity to see lemurs and speak with
researchers and animal husbandry staff.
These lessons provide a unique setting in which students can
learn about biodiversity, adaptations, habitats, careers in
science and more. Each lesson is 30 minutes to an hour-long.
Lessons can be adapted to most grade-levels and core curriculum
standards. Lesson plans are also available. There is no cost to
participate!
The Lemur Conservation Foundation is committed to training
future generations about the threats to endangered species and
the importance of conservation. As part of this commitment
to education LCF offers programs such as the annual Teachers'
Institute for Conservation Biology for high school teachers and
year-round distance education courses designed for K-12 students
called Lemur Tales: Lessons from the Forest.
Lemur Tales K-12 Program
The Lemur Tales: Lessons from the Forest courses are a series of
six 30-45 minute standalone sessions each focused on a different
topic. Conducted with web conferencing software, the sessions are customized to the
appropriate grade level. The LCF instructor and the class as a
group meet online using webcams and sophisticated video
conferencing technology that allows the instructor to talk
directly with the students and present instructional materials
such as videos, photographs, slide shows, documents, as well as
an online "white board" to illustrate or describe their topic.
LCF's courses are part of the Montclair State University PRISM
Program's "Rainforest Connection", which offers teachers across
the nation an opportunity to tap into exceptional educational
resources and experts in the field who can really bring a topic
to life in the classroom. To provide this service,
Montclair State has teamed with Verizon's Access New Jersey
initiative which supports educational projects in schools and
libraries using Marratech web conferencing software.
Course Description:
Lemurs are a diverse group of primate species found in
Madagascar. They live in many different ecological niches and
have a variety of different adaptations. Learn about their
endangered conservation status, their wonderful habitats, their
behaviors and biology and the special people that study them.
Click here for descriptions of the six modules.
Cost and Scheduling:
$200 per session. Sessions scheduled by appointment.
Contact Information
To find out more about LCF's K-12 program or to schedule a
class, please contact:
To learn more about the technological requirements see:
Access New Jersey
http://www.accessnewjersey.net/
For information on the PRISM program and the "Rainforest
Connection" at Montclair State University:
http://prism.montclair.edu/prism/index.html
Our Instructor:
Alex Porpora is a graduate of the University of Miami with a degree in
Anthropology/Biology. Her undergraduate research focused on obesity in
captive orangutans and she has presented this research at numerous
professional conferences. She first came to LCF for a field methods course
and then returned as an animal husbandry intern. A former educator at Sea
World, Alex conducted tours and taught summer camp. She was also an intern
at the Center for Great Apes and volunteer at the DuMond Conservancy.
These experiences have contributed greatly to her enthusiasm for both
science education and primates. Alex is currently pursuing her MS in
Environmental Humanities at the University of Utah,
The Lemur Tales: Lessons from the Forest courses are a series of
