After the Electronic Field Trips
Constructing New Knowledge
Any worthwhile field trip, traditional or innovative, provides new perspectives and attitudes, and increased knowledge about specific subjects. It's rare, however, that on any field trip all student or teacher questions will be answered. In fact, the most successful field trips create an interest and awareness that continues to challenge the mind back in the classroom. We hope that you and your students return from your electronic field trip to Antarctica with a more extensive understanding of scientific content and concepts and the process of scientific investigation. We also hope you and they have acquired a curiosity about the new and unknown.
Contact on Computer Networks
After the televised Live from Antarctica programs, students can use computer connections to remain in contact with some of the Antarctic researchers seen in the videos. They can ask questions or follow up on the work that was introduced in the videos. Some researchers will stay connected for several weeks after the field trips (depending on field schedules, but at least through January 31, 1995), giving students time to reflect on and share what they have learned.
The results of the hands-on activities and experiments of the "Classroom Co- Investigators" (described more fully on-line) will be available to all schools over computer networks. This work might inspire similar projects for your own students.
Classroom Activities
Depending on the interests of your students, some of the activities already described may serve as follow-up projects. For example, designing and building a new South Pole research station using the information in the "Gamma Station Project" could be a way for students to consolidate their ideas.
This section of the Teacher's Guide will provide you with some more ideas for encouraging your students to reflect on what they have seen, heard and "virtually" experienced. Educational research has shown that it is important that students review their experiences and organize and reflect on what they have learned.
If your students wrote Research Proposals for a specific area of study (see Opening Activities for a complete description of this activity) then summarizing their work after "returning" from Antarctica would make a good closing activity.
Writing
Have students reflect back on the topics they selected. Did they learn enough to write a more complete report? Ask them to imagine that they were writing to the granting agency to report on the progress of their expedition. (The LFA team can tell them from personal experience that NSF and NASA are tough but fair reviewers. If you want to do scientific field research, you've got to learn to think clearly and write well!)
Encourage them to think about how the actual work needed to execute their plans would be done, and to describe in personal terms some of the hardships that would be involved in this field work. The Field Journals of the scientists and the televised programs should help your students write from the perspective of someone who has actually been to Antarctica.
If this seems too fantastic for some of your more hard-nosed students, tell them how Albert Einstein started his epochal reformulation of theories of time and space by "thought experiments" such as "What would it be like to ride upon a beam of light?" and that American rocket pioneer Robert Goddard had his first inspiration for space travel while day-dreaming high up in a tree about what it would be like to look down on Earth from orbit!
Objective
To have students design a flag for Antarctica
Engage
The continent of Antarctica has no "national" flag because it has no native peoples and no government. However the continent is a symbol of an exciting new global alliance among nations to preserve and protect this frontier. (You can find out more about the Antarctic Treaty on-line.) In 1959, twelve nations created and later signed the Antarctic Treaty to ensure that all activity in Antarctica would be peaceful and protect the unique character of the continent. Since that time an additional 27 nations have signed the Treaty. This represents 2/3 of the population of the world. The nations with research stations in Antarctica (remember the flags that surround the Ceremonial South Pole, as seen in Program Three?) meet and continue to forge a formal legal structure for making recommendations for the conservation and preservation of the Antarctic region and resources. These recommendations are adopted by each of the countries that maintain research sites on the continent.
Flags serve as symbols representing a group of people. Suppose the international Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research decided that Antarctica was to have a flag. Assume that school children across the planet have been asked to design such a flag and that your class is responding to this opportunity.
-Explore: Symbolic Design and Writing Activity
Begin this project by having students research the history of flags from their city, state, region, province, and/or country. Why do people have flags? What do the graphic elements of your flag symbolize? How were they selected? Was there any discussion or alternate designs? Who approved the flag? Has the flag changed over time (like the U.S. flag) or has it remained the same? Ask your students to use the information about Antarctica that they have learned through their participation in the Live from Antarctica project. Encourage them to think about shape, colors, symbols, and overall design. Each of these elements can carry meaning. Have them design their Antarctic flags.
Explain
Once students have completed their flags, ask them to write an essay about their design. Younger students may want to write a descriptive essay explaining their decisions about what to include in a flag. Older students might want to write a persuasive essay to convince the scientific committee that their particular design should be adopted.
