E-note Index    February 2007 April 2007

S'COOL E-note for March, 2007

Greetings from the S'COOL Team! Welcome to Issue #13 of the S'COOL E-note.

This month's E-note includes:

1. S'COOL will be at NSTA and NCTM
2. SSF Matching Email
3. S'COOL website "Feature of the Month"
4. Earth Day Photo Contest for Middle School Students
5. MY NASA DATA workshop 2007 - Deadline Approaching

1. S'COOL will be at NSTA and NCTM
   
   The S'COOL team will be represented at the annual meetings of both NSTA and NCTM. Will we see you there? The locations and dates are:

   NSTA: St. Louis, MO, March 29-April 1, 2007
   

   • Share-a-Thon I, Friday, March 30, 9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Adam's Mark Hotel, Room St. Louis E
   • IPY Session, Friday, March 30, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Americas' Center, Room 224
   • GLOBE Satellite Share-a-thon, Friday, March 30, 2:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. Adam's Mark Hotel, Room St. Louis E

   NCTM: Atlanta, GA, March 21-24, 2007

   • Saturday, March 24, 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Convention Center Room C207

   If you are doing a presentation for these or other conferences, and would like to include S'COOL materials, just drop us a note. We will also include your presentation on our visits page if you send us the details. Thank you to those of you who have represented us!

2. SSF Matching Email
   
   Before long, you will begin to receive email with the subject "S'COOL Ground to Satellite Footprint Comparison". This new process compares your ground observation to a smaller piece of the satellite data. We are interested in knowing if this new method is better or worse than the previous method. The previous method is sent to your email with the subject line "S'COOL ground to satellite comparison". We are still testing this new method, but hope to have it ready very soon. More information will be sent before the new emails begin.

3. S'COOL website "Feature of the Month"
   
   As the International Polar Year (IPY) begins, our S'COOL participants may be looking for resources related to this scientific event. In several future issues of the S'COOL e-note, we plan to feature items on the S'COOL website which may be of interest to you and your students as you study Earth's polar regions. This month, we would like to feature the "Earth Observatory articles related to S'COOL" page. Two new articles have been added to the list: "Clouds over Ice" and "Clouds Replace Snow and Ice as Solar Reflector". Both articles provide recent research about the relationship between clouds and Earth's snow- and ice-covered surfaces.
   
   Extra note: The "Earth Observatory articles related to S'COOL" link as well as other buried treasures can be found on the Teacher Resources page found in the "Extra's" cloud menu. If you find the articles useful, please let us know!

4. Earth Day Photo Contest for Middle School Students
   
   During the week of Earth Day (April 22), U.S. students in grades 5-8 can be part of a unique national effort to capture our changing world. Anytime from Sunday April 22 through Sunday April 29, take a photograph of something that is changing in your local environment. It could be a change occurring in your backyard, outside your school, in a local park, or off in the distance toward the horizon. Then, research and write a scientific explanation (400 words or less) that answers the following questions:
   
   
   • What is the change taking place in your photograph?
   • What may be causing the change?
   • Was the change expected?
   • How might the change impact surrounding areas, including people?
   • How might this picture look different in the future?
   
   
   Entries will be judged by Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) staff based on relevance to topic (depiction of change in the environment), uniqueness and overall appearance of the photo, and thoroughness of the written explanation. For submission instructions, entry form, and suggestions for using this activity in the classroom, please visit Earth Day 2007: A Photo Journey.

5. MY NASA DATA Summer Workshop 2007 - Deadline Approaching
   
   Plans for our third MY NASA DATA Summer Workshop continue! Joyce has received a few early applications, and many inquiries. Please share the announcement included below (and on the MY NASA DATA website) with your grade 6-12 colleagues, especially with those who would want to learn how to use data sets in their classroom instruction.

   MY NASA DATA Summer Workshop 2007

   NASA Langley Research Center will host a hands-on workshop designed for the Grade 6-12 Educator. The workshop will focus on the implementation and use of Earth System Science data sets developed for the pre-college education community as part of the MY NASA DATA program. A major component of the workshop will be the development of lessons incorporating one or more data sets. The data sets are derived from the archive of remotely sensed data retrieved from NASA's Earth Observing System satellites. Participating teachers will explore topics in Earth system science (especially atmospheric science), educational application of data sets, and hands-on classroom activities. Participants will experience meaningful field trips and benefit from the expertise of nationally recognized atmospheric researchers. Participants will also explore how data sets can be used to enhance their curriculum and how students can utilize these data for inquiry-based learning and research. Participant feedback and curricular contributions will be enlisted as further development of data sets continues. Earth Science educators are particularly encouraged to apply.
   
   Goals: Participants in the MY NASA DATA teacher workshop will:
   • access microsets of Earth system science data
   • access and explore model lessons which utilize microsets of data
   • participate in interactive seminars and tours led by scientists discussing selected methods of data collection and analysis
   • develop, individually or as a group, at least one new lesson incorporating data sets
   
   Key Outcomes: During the school year following participation in the MY NASA DATA teacher workshop, teachers will:
   • use the MY NASA DATA website and Live Access Server to access microsets of Earth system science data
   • implement lessons or other teaching strategies which incorporate microsets of Earth system science data
   
   Important Dates:

   Application must be postmarked by April 30, 2007
   Notification of acceptance will be sent by e-mail on or before May 18, 2007
   Workshop dates will be July 29-August 3, 2007

   Contact Information:
   MY NASA DATA Workshop
   Attn: Joyce Fischer
   Mail Stop 927
   NASA Langley Research Center
   Hampton, VA 23681-2199
   Phone (757)827-4848
   E-mail: j.d.fischer@larc.nasa.gov
   Web: http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov