NOS Introduces New Online Education Tools 

Peg Steffen
Communication and Education Division
NOAA National Ocean Service

November 4, 2008 - The National Ocean Service launched a new suite of educational online resources to mark National Estuaries Day. These resources will help educators better teach environmental science.

In addition to a new professional development series about estuaries, the NOS Communication and Education Division (CED) unveiled modules on coral ecosystems and the ocean’s role in weather and climate. The modules offer resource links, background information, sample student work, and case studies targeting students in grades 5-12.

 

CED and other NOS offices, working in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association, created the new modules.  This partnership enhances classroom-based science, technology, and engineering education through the application of NOAA science and data.

"These materials can save teachers time by providing web resources that have been pre-evaluated and aligned to National Science Education Standards. It is a “one stop” resource of vetted, accurate information that integrates ocean, coastal, and climate science, which can be integrated into local and state curricula," said Bruce Moravchik, Education Coordinator with the NOS Communications and Education Division. The professional development section of the CED Education website joins a lesson plan library and curricula links from NOAA.  This information will help teachers, parents, and educators from museums and science centers develop student experiences that will produce an environmentally literate public.

The “Climate Resources” section is a good example of the wealth of online information available at the professional development site.  It includes presentations and videos from the Climate Change Conference for Educators held last July, a two-day symposium that highlighted the basic science behind our understanding of climate change and global impacts.

This educator-focused conference drew upon the latest science to present the story of our changing climate and included presentations by prominent scientists, hands-on activities, and current ideas for facing our climate challenge and creating a healthier planet.  Most of the material from this conference is now available at the CED site, along with links to resources and programs about climate change education.

In addition, the module includes climate change fact sheets derived from Working Group I of the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  This information, as with all the modules, will continue to grow over time to provide credible sources of information to the education community.