Plugged In; But Tuned Out: The Need to Reconnect with Nature 

Original date: March 30, 2011

Click here to access this webinar

Presenter: Herb Broda

Description: In this age of alluring techno-gadgetry we need to be very cautious about maintaining a balance between indoor and outdoor activity. At a time whenchildren’s natural curiosity about the outdoors is eclipsed by the demands ofbusy schedules and the ever-present glow of video screens, schools and outdoor centers may be the only places where kids are encouraged tointeract with nature. Kids need to go outside for both learning and play—indeed there is a need for old-fashioned unstructured play in nature – the kind of invented play that “older” folks fondly recall.

Age appropriateness:  K-12; this webinar is also applicable to all parents

Herb Broda is a professor of education at Ashland University in Ohio. He teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. His areas of concentration are middle school education, outdoor/experiential education, environmental education, curriculum development, and instructional design. Herb is a past-president of the Environmental Education Council of Ohio, the state-wide professional organization for persons working in the areas of outdoor/environmental education. He is the author of Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning: Using the Outdoors as an Instructional Tool (2007) and Moving the Classroom Outdoors: Schoolyard-Enhanced Learning in Action (May, 2011) both published by Stenhouse, Portland, Maine.