Expand
Since Antarctica is governed by international treaty, no nation is entirely able to "go-it-alone," and no nation could ever dictate what the continent's flag might be. Suggest that your students go on-line and find other students at 5 to 10 remote schools, in different regions of America, and try to come up with a design that all students love (or at least which all can happily live with). This experiment in collaborative learning might inspire them to deploy much of what they have learned and come to feel about the continent, while refining their telecomputing skills.
Antarctica's most significant influences will reach far beyond the important scientific discoveries made here. Our admiration of Antarctica's awesome, pristine geography, which has taken on mythical proportions as a symbol of an untouched virgin world, is more a product of our imagination than the place. As we probe Antarctica deeper and more aggressively with our modern tools, ecological idealism and capitalistic pragmatism must temper each other. Antarctica is central to our understanding of both the physical systems of our planet and the psychological forces struggling to direct our future path. The United States Antarctic Program is the experiment. McMurdo and the other austral bases are research laboratories for studying the requirements of sustainable populations with minimized footprints. Ultimately, Antarctica will prove to be most important for its unique ability to provide us an alternative perspective from which to examine our collective behavior and priorities.
As artist, I place the highest value on the search for, and subsequent expression of, my observations. I work first, for myself, distilling what I have found into the most robust images I am able. Then, if I believe form and substance have been well captured, to complete the communication I pass the results on to others for their consideration. The risks involved with working on my own terms are offset by the eliminations of indebtedness to any employer. On this, my fourth journey to Antarctica, through the dark winter, I know without doubt that my world view has been profoundly changed. Antarctica has become the dominant center of my nearly three decades of work on seven continents.
by photographer
Neelon Crawford
--Neelon Crawford, 1993
We are eager to see the work inspired by this inaugural Passport to Knowledge field trip to Antarctica. As the project progresses, we hope to embody many more such opportunities for student creativity. Please send us pictures of students' creations or projects, samples of student work or tapes of student productions. We are also looking for future classrooms to feature on our Passport to Knowledge programs, as live uplink sites, on videotape, or as "Classroom Co-Investigators" in online work. We will select our classrooms for future electronic field trips based in part upon student work in past programs.
Another reason to send your work is that student work might be featured in any multimedia productions that may be created to share information about Antarctica with other students and teachers. If we wish to use any of your students' materials we will contact you for specific permission. Send materials to:
PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE P.O. Box 1587 Morristown, NJ, 07962-1587 (Please include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want the materials returned.)
"Imagine a planet packed solid with circuitry; a network of computers with eyes that look out at the universe, or at the inner world, or at each other, blinking messages from place to place down optical fiber. It is a world packed with information. If its inhabitants remember that it is a tool for understanding, not an end in itself, it will be a world full of wonders." The Economist, Oct 8th, lead editorial.
"And I said with my net I can get them I bet.
I bet with my net, I can get those Things yet!"
--The Cat in the Hat
The Live From Antarctica project invites you to join those educators all across the globe who are using their "net" to get those wonderful Things you have been hearing about in newspapers and magazines! One of our project's goals is to help those of you who are not presently connected to go on-line and help make the experience worthwhile, personally and for your students. The net is often called the Information Super Highway and is best exemplified by what we refer to as the Internet.
Live from Antarctica offers many resources through PBS ONLINE'S Learning Link, NASA's Spacelink, or via the "server," or host computer, of NASA's K-12 Internet Project. These include the following:
Getting Connected
Access to on-line computer networking has the potential to change teaching and learning dramatically, but to go on-line you will need access to the following:
Teachers unfamiliar with the Internet or e-mail can seek help in getting started from:
Live from Antarctica's On-line Partners
Three on-line networks are working with the LFA team: PBS ONLINE's Learning Link, NASA Spacelink, and NASA's K-12 Internet project. Learning Link, is the K-12 educational service of PBS ONLINE, public television's electronic communications and information service. Learning Link is a user-friendly curriculum tool and resource for teachers and students throughout the United States. PBS Learning Link subscribers have access to:
For registration information or customer support for PBS Learning Link, please write or call:
PBS Learning Link Customer Service Department 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 703-739-8464
For information about Spacelink, NASA's primary on-line informational source with offerings for teachers on every aspect of the space program, call (205) 961-1225.
