Earth Science Tools for Educators: Workshops for K-12 Teachers

1. Earth Science Tools for Educators:Workshops for K-12 Teachers Mary O’Neill South Dakota State University Brookings, SD Cassie Soeffing Axtell Park Middle School Sioux Falls, SD

2. The ESTE Workshops:What are they? • The Earth Science Tools for Educators workshops are a unique opportunity for K-12 educators to acquire foundational concepts and skills for the study of earth system science. • They are week-long workshops held annually for the past three summers in South Dakota with funding from UMAC EdPARC.

3. Earth Science Tools Professional research tools used in the workshop include GIS software and data, GPS data collection equipment and processing software, remote sensing data, and technologies for the visualization and presentation of geospatial data.

4. What is UMAC? • The Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC) is a NASA-funded project that involves nine universities in five states--ND, SD, MT, WY and ID. • UMAC began in September 1995. • Its purpose is to find practical uses for remotely sensed data products and associated technologies in the grass-roots user community.

5. What is the EdPARC? The Education Public Access Resource Center (EdPARC) is one of three PARCs within UMAC. Its purpose is to promote the utilization of remotely sensed products and associated technologies in the education community. The other two PARCs are the AgPARC (agriculture) and the NRPARC (natural resources).

6. EdPARC Council • Consists of a university scientist or teacher educator and pilot K-12 teacher from each of the nine UMAC institutions • Recognizes that students, as citizens and professionals of tomorrow, are very special UMAC end users

7. Mission of the EdPARC Council • Develop teaching/learning activities that reflect recent developments in understanding how people learn--actively, collaboratively, conceptually, constructively, contextually, multisensorily--and are consistent with on-going work in national reform efforts • Utilize remote sensing, GPS and GIS as tools to inspire students and teachers to think systematically about the earth • Distribute the relevant information in forms usable in schools

8. EdPARC Council Accomplishments • Train-the-Trainer workshops • Curriculum templates for individual UMAC-state workshops • Example lesson plans • Prairie-to-Mountain Explorer

9. What is Prairie to Mountain Explorer? • PTMEis a set of three CDROMs containing spatial datasets for the UMAC states. • PTME includes a user’s guide. • PTME is a tool for integrating GIS, GPS and remote sensing technologies in the classroom.

10. Regional (5 UMAC states) 1:2,000,000 scale State 1:100,000 - 1:500,000 scale County 1:100,000 scale Geographic coordinate system Geographic units = decimal degrees NAD83 datum ArcView shapefiles Naming conventions for files and fields Area units = acres PTME Datasets

11. transportation streams/lakes elevation soils land ownership land cover NDVI geology Lewis and Clark sites/routes crops/livestock mineral deposits demographics temp/precip cities/landmarks dams toxic waste sites pollution emissions species habitats PTME Datasets

12. PTME Methodology • Acquire data from various sources • Process the data to comply with standards • Create ArcView project (.apr) file • Use Avenue programming language to create user-friendly interface • Design directory structure • Write the User’s Guide

13. 3 CDROMs SD, ND MT, ID WY, Regional Datasets 34 regional 18 state 6 county Installation procedures for PC and MAC PTME

17. NEXT

19. Assignment: Explore PTME datasets to determine if precipitation is a significant factor in the spatial distribution of corn as an agricultural crop in South Dakota One possible solution presented as an ArcView layout

24. Example Lesson Plan Using PTME Datasets

26. Workshop Activities (I) • Examine topics related to GIS, GPS, remote sensing, earth science and geospatial data sources • Visit research and applied science facilities • Collect and review educational materials on-line from the USGS EROS Data Center and other sites • Practice a “hands-on” instructional approach integrating science, mathematics, geography and technology

27. Workshop Activities (II) • Work cooperatively in a group to use new knowledge and skills • Receive and learn how to use a GPS unit • Receive and learn how to use ArcView GIS software • Receive Getting to Know ArcView tutorial and multimedia CDROM

28. Workshop Activities (III) • Receive Prairie-to-Mountain Explorer CDs and User’s Guide • Receive a packet of lesson plans developed by K-12 teachers • Develop your own transportable GIS/GPS lesson plan • Present the lesson plan to the workshop participants

29. Workshop Details • Fee: $250 per participant • Credit: 3 graduate credits • Stipend: $175 • Housing: Dorm rooms provided upon request • Daily Schedule: 8 am – 5 pm and evenings • Duration: Monday – Friday • Who: K-12 educators - teams of 2 from same school encouraged

30. Workshop Sponsors • UMAC EdPARC • ESRI • USGS EROS Data Center • South Dakota State University • South Dakota School of Mines and Technology • University of Sioux Falls • Sinte Gleska University

31. Workshop Schedule

32. Workshop Statistics • 1999 • One two-week workshop • Funding from SD Dept. of Education • 12 participants • 2000 • Two one-week workshops • 24 participants • 2001 • Two one-week workshops • 51 participants

33. The Future • Case Studies • Precision Agriculture • Controlled Burns • Leafy Spurge • Remote Sensing Workshop • July 31 – August 2, 2001 • Grand Forks, ND • GIS Showcase • October 8-10, 2001 • Billings or Bozeman, MT