Educator's Workshop

From Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP)

ESIP Teacher Workshop

Tuesday July 20th – 22nd 2010 University of Tennessee School of Information Science

Tuesday July 20th 8:30 - NOAA Climate Stewards meeting

NOAA Climate Stewards meeting

The Climate Stewards session is a gathering for members of a new NOAA program for formal and informal educators. The Climate Stewards Education Program provides access to educational resources and professional development opportunities through a variety of channels including online and face-to-face seminars, symposia, short courses, and mini-conferences. The successful completion of a 15 training hours earns a “climate steward” certification for the educator. Content will focus on Climate Literacy Guiding Principles D, E, F, G and Climate Literacy Essential Principles 2A, 2B, 3A, 4D, 5B, 5E, 6D and 7A-F.

A national network of Climate Stewards have been meeting via teleconference since January 2010. This ESIP session marks the first face-to-face meeting of a subset from this pilot project.

10:00 – Break

10:30 - NOAA Climate Stewards meeting

Noon – Lunch –

1:30 - Teacher Track Sessions Begin ESIP Overview - Brian Rogan (20 minutes)

1:50 - NOAA Weather and Climate Resources - Ron Gird

3:00 – Break

3:30 - Climate Literacy Ambassadors - Steve Ackerman & Margaret Mooney

5:00 – adjourn

Wednesday July 21st 8:30 – ESIP Conference Opening Welcome 8:45 - Plenary Speaker 1

9:30 - Falkenberg Award Presentation

9:45 - Break

10:15 - Plenary Speaker 2

11:00 - Plenary Speaker 3

11:45 - Lunch

1:15 – NASA Earth Observatory - Kevin Ward

NOAA Climate Portal & Climate Watch Magazine - LuAnn Dalhman

2:45 Break

3:15 ORNL/DOE Educators Resources - Linda Holmes EPA Report on the Environment - Ethan McMahon & Lee Pera

Poster session

Thursday July 22nd

MORNING Concurrent hands-on activity sessions - teachers will choose three of the following 1 hour interactive, hands-on data sessions: (sign up on Wednesday)


1) Sampling the Sea - Bruce Caron

Sampling the Sea will build a foundation for solutions using online collaborative technologies to create awareness among students about the need to preserve ocean resources. A multi-disciplinary team from UC Santa Barbara, in partnership with Google Earth, NASA Globe, and ePals, will reach 200 classrooms, involving 3,500 students from multiple countries. By integrating social networks of students/teachers collecting data, images, and stories about seafood in their local communities with interactive, animated displays of scientific content about trends in fisheries and ocean species in Google Earth, students will learn about sustainable seafood choices and effects of human actions on the ocean. By “Sampling the Sea,” students will actively participate in research, contribute knowledge, and foster a global discussion of how the oceans are changing, how our choices drive those changes, and possible solutions.

2) Discovering Earth Science Data and Services Using NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD): The Value for Earth Science Teachers

Tyler Stevens (Data Services Coordinator, NASA's Global Change Master Directory)


Session Description: NASA's Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) enables users to discover and access Earth science data sets and data services relevant to global change and Earth science research. Data Services allow users of data to find tools to manipulate and manage Earth science data. Teachers can use the directory to find and access Earth science services that contain curriculum support materials and interactive programs to educate students about Earth science and climate change. In this session, teachers will also learn how to use our metadata authoring tool for describing educational resources. If you know of or have an educational resource that you would like to advertise, please bring it with you to the session. Visit the GCMD at http://gcmd.nasa.gov/.

3) Digital Earth Watch & Picture Post - Using Digital Cameras for Environmental Monitoring

John Pickle and Annette Schloss

Session Description: Environmental monitoring begins with a click of your digital camera and your commitment to place-based-learning. The Digital Earth Watch (DEW) Picture Post system is an easy-to-use and free set of tools for students, citizens and researchers to monitor change-over-time in a local environment. This place-based learning strategy uses repeated digital photographs to build a standardized set of images on our website (http://picturepost.unh.edu). You record the 360o landscape and the sky. Pictures contain a wealth of information that can be examined by learners of all ages - from simply recording events, such as the date of budburst, to analyzing features using digital image processing techniques and our free software. This session will demonstrate - if you have a digital camera, bring it along!

4) NEO - NASA Earth Observations - Kevin Ward

Session Description: NASA Earth Observations helps educator’s picture climate change and environmental changes happening on our home planet. NEO lets you search for and retrieve satellite images of Earth. Download them; export them to GoogleEarth and perform basic analysis. Tracking regional and global changes around the world just got easier!


5) EPA Environmental Indicators - Ethan McMahon & Lee Pera (session description pending)

6) Youth Leaders in Sustainability Initiatives - Doug Cohen (session description pending)

NOON – Lunch

1:30 Lesson Plan Breakout sessions – two concurrent 90 minute seperate sessions (in two different rooms) to work on lessons plans - divided by regional teachers and NOAA Climate Stewards

3:00 Break

3:30 - wrap up, report out evaluations, paper work, adjourn