NASA's K-12 Internet Project (which will be designing and supporting Live from Antarctica's unique interactive on-line features) has 2 informational videotapes, Global Quest and Connecting to the Future, which can be requested via e-mail to: info-video@quest.arc.nasa.gov. Also on-line is a Guide entitled "Getting Teachers On-line," a state-by-state listing of special dial-up connectivity for teachers.
NASA's K-12 Internet Project is helping to establish a system of smart filters to route questions from students to the appropriate experts in Antarctica (or to Antarctic experts back here in the United States) so that all questions will be answered.
Commercial on-line service providers including America Online (and their on-line service specifically for educators, Scholastic Network), Prodigy, Delphi, and Compuserv all provide Internet access to some degree. These services usually have a monthly fee that includes a fixed number of on-line access hours, usually 5 hours per month. Most schools will find that access is via a local telephone number.
-- For more information, call:
America Online: 1-800-827-6364
Scholastic Network: 1-800-864-0425
Prodigy: 1-800-776-3449
Compuserv: 1-800-848-8990
Delphi: 1-800-695-4005
-- Statewide education networks are found in many states with low cost access for educators. Be sure to contact your state department of education. Well known statewide networks include INFORMNS of Minnesota, TENET of Texas, NYSERNET of New York, and Virginia PEN. There are many others, so check out this option!
Helpful Internet Resources
While you are arranging for your Internet account, read one or more of the following to help you better understand the Internet and what it has to offer:
The Pyramid chart that appears on this page (see fig.5.1) shows the various components that make up Live from Antarctica. It also includes those planned for future electronic field trips. We recognize that many teachers currently do not have access to the tools of the Information Super Highway. But we hope that over time, as future Passport to Knowledge projects appear (such as Live from the Stratosphere in October 1995 and Live from the Hubble Space Telescope in spring/summer 1996), more and more teachers and students will participate.
Passport to Knowledge Hierarchy of components (Base of "Pyramid" indicates simplest and most accessible resources: peak shows more complex tools and connectivity) (see fig.5.1.)
*Live from Antarctica/Themes Project 2061/AAAS
Science Themes Systems Constancy Patterns Evolution Scale Models Of Change 1 Live from Antarctica programs The Coldest, Windiest Iciest Place on Earth X X X X X Life in Antarctica Then and Now X X X X X Spaceship South Pole X X X From Pole to Planet X X X X X X Live from Antarctica/Themes California Science Framework Science Themes Systems & Stability Patterns Evolution Scale & Energy Interactions Of Change Structure Live from Antarctica programs The Coldest, Windiest Iciest Place on Earth X X X X X X Life in Antarctica Then and Now X X X X X X Spaceship South Pole X X X X From Pole to Planet X X X X X X
Science Themes Appearing in Live from Antarctica
When people know how scientists go about their work and reach scientific conclusions and what the limitations of such conclusions are, they are more likely to react thoughtfully to scientific claims and less likely to reject them out of hand or accept them uncritically.
Once people gain a good sense of how science operates, along with a basic inventory of key science concepts as a basis for learning more later, they can follow the science adventure story as it plays out during their lifetimes. The images that many people have of science and how it works are often distorted. The myths and stereotypes that young people have about science are not dispelled when science teaching focuses narrowly on the laws, concepts, and theories of science. Hence, the study of science as a way of knowing needs to be made explicit in the curriculum.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy, Project 2061 American Association for the Advancement of Science Oxford University Press, New York, 1993 We hope you find that the Live from Antarctica series bring these recommendations to life.
The following is a list of resources that includes books, maps, audio and videotapes, CD-ROM, and videodiscs that will enhance and enrich your integration of this program into the classroom. Most of these resources include broad coverage on Antarctica and may be relevant for more than one of the programs. Check your school library (as well as others in your school system) and your public library for these materials. You may want to share this list with your School Library Media Specialist so that materials can be ordered through the school media center. You might be able to loan these materials through your public library.
Background Information Resources
Titles are listed first for convenience sake. Please see individual program chapters for more titles related to the themes of each program.
