tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51145288988255462532024-03-05T11:58:52.037-08:00ICCARS ProjectICCARS is a NASA funded STEM education program for grade 8-12 teachers and students. Students and Teachers will have a working understanding of the science behind global climate change and its relationship to human activity, in particular its relationship to land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes on multiple scales through NASA data products and models. Wayne RESA and the Institute for Geospatial Research and Education (IGRE) at Eastern Michigan University are the program developers.ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-60693297198764061382012-04-15T18:26:00.000-07:002012-04-15T18:26:11.565-07:002011 - 2012 Modules and Units Information<table border="0" cellpadding="{scmCellpadding}" cellspacing="0" class="sites-layout-hbox" id="sites-chrome-main" style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 21px; table-layout: fixed; text-align: left; width: 1014px;"><tbody>
<tr><td id="sites-canvas-wrapper" style="vertical-align: top;"><div id="sites-canvas" style="background-image: url(https://sites.google.com/site/iccarsproject/_/rsrc/1297965652599/config/53dae3846fadca7b.png-1) !important; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat !important; color: rgb(34, 34, 34) !important; padding-left: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"><h3 align="left" id="sites-page-title-header" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #444444; font-size: 1.8em; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><span dir="ltr" id="sites-page-title" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; color: rgb(0, 0, 0) !important;">2011-2012 Modules and Units</span></h3><div class="sites-canvas-main" id="sites-canvas-main" style="background-color: transparent !important; background-image: none !important; min-height: 150px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-top: 15px;"><div id="sites-canvas-main-content"><table cellspacing="0" class="sites-layout-name-one-column sites-layout-hbox" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; table-layout: fixed; width: 859px;" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><tbody>
<tr><td class="sites-layout-tile sites-tile-name-content-1" style="padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr"><b><div><b>The following guidelines have been set up for the ICCARS Modules and Units. On the bottom of this page, you can view drafts of modules and units developed by ICCARS teachers.</b></div><div><b><br />
</b></div>Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Modules</b><br />
<i>Introduction to Module:</i><div><ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>State your name/s and the grade level and course for which the Module is designed.</li>
<li>State the title of the Module</li>
<li>List the Driving Question(s) for the Module</li>
<li>List the Major Understanding(s) for the Module</li>
<li>List the Expectations for the Module, both Inquiry and Content (code plus full written expectation).</li>
<li>List the essential content for the Module.</li>
<li>List an example of a project/challenge that would be appropriate for this Module. Examples can be found at:</li>
</ol></div><blockquote style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; font-style: italic; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(0, 137, 201) !important; text-decoration: underline;">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php</a> </div><div><a href="http://globe.gov/scrc/research" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(0, 137, 201) !important; text-decoration: underline;">http://globe.gov/scrc/research</a> </div><div>h<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/iccars-lessons-and-projects/2011-2012-unit-outlines" style="color: rgb(0, 137, 201) !important; text-decoration: underline;">ttp://usanpn.org/education/clearinghouse</a> </div><div><a href="http://journeynorth.org/" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(0, 137, 201) !important; text-decoration: underline;">http://journeynorth.org</a> </div><div><a href="http://sciencebuddies.org/" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(0, 137, 201) !important; text-decoration: underline;">http://sciencebuddies.org</a> </div></blockquote><div><br />
</div><div> 8. Module Calendar (Listing of Units/Lessons with approximate number of days. Make sure you include the Pre/Post test). Please list each day, such as Day 1- , Day 2-, etc. Each day provides a short description, no more than 2-3 sentences.</div><div><br />
</div><div>** Note – The full module must address: climate change / use of NASA data / remote sensing.<br />
<br />
<b>Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Unit Plans -- Each Unit is composed of a 5E set of lesson plans. Most modules will be composed of 2 -3 Units.</b><br />
<i>Lesson sections: </i><br />
<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li>Labeled “Introduction” -- Give a brief title to your lesson that describes the content focus and include the driving question or major understanding.</li>
<li>Labeled “Expectations” – list the inquiry and content expectations (code only) that represent what students will know and/or be able to do as a result of instruction.</li>
<li>Labeled “Resources” – include a list of all the resources you and students will need to do the lesson, including written materials (handouts), instructional media (slides, overheads, computer software), and scientific materials and apparatus. </li>
<li>Labeled “Safety” – describe any safety precautions you will be taking related to the materials involved in the lessons. What safety gear will you provide, what cautions will you give students?</li>
<li>Labeled “Engagement” – “The teacher or a task accesses the learners’ prior knowledge and helps them become engaged in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge. The activity should make connections between past and present learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organize students’ thinking toward the learning outcomes of current activities.” (BSCS, 2006) Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</li>
<li>Labeled “Exploration” – “Outline a sequence of activities for the body of the class. Include any key questions you will ask students that will guide them toward your learning goals. Write this section as though you were providing guidance to a substitute teacher – you want her or him to understand the lesson just as you planned it.” (BSCS, 2006) Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</li>
<li>Labeled “Explanation” – The explanation phase focuses students’ attention on a particular aspect of their engagement and exploration experiences and provides opportunities to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviors. An explanation from the teacher or the curriculum may guide them toward a deeper understanding, which is a critical part of this phase. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</li>
