From: vdexter@tidepool.com (Ginny)
Subject: Re: More Mars stuff
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 01:57:20 GMT
Hi, thanks for sharing this. I will check out the web site at www.ccnet.com. It sounds great!!! So this educational software is free, it sounds. I'm looking forward to checking it out! gin At 7:30 PM 4/7/97, BBracey@aol.com wrote: >A project, Passport Mars, was created with input from science teachers and >uses links to expert scientists and NASA's Live From Mars Web site. The >interactive projects will be available on CCCnet, an award-winning education >site on the World Wide Web (www.cccnet.com) and was previewed this week at >the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) in New Orleans. > >CCC, the leading provider of educational software and services to the school >market, is committed to exploring new ways to use the Internet and >leveraging partnerships with teachers and other experts to make CCCnet the >most powerful online curriculum resource available. To create Space, CCC >formed partnerships with science teachers from Super Collider Opportunities >for Education (SCOPE) and NASA's Life Sciences Division's Outreach Program. > Space follows education standards from the National Science Teachers >Association (NSTA) and National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). > >"This is the most teacher-friendly and educationally sound online science >resource I have seen," said Barry Rose, sixth-grade science teacher at Kent >Elementary School in Carrollton, Texas and a SCOPE teacher member. "I am >excited to be part of creating such an innovative educational project." > >Unique to Space is its "Activity Bank," which provides offline activity >ideas developed by SCOPE teachers. Open for contribution from teachers >participating in CCCnet, this resource is designed to supplement the CCCnet >project in teaching students about Mars. > >Available the first week of May 1997, the Space thematic unit provides 40 >hours of easily-integrated classroom instruction and is CCCnet's sixth theme >since the launch of the educational Web site in 1996. Passport Mars, >accounting for 20 hours, can be used as a whole or broken into parts for >teaching lessons on chemistry, biology, or geology. > >"Passport Mars really brings the flexibility of a Web-based education >program to life through its teacher resources and interactive content," said >Lori McBride, CCC vice president of New Media Markets. "It also takes >advantage of the educational aspects of the Web by putting leading-edge >resources such as expert scientists and real pictures of Mars at the >fingertips of students." > >Passport Mars > >Passport Mars, Space's main project, takes students on a virtual trip to >Mars. After landing, students participate in a series of chemistry, biology >and geology investigations to form their opinions as to whether life could >exist on the planet. The geology project allows students to use the Web to >design telerobotic vehicles (TRVs) suitable for Martian terrain and test >them on various types of soil. > >To help guide the tour, each student is issued a "Passporter," a futuristic >interface that students personalize for their team. The Passporter prompts >navigation throughout the project and tracks progress at every stage. > >As part of the main project, students can post questions and receive answers >online from expert scientists. Also, students are directed to view specific >photographs and other information on Mars through various NASA Web sites, >including Live From Mars, the Mars Pathfinder mission and the Mars Global >Surveyor mission. > >Extra Textual > >To complement Passport Mars, a second project titled Extra Textual uses >science fiction to teach students about story plots as an element of >writing. Students link to the Web site of popular science fiction writer >Octavia Butler to read a short story and identify plot lines. Students may >also participate in "Cosmic Threads," an online activity where students write >and publish different paragraphs to a collaborative, ongoing story. > >Partnering with SCOPE > >SCOPE is a project created to address current challenges of science >education. It operates within the Texas Center for Education Technology >(TCET) at the University of North Texas and is sponsored by the Department >of Energy, corporate partners and 10 partner school districts.