Learner groups will meet in a virtual narrative style online setting to explore and discuss their connections using their intuitive understanding of internet connections and technology as a springboard into the larger connections scientist have been observing throughout history right on into the field of environmental science and Ecology Science (The original World Wide Web) Students are expected to answer questions, participate in activities, and dialogue about the subject matter. The course is intended to build intrinsic interest, autonomous curiosity, and/or a renewed sense of self-direction into the world of nature sciences, the environment, and self-directed ecology learning. Students will gain a deeper and symbolic understanding of Ecology as well as explore their personal connections to their local and global environment. This course will benefit any learner seeking to build a fundamental understanding of the environment, Biology, Ecology, Science, Earth, Systems Thinking, and the natural world. This course may be the ticket for newly found, improved, renewed engagement, or supplementary with any other academic or in-school science courses. 

All content is created by me, Teacher Nate, and will be live and provided in class. Sources for the core content of information are paraphrased from the following and are being used for educational purposes only: 

An extensive reef system at the Amazon River mouth BY RODRIGO L. MOURA, GILBERTO M. AMADO-FILHO, FERNANDO C. MORAES, POLIANA S. BRASILEIRO, PAULO S. SALOMON, MICHEL M. MAHIQUES, ALEX C. BASTOS, MARCELO G. ALMEIDA, JOMAR M. SILVA, JR, BEATRIZ F. ARAUJO, FREDERICO P. BRITO, THIAGO P. RANGEL, BRAULIO C. V. OLIVEIRA, RICARDO G. BAHIA, RODOLFO P. PARANHOS, RODOLFO J. S. DIAS, EDUARDO SIEGLE, ALBERTO G. FIGUEIREDO, JR, RENATO C. PEREIRA, CAMILLE V. LEAL, EDUARDO HAJDU, NILS E. ASP, GUSTAVO B. GREGORACCI, SIGRID NEUMANN-LEITÃO, PATRICIA L. YAGER, RONALDO B. FRANCINI-FILHO, ADRIANA FRÓES, MARIANA CAMPEÃO, BRUNO S. SILVA, ANA P. B. MOREIRA, LOUISI OLIVEIRA, ANA C. SOARES, LAIS ARAUJO, NARA L. OLIVEIRA, JOÃO B. TEIXEIRA, ROGERIO A. B. VALLE, CRISTIANE C. THOMPSON, CARLOS E. REZENDE, FABIANO L. THOMPSON. SCIENCE ADVANCES22 APR 2016 : E1501252

“Biodiversity Days 2017: E.O. Wilson, ‘Half-Earth: How to Save the Natural World.’” EOWilsonBiodiversity, 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=maDUbKdczTk&t=1872s.  

“Biome.” National Geographic, www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/biome/.

Bloom, Jessi, and Dave Boehnlein. Practical Permaculture for Home Landscapes, Your Community, and the Whole Earth. Timber Press, 2016. 

Booth, Graham, director. One Strange Rock: Gasp. Overbrook Entertainment, Protozoa Pictures, 2018. 

“Climax Communities | Biology | Ecology.” Youtube, Great Pacific Media, 3 Jan. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZA5yfrzLV8

“Coral Reef Ecosystems: A General Overview.” Youtube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9eaEzKKeIY&t=238s.

“Earth System Definitions.” Global IGBP Change, www.igbp.net/globalchange/earthsystemdefinitions.4.d8b4c3c12bf3be638a80001040.html#:~:text=Earth%20system%20definitions%20The%20term%20%E2%80%9CEarth%20system%22%20refers,and%20other%20cycles%20%E2%80%94%20and%20deep%20Earth%20processes. 

“Elisabet Sahtouris - The Secret To Human Coexisting.” YouTube, BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMAPIlUJwmQ. 

“Feedback Loops: How Nature Gets Its Rhythms - Anje-Margriet Neutel.” YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=inVZoI1AkC8.

Foltz, Richard C. Worldviews, Religion, and the Environment: a Global Anthology. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008.

Google Earth, Google, earth.google.com/. 

Hess, Peter. “SCIENTISTS WERE ALL WRONG ABOUT THAT ZOMBIE ANT FUNGUS ON 'PLANET EARTH'.” Inverse Science, 9 Nov. 
2017, www.inverse.com/article/38278-zombie-cordyceps-fungus-ant-brains.

“How Does Cooperation Evolve?” Youtube, Stated Clearly, 14 Jan. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tz6WE4ALUs.

Institute of Play. “Design Pack Systems Thinking.” Institute of Play, cdn-educators.brainpop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/IOP_QDesignPack_SystemsThinking_1.0.pdf. 

Meadows, Donella H., and Diana Wright. Thinking in Systems: a Primer. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2015. 

Orlowski, Jeff, director. Chasing Coral. Netflix, Argent Pictures, Code Blue Foundation, EarthSense Foundation, 2017.

Perdew, Laura, and Tom Casteel. Biodiversity: Explore the Diversity of Life on Earth: with Environmental Science Activities for Kids. Nomad Press, 2019. 

Ranson, BJ. “Biomes.” Geodiode, 2021, geodiode.com/biomes.

“Symbiosis: Mutualism, Commensalism, and Parasitism.” Youtube, StoneAgeMan, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSmL2F1t81Q. 

Team, OneZoom. “Welcome to the OneZoom Tree of Life Explorer...” OneZoom, www.onezoom.org/. 

“Web of Life 1 Terry Erwin How Many Species.” Web of Life: Exploring Biodiversity, Tim Goodwin, www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdPDWGqjWh4. 

WGBH Educational Foundation. Stocks and Flows, 2014, pp. 1–2., doi:https://d43fweuh3sg51.cloudfront.net/media/media_files/stocks_flows.pdf.

“What Caused Life's Major Evolutionary Transitions?” YouTube, Stated Clearly, 21 Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUfNEHl44hc. 

WILSON, EDWARD O. TALES FROM THE ANT WORLD. LIVERIGHT PUBLISHING CORP, 2021.
Woodsmith, Tristan. “Get Associated With Mycorrhizae.” Fungi Perfecti, 25 Apr. 2016, fungi.com/blogs/articles/get-associated-with-mycorrhizae.

Disclaimer:
This lesson with the information and material therein are being used for K-12 science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematical (STEAM) educational purposes only. All information therein is referenced and paraphrased from it's original and documented sources, shown here, spoken within or cited at the end of each lesson. No information contained therein, either spoken or written material, is recreated exactly from the documented sources except for subject term dictionary definitions taken from Oxford University Press. Neither I, Teacher Nate H and/or this Outschool class, "I Am Ecology", claim to own, claim originality or claim rights to any of the aforementioned cited information contained therein. All cited class material and information contained therein belong to the documented original sources; This includes any pictures shown or used within to depict subject symbolism or for educational purposes as well as books or passages from books shown or read during class meetings. All creators, authors and sources for aforementioned material will be stated explicitly during the lesson or documented in each class session. All students and listed parent of students attending the class will be redirected to original and documented sources upon request. Students and listed parents of students are also encouraged to research these original sources independently. This lesson may only be recorded by Outschool and used within the Outschool platform. No other recreation, recording, video or otherwise may be viewed, used or redistributed outside of the Outschool platform. -Teacher Nate