The Ice: A Journey to Antarctica. Stephen J. Pyne. University of Iowa Press, 1986. Adequate Earth. Donald Finkel. New York: Atheneum Press, 1972. "Informed by Indifference: A Walk in Antarctica." Barry Lopez. Harpers Magazine, May 1988. Reprinted by permission of Sterling Lord Literistic Inc. "Modern Antarctica." Neelon Crawford. 1993. "Linneaus Terrace/The Ice Falls"--excerpt from artist's sketchbook journal, Alan Campbell, 1993.
Books for Middle Level Students
Antarctica: The Last Unspoiled Continent. Laurence Pringle, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1992, 56 p., color illus.. The Arctic and Antarctic. Cass R. Sandak (New Frontiers Exploration in the 20th century), Franklin Watts, 1987, 32 p., color illus. Antarctica (Place in the News series.) Gail B. Stewart, Crestwood House, 1991, 48 p., illus. Investigating the Ozone Hole. Rebecca Johnson, Lerner, 112 p.illustrated with photographs. (Rebecca Johnson may be one of the featured guests on Program 4. Her book is comprehensive and clearly written about ozone research in Antarctica with excellent color photographs, maps, and charts.) Outstanding Science Trade, Books for Children, 1994. Desert of Ice: Life and Work in Antarctica. W. John Hackwell, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991,40 p., color illus. How Did We Find Out About Antarctica? Isaac Asimov, Walker and Company, 1979, illus. Our Endangered Planet: Antarctica. Suzanne Winckler and Mary M. Rodgers, Lerner Publications, 1991, 64 p. Conserving the Polar Regions (Conserving Our World series). Barbara James, Steck-Vaughn Library, 1991, 48 p., color illus. Polar Regions (Exploring Our World series).Terry Jennings, Marshall Cavendish, 1987, 48 p., color illus. Arctic and Antarctic Regions. Francene Sabin, Troll Associates, 1985, 32 p., color illus. The Arctic and Antarctic: Roof and Floor of the World. Alice Thompson, Dillon Press, 1988, illus. Antarctic Explorations: Byrd to Brrr. Adlie to Deep Freeze. Susan Finney and Patricia Kindle, Good Apple, 1985.
Books for Older Readers
Voyage Through Antarctica. Richard Adams and Ronald Lockley, Alfred K. Knopf, 1982, 160 pp., illus. Antarctic Science. Edited by D.W.H. Walton, Cambridge University Press, 1987, 280 pp., illus. Antarctic Wilderness at Risk. Barney Brewster, Friends of the Earth, 1982, 125 pp., illus. Antarctica: The Last Continent. Ian Cameron, Little Brown and Company, 256 pp., illus. South to the Pole by Ski: Nine Men and Two Women Pioneer a New Route to the South Pole. Joseph E. Murphy, Marlor Press, 1990. Wild Ice: Antarctic Journeys. Ron Naveen [et al.], Smithsonian Institution Press, 1990, 223 pp., color illus. The Greenpeace Book of Antarctica: A New View of the 7th Continent. John May, Doubleday, 1988, 192 pp.illus. Antarctica: An Encyclopedia (2 volumes) John Stewart, McFarland, 1990, 1220 pp.
Videotapes
Lilliput in Antarctica, produced by Jacques and Jean-Michael Cousteau, The Cousteau Society Book Service, 1990, 48 minutes, VHS only. Cousteau and six children chosen from six continents become adventure-ambassadors to the southern ice cap's huge glaciers, humpback whales, playful penguins, and incredible elephant seals.
Antarctic Adventure produced by Fenton McHugh in conjunction with Sea World USA, Bennett Marine Video, 1989, 30 minutes, VHS only. (The Blue Frontier Series.) Researchers brave the elements to find the penguins. They attempt a unique experiment in penguin egg incubation in order to better understand and preserve these birds.
"Antarctic Wildlife Adventure" produced by National Geographic Society, 1991, 60 minutes, VHS. $24.20, order # A51481. Set sail with a family of real-life explorers for the remote and starkly beautiful continent on earth- Antarctica. Aboard the 50 foot schooner, Damien II, a husband-wife naturalist team and their three sons will guide you on a voyage of a lifetime: rocky coasts, towering icebergs, pristine wildlife.
