From: Sheila Rhodes <sheirhod@enoreo.on.ca>
Subject: Canadian National Marsville Program
Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 12:24:19 -0400
Background The purpose of the Canadian National Marsville Program is to create a positive vision for young Canadians of the technological society they will inherit in the 21st century. The program shows students how they can play a role in establishing the kind of society they want for the future. Marsville has been designed for students in Grades 6, 7 and 8. While the primary educational thrust of Marsville is math, science and technology, the project uses a cross-curricular, holistic approach integrating various disciplines. The program is one of a series of educational activities sponsored by Challenger Center for Space Science Education, an organization founded by the family members of the Challenger 51-L crew. This program is run simultaneously in 8 cities across Canada. Students will be from the Vancouver area, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Windsor (French school board), Toronto, Ottawa (bilingual), Montreal (bilingual) and Fredericton. On April 26, 1997, these students will go to a local location for their link-up activities. All sites will communicate via videoconferencing equipment and have the opportunity to discuss their plans with each other and members of the Canadian Astronaut Program. Materials, Methods and Mentors To prepare for the Marsville program, teachers are provided with a comprehensive resource package, a videotape, curriculum materials and activities and Internet links. Volunteer mentors from Spar Aerospace, the Canadian Space Agency and other engineering and space-related firms work directly in the classroom with students and teachers. Some mentors also provide on-line suport for the development of the Mars colonies. We are looking for professionals, student teachers and other interested participants to work with us as on-line mentors. These mentors can be from any world-wide location! Teacher Workshops A full day workshop will be held in the Fall for all Marsville teachers. These workshops will be held locally in each of the eight cities involved in the CNM program. At that time, teachers will be introduced to the curiculum and provided with all the necessary background. Time will be spent on acquiring the appropriate Internet skills to ensure all students are able to communicate electronically throughout the program. Dates for these workshops are: Ottawa - Nov. 9 Toronto - Nov. 16 Windsor - Nov. 23 Fredericton - Nov. 30 Saskatoon - Dec. 7 Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver - TBA Phase One - Preparation for Mars Marsville encompasses educational activities inside and outside the classroom. Students are assigned roles within the context of the larger Martian settlement. Mission teams solve simulation-based problems using the Marsville curriculum. Each mission team is partnered with two teams from nearby schools. These teams comprise a Habitat Crew, communicating with each other through written and electronic means only. The Habitat Crew is responsible for cooperatively designing and constructing the systems and habitats that will house them on Mars. Lessons address: - the difficulty of pioneering, historically and in the future - the responsible use of Martian resources - building habitats based on the Martian environment and human needs - working on Mars conducting scientific experiments and developing engineering prototypes Throughout the activities, the program focusses on materials relevant to Canada's role in the exploration and development of space and communication technologies. Canada's vital position in space robotics, remote sensing and Earth monitoring are emphasized. This stage lasts approximately 6-8 weeks. PhaseTwo - Link-Up Day On April 26, 1997, all the mission teams in each of the Canadian sites will gather to construct their own Marsville Cosmic Village. In each area, habitat crews meet for the construction of their habitats at a link-up site. Crews set up their physical solutions to the specific Martian biological or social systems previously assigned to them. Students share their problem-solving strategies, success and challenges, and work on their final project - the governance of Marsville, the Cosmic Village. For further information, please contact Sheila Rhodes (sheirhod@enoreo.on.ca) or at 416-966-3424 x 622. This program will also serve as a model for issuing student accounts on the Education Network of Ontario. Participating classes will be able to acquire individual student logins on our service. Students from across Canada as well as mentors will be given accounts and will communicate in special student conference areas to be established. Here is my address: Sheila Rhodes, The Education Network of Ontario, 1260 Bay Street, Suite 700, Toronto, M5R 2B5. Phone - 416-966-3424 x 622 Fax - 416-966-5450