NGS announces the following new free online teacher/educator professional development opportunities you might be interested in.
Please, share this information with other teachers in your school and beyond. All are free and open to all interested educators.
1. FLOW Education: Facilitating Learning through Outdoor Watershed Education
Online Course Starts Sep 17th 2014 (6 weeks)
Watershed education is an excellent way to introduce students to rich, interdisciplinary studies of one of the most important resources located in students’ backyards—water! This course is designed for classroom teachers (grades 4-8) to learn about watersheds and outdoor education using the Chesapeake Bay watershed as an example. The course introduces engaging technologies for investigating watersheds and helps educators plan and effectively implement outdoor experiences. Go to NatGeoEd.org/online-courses for more information.
2. Water: The Essential Resource
Online Course Starts October 15, 2014 (8 weeks)
Water is an essential theme through social studies, science, and geography courses. Whether you are introducing the natural or the human systems to your students, water will need to be part of the story. Water resources (and the life they support) influence human settlement, industry and population growth. Water resources are the source of economic and political discussions around the world. Your students will be the next generation of decision makers, determining whether water is diverted from its natural course, reserved for one use or another, and how it is preserved for human and environmental needs. Go to NatGeoEd.org/online-courses for more information.
3. Webinar on Using FieldScope for Citizen Science
September 24th from 7-8 pm
Want to know more about FieldScope? Have you forgotten how to use data? Do you know what a “starter map” is? If you have these questions (and more!), then this webinar is for you. You will learn more about the different features of FieldScope and how to maximize its use for your students or volunteers. For more information, visit the Events section at chesapeake.fieldscope.org.
4. Mid-Atlantic Sustainable Schools FieldScope Project—You Can Add Your Green School Project
This interactive map highlights sustainable school ground and environmental literacy practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. It provides an opportunity to share efforts, find resources, and examine the extent and impact of sustainable schools on environmental health and literacy. All schools in Washington, D.C., MD, VA, WV, PA, NY and DE promoting sustainable practices are encouraged to add and regularly update their school information. Visit http://sustainableschools.fieldscope.org/ to learn more.