Antarctica produced by National Geographic Society, 1991, 25 minutes, color VHS. (Physical Geography of the Continent Series, gr. 4-9) $110.00, order #A51443.
Antarctica: Life in the Freezer, by British filmmaker Sir David Attenborough.
Antarctica: Frozen Ambitions, $69.95, available from PBS Video, P.O. Box 791, Alexandria, Virginia 22313-0791 include $8.50 in shipping and handling.
Maps
Antarctica, National Geographic Society, 1990, 22" x 29", 1 in. = 140 miles, flat plastic. A20015, $10.90 Antarctica, National Geographic Society, 1963, 1 in = 97 miles, 77 x 101 cm. Antarctica, Central Intelligence Agency, 1990. 37 x 45 cm. Scale: 1:17,250,000. Shipping list number 90-287-P Antarctica Photomap, U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the NSF and US Navy, 1985. 77 x 77 cm. US Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.
Laser Videodiscs
"Explore Antarctica" produced by Emerging Technology Consultants, St. Paul, Minnesota, Macintosh. This new videodisc provides a wide variety of information in text, still photographs, and motion video. Students and teachers can explore information about Antarctica under the categories: ice, animals, climate, physical environment, living and working in Antarctica. (From review by Luann Johnson, The Computing Teacher, October, 1994.) Vol.3: "South America and Antarctica" (STV:World Geography Series) by National Geographic Society, CAV videodisc for Macintosh. Level I ($235.00) and Level III ($325.00) available.
Computer Software
SimEarth, IBM (640K) or Macintosh (2M), 1990. The ultimate experience in planet management. Students can create and manage their own planet, while learning about atmosphere, geology, climate, and life processes.
AudioTapes
Polar Shift: Benefit for Antarctica featuring music by Vangelis, Yanni, Chris Spheeris, Paul Voudouris [et al.] produced by Anna Turner and Terence Yallop, 1991, EarthSea Institute, P.O. Box 2164, Sausalito, California 94966 Cassette: $10.98; CD: $16.98, shipping and handling $2.00. Note: This is a beautiful tape produced as an effort to protect Antarctica. A portion of the proceeds go to the Cousteau Society and other environmental groups working to establish Antarctica as a Natural Reserve dedicated to peace and science.
"Antarctica" by Vangelis, Polydor, 1983, compact disc. Music from Koreyoshi Kurahara's film.
Bandwidth A range of frequencies available for signaling or transferring information. Benthic Pertaining to the bottom of the ocean or a body of water. Digital data Information coded and transmitted in the form of discrete energy pulses. Downlink The transmission signal from a communications satellite that is received by a station on Earth. Ecosystem A community of organisms and the physical environment around them. Exobiology Study of life beyond Earth. Exobiologists study environments that may resemble those on other planets. Fiber optic cable A bundle of hair-thin, flexible, transparent rods through which light is transmitted. Food chain A sequence of feeding relationships within an ecosystem. Food web A network of interconnected food chains within an ecosystem. Geographic South Pole The point where all the lines of longitude meet. Ice cap The thick layer of ice and snow covering a land mass. Ice shelves Sheets of ice projecting out into the ocean, floating slabs of thick land ice. Invertebrates Animals without a backbone. Krill A shrimp-like crustacean that is a source of food for baleen whales. Magnetic South Pole The point to which the "south" end of a magnetic compass points. McMurdo Site of McMurdo Station, America's main research outpost in the Antarctic. Network Communications devices arranged to pass information back and forth; all interdependent parts of a communications system, including uplink and downlink. Plankton Minute plant and animal life that floats in the ocean. Remote Sensing The capability to receive info from space via satellites and telescopes. Satellite An object that orbits another object, traveling in a fixed path. An artificial satellite is an object placed in orbit around the Earth. A natural satellite is a natural object that orbits a planet, e.g., the Moon. Time Delay The time lag that occurs during communication over great distances. Transponder A radio or radar transceiver (a radio receiver and transmitter combined in one unit) that automatically transmits electrical signals in response to specific activating signals. Uplink A transmission signal sent to a satellite from an Earth station.
