Connecting Long Term Ecological Research to the Classroom: A Partnership Between ScienceLIVE and Niwot Ridge LTER
Abstract
Graduate students and researchers at Niwot Ridge LTER are working with a newly developed web-based program, ScienceLIVE, to create cutting edge curriculum that utilizes more than 60 years of publicly available climate data and 30 years of hydrologic and ecological data. The recently released Next Generation Science Standards focus on incorporating the scientific practices of developing and using models, analyzing and interpreting data, and obtaining, evaluating and communicating information. Teachers in Colorado have expressed difficulty in accessing datasets for classroom use, and lack the relationships and connections to university researchers needed to obtain such datasets. ScienceLIVE (www.science-live.org) serves as a bridge between scientists and the public by offering K-12 students and teachers the ability to interact with active field-science through live research updates, interactive web resources, and the use of lesson plans developed with the scientists, using their actual data. As students work through these exercises, the PIs and their field assistants will directly interact with classrooms via webinars to field questions from students. Evaluation and assessment tools are being developed to monitor the success of ScienceLIVE in the classroom after the initial launch in fall of 2013. The collaboration between researchers and outreach efforts faces challenges of sustainability due to turnover in graduate student and project PI involvement, and lack of training in curriculum development. We believe that creating an accessible platform for public outreach and streamlining researcher involvement will encourage a sustainable education and outreach program for Niwot Ridge LTER.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFMED53C0651H
- Keywords:
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- 0820 EDUCATION Curriculum and laboratory design;
- 0845 EDUCATION Instructional tools;
- 0805 EDUCATION Elementary and secondary education