Earth2Class: teacher enhancement through workshop/Internet/distance learning

"Earth2Class" is a unique teacher enhancement program that integrates workshops for teachers presented by research scientists with distance-learning opportunities and Internet-based resources. The "Earth2Class" development team includes an AMS Maury Project Peer Trainer, educational technology specialists from the Teachers College Institute for Learning technologies, and research scientists from the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University.

During the winter and spring of 2000, "Earth2Class" provided classroom teachers with new knowledge, skills, and instructional materials through a series of monthly workshops at the Palisades NY campus of Lamont-Doherty and, using teleconferencing technologies, at Adirondack Community College, more than 200 miles away. Teachers at both locations were able to interact with scientists describing their cutting-edge research in a variety of atmospheric, oceanic, and related sciences. They also obtained background information and classroom-ready activities, including several of the AMS Education Program teacher training guides. CDs, posters, and other useful resources were provided by various government and other agencies.

An Internet site-www.earth2class.org-has been developed to support these workshops, providing participants with the ability to interact before, during, and after the scientists' presentations. Powerpoint versions of the workshop presentations, on-line activities, web-based links, examples of possible assessment strategies, and other resources make this site useful for both participants and others.

Themes of this year's Workshops included: "Predicting Natural Disasters"; "The North Atlantic Oscillation and Climate Variability"; "Winds, Currents, and Cores"; "Climate Change Over Various Time Scales"; "Studying the Sea Floor and Sea Surface from Space"; and "Earth View Explorer," a CD-ROM-based program developed by LDEO scientists.

Plans are under development for expansions of Earth2Class that would provide in-service credit opportunities, more satellite campuses, and inclusion of other aspects of science education.

"Earth2Class" provides a potentially useful model for other institutions seeking ways to connect pre-college teachers and students with research scientists in ways that are independent of geographic or temporal limits. Details about various aspects of the "Earth2Class" project will be provided in three accompanying poster presentations.