Live from Antarctica is intended to be the first in a series of Passport to Knowledge electronic field trips. Your response, and that of your students, is very important to us. Please take a few moments to provide us with feedback on how you used the video, print, and on-line components so that we can learn from your experiences. Filling out this survey will also enable you to enroll for future opportunities. (A form to be copied for your students follows.)
I. Live from Antarctica
Your name: School/City Address: Contact phone/FAX: Grade Level: 1. Who participated in these projects? Number of classes:__ Number of students:__ 2. Check all subjects in which this project was used. Biology Earth Science Physics Math Computers Language Social Studies Other 3. Was the project used across classes as a "Team Teaching" activity? yes no 4. How did you learn about this project? PBS Station NASA Teacher Resource Center Prentice Hall On-line: Learning Link NASA K-12 Virginia Pen Internet (give source) Print source: Other: 5. Please check "yes" or "no" if you used these project components and rate their relative importance (4 =high, 1=low). Project Components IMPORTANCE QUALITY Live Program(s) Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Taped Program(s) Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Classroom Guide Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Accompanying materials Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 (NSF brochure) On-line resources Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 Phone Access (800) Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 School Library resources Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 School/community resources Yes No 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 6. How much classroom time did you spend preparing for the televised programs? __# of lessons, over __# of days 7. How much classroom time did you spend after the programs for reflection/follow-up? __# of lessons, over __# of days 8. Were you able to integrate this project with your teaching goals and objectives? Yes Partially No II. TELEVISED PROGRAMS 1. Which program(s) did you and your students watch? Program 1: Dec 13th: Antarctic geography and climate Yes No Program 2: Dec 15th: Biology Yes No Program 3: Jan 10th: South Pole Yes No Program 4: Jan 19th: Future Yes No 2. Please specify your source for the programs: __PBS (call letters and city):______Satellite educational network: __SERC or __Other: ___ Tape __ Off-air recording __ NASA Teacher Resource Center 3. If you viewed more than one program, which program(s) did you like best? Program 1 2 3 4 4. How did students react to the videos? III. PRINT MATERIALS 1. When did you receive the curriculum guide for the programs? Before the programs During After I did not receive the programs (please proceed to Section IV) 2. How would you rate the following sections of the guide in terms of importance (3=high, 1=low) and quality (4 =high, 1=low)? Project Components IMPORTANCE QUALITY Broadcast Information and Rights 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Program Overviews 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Classroom Activities 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Materials/Resources List 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Scientist Biographies 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Suggestions for Getting On-line 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Glossary 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 3. Which classroom activity or activities did you do with your students? Please list all. (If none, did you use the information in any other way? For example: "Program 1 Activity 2 Land-puzzles") 4. Was the information on classroom activities clear and sufficient enough for you to utilize with your students? Yes No 5. Was there sufficient information to adapt the projects to the needs/grade level of your students? Yes No IV. ON-LINE NETWORK COMPONENTS 1. Did you and your students use the On-line resources? Yes No If yes, please check which network. PBS ONLINE's Learning Link__ NASA'S K-12 Internet Project__ NASA Spacelink__ OTHER (please name)______ Full Internet access ( via MOSAIC, FTP, Telnet, Fetch, etc.)___ Remote Sensing Databases (NASA, NOAA, NSF, EPA, etc.)___ If no, please check all reasons that explain your lack of use of this part of the project and proceed to SECTION V. Lack of equipment: Computers Modem Phone line Lack of on-line accounts Lack of technical skill in using on-line services 2. How would you rate the importance, (1=low; 3=high) and quality, (1=low, 4=high) of on-line resources? On-line Resources IMPORTANCE QUALITY On-line Teacher's Guide (English) 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Scientists' Questions & Answers 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Electronic Correspondence 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Field Journals 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Library of Articles 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 On-line Data from Antarctica 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 WWW links to other sources 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 Remote Sensing Databases 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 (NASA, NOAA, NSF, EPA, etc.) Other: (please describe) 3. How would you rate the ease of use of on-line services ? Very Difficult Moderately Difficult Fairly Easy Very Easy 4. Describe the most important learning that your students gained from the online materials. 5. Did your students send any questions to the Scientists' Question & Answer forum? Yes No If yes, did they use the information in any of their own work? Yes No Please explain. VI. TELEPHONE ACCESS TO PROGRAM INFORMATION 1. Did your students call the telephone access number to get additional information about the project ? Yes No If no, please go to SECTION VII. If yes, please finish this section. 2. How many times did your students call the number? 1 to 3 4 to 6 More than 6 times 3. Did your students call the number from home? Yes No 4. Did your encourage student family members to use the telephone access number from home? Yes No 5. Would you have used a 1-900 service to purchase similar information? Yes No 6. Would you have used a 1-900 service to purchase more extensive information? Yes No 7. Would you have used a Fax-Back/Document on Demand service to purchase similar or more extensive printed info? Yes No VII. STUDENT LEARNING 1. Please indicate how valuable you feel student learning was in this project in the following areas: (1 = least valuable, 4 = most) Factual information about Antarctica 1 2 3 4 Better understanding of basic science concepts 1 2 3 4 Science as an exploratory process 1 2 3 4 How to ask good questions and use information 1 2 3 4 Better understanding of "human dimensions" of research 1 2 3 4 Increased interest in career as a scientist 1 2 3 4 Find & use information on electronic networks 1 2 3 4 Increased sense of global connectedness 1 2 3 4 Increased sense of teamwork in science research 1 2 3 4 OTHER: (describe) 1 2 3 4 2. Please describe the strongest learning outcome you saw in your students. VIII. FUTURE PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE PROGRAMS 1. Live from Antarctica was shown over a period of 2 months. How would you like future Passport to Knowledge programs to be aired to maximize in- class and out-of-class use? All programs shown within the same week Programs shown weekly over the period of a month Longer periods between programs (over how many days? ) 2. How likely are you to use the taped Live from Antarctica programs and supporting materials again with a new class of students? Very likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely 3. Do you think that creating a Compact Disk with segments of on-line, print, and video components would be useful? Yes No 4. If your students could take more electronic field trips where would they most like to visit? Please number these in order of student interest. Please indicate all that are of substantive interest. Dinosaur Dig Stratosphere (aboard NASA flying astronomical observatory) Space Shuttle Particle Accelerator (physics experiments) Human Genome Project Lab Listening for Extraterrestrials Unmanned Rover on the Moon (controlled by students) Mount Vesuvius (or other volcanos) Rainforest Other: ( suggest) 5. What improvements can you suggest for the future Passport electronic field trips? 6. Would you like to receive information for future programs? Yes No
QUESTIONS? Please contact: PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE e-mail: ptkinfo@passporttoknowledge.com
Please mail this completed form to: PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE, P.O.Box 1587,
Morristown, NJ, 07962-1587
Class __ Male __ Female __ 1. I watched 1 2 3 4 of the Live from Antarctica programs. 2. Our class prepared for our "virtual field trip" by (list any classroom activities that you did to prepare): 3. The best classroom activity we did either before or after the programs was: 3. I liked this activity because: 4. The best part of the Live from Antarctica video was: 5. The part of the video that I found least interesting was: 6. The most interesting thing I learned from the whole experience was: 7. I learned many things about Antarctica including (describe one thing that you learned in each area listed): Geological history: Life forms: Climate patterns: South Pole: Astronomy: Future predictions: 8. Here is how I would rate my learning in different areas: a. Learned factual information about Antarctica No Maybe Yes b. Learned important concepts in science No Maybe Yes c. Gained a greater appreciation of scientific process No Maybe Yes d. Increased awareness of science as potential career No Maybe Yes e. Developed ability to go "on-line" and use e-mail No Maybe Yes f. The researchers made science seem like a lot of fun No Maybe Yes g. Other area: 9. I still want to learn more about: 10. Places that I want to visit via television and computer are: Rain Forest No Maybe Yes Mount Vesuvius (volcano) No Maybe Yes Dinosaur Dig No Maybe Yes Stratosphere (about NASA flying astronomical observatory) No Maybe Yes Space Shuttle No Maybe Yes Particle Accelerator (physics experiments) No Maybe Yes Listening for Extraterrestrials No Maybe Yes Hubble Space Telescope No Maybe Yes Diving with Whales and Dolphins No Maybe Yes Other: (please suggest) 11. The part of the overall project that I would change is: 12. When doing this unit next year, my teacher should:
NASA Science Internet/NSF Communications Network from Antarctica (see fig.5.3)