<li>Labeled “Elaboration” - Teachers challenge and extend students’ conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, the students develop deeper and broader understanding, more information, and adequate skills. Students may apply their understanding of the concept by conducting additional activities. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</li>
<li>Labeled “Evaluation” –Provide a summative assessment task for students to complete or questions for them to address that will give you feedback on how their understanding relates to the expectations. </li>
<li>Labeled “Appendices” – Include any of the following that are relevant to your lesson: Student handouts or activity sheets; pictures, diagrams, overheads, or other resources that will be available publicly to the class. Include rubrics for assessments and other assessment tools.</li>
</ol>** Notes on formative assessment: Formative assessment encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to assess student progress toward achieving the expectations. It can be informal oral questioning during class, a written ‘exit slip’ they hand in at the end of class, a take-home question, a problem to brainstorm about, asking them to apply what they learned to a new situation, etc.</div></div></td></tr>
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</tbody></table>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-32501536152356676332012-02-13T09:17:00.001-08:002012-02-13T14:53:06.710-08:00Channel Mixing and Red Vegetation<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">Q: Why does vegetation appear red when we look at processed </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;">Landsat imagery (or when we process our own TwinCam imagery?</span></div><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;">The shortish answer: Because healthy green plants have a high reflectance value in the near-infrared (NIR) part of the spectrum. We can’t see NIR light normally, but the sensors in our cameras can. (Landsat and other imagers also ‘see’ NIR, as well as several other slices of the EM spectrum.)</span></p><div><div><span style="color:#0000ee;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><a href="https://7483355404471535043-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/remote-sensing-resources/learning/SpectralCharGreenVeg.png?attachauth=ANoY7conSCrzAFS_sqTBtKS3Uhf9EjCFwigtYTKml6BcqDJX66N9udoDg0dKZWvPCgTdlzKxJIO5i9K7HDiZ3Ag1XA_L8zP-fO-GfXxbpcwGO0nd5QWAYugBv1CLN7BptPmOewcf2_s7Xfrp7zXzDkTnU_nu3hNtLl9vNvGtKPs39upKPlLh1ZfrY52Bdp2aDqaxFxOQu1jM_HiVTXbLCqnNO1Eg-WS-8GzmNgqzv1wRpd3o4I3B7SgzgRe7lBWSWt6pTS7Xmmn8TeozbLWrnzv2x7z3PGnTNw%3D%3D&attredirects=0"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7KJGNePxZr1KxATjg9DNVun5rO5mHae6IV8SwlHMbdOQpEVGnyg0jQ3gEiIfy3vj_y6hmhw6vZP7bhzbuSjryXIkoHxEzimK5bPBIwI-RhyphenhyphenEC4wMNksGbg63mNCZ2mWdAsNuYNVBp5kXK/s400/SectralCharGreenVeg-02.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708673453997877650" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></span></div></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Computers display color using three different channels, red, green, and blue. When we look for vegetation in TwinCam or Landsat imagery, we use MultiSpec to ‘map’ the NIR channel from the camera or sensor into the red channel that the computer displays. Since we have now used the red channel to show NIR data we will map the red and green channels from the camera to the green and blue channels on the computer, respectively. (We don't use the blue band here, so it isn't mapped to a channel.)</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; letter-spacing: 0px; font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/remote-sensing-resources/learning/Channel_Shift-01.png?attredirects=0"><br /></a></span></span></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><a href="https://sites.google.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/remote-sensing-resources/learning/Channel_Shift-01.png?attredirects=0"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFHrFPK-TySvwinME_FAhb2A2QoCkfskoD8IAw9fSGdN0IazxOrsiprECmW16vKkwA9DsMcDEtG89MCq72EHDLT5X5NdmmPIxLfOzT0ZgPpYNpHRsdQZqCuQ73RAhlb73iJBIqx_1n_QU/s400/Channel_Shift-01.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708673937157093346" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 231px; " /></a></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">Vegetation looks red because the red pixels are showing the NIR, which again has a high reflectance value. (</span><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;">Remember that percent reflectance is simply the percentage of incoming sunlight that is being reflected back by the object in the image.)</span> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; ">The green pixels on the computer are showing the red information from the camera. Plants absorb red light so these values are low. That means there won’t be much green in the vegetation on the screen. The blue pixels on the computer show the green information from the camera. Vegetation reflects more green light than it does in red or blue, so those values are relatively high. So, on the computer screen:</span></span></p> <ul> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Red pixels show NIR information (high reflectance in vegetation) </span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Green pixels show Red information (low reflectance in vegetation)</span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Blue pixels show Green information (moderate reflectance in vegetation)</span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;color:#333333;">(blue information is discarded)</span></li></ul> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Below is a graphic representation of the channel mixing process using actual imagery from two cameras - one capturing visible light and the other capturing a slice of the near-infrared around 800 nm. (This is what we do when we process TwinCam imagery.) </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><a href="https://7483355404471535043-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/remote-sensing-resources/learning/RGB_NIR_ChannelMix.png?attachauth=ANoY7cpHWq9eXXCLk4I0MZv2OKnYBKLiqS30YsKB_Q-oom7YxlYiWhEvHf40emvfsWrlzYReeVazQhz5lVuqsvnMwhx264BE6lV5xMxAlqB-Emz4L1J-l4QejQf29aXzlSgYDA46gJN55eQ_-7BpjhblpkHaweQAFsEXqe0TADkrAJV52hGFJXpmxuyQtSxmykHWJog2jNPUQeaq5OOFp3WRf1dUcD5y1E4_Tos1Os_LKamddGbdKTCJAx7Zo9OGFaMFNc6UIFtnhtFWcH7CFPgqb3hR4r_RFQ%3D%3D&attredirects=0"><br /></a></span></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><a href="https://7483355404471535043-a-1802744773732722657-s-sites.googlegroups.com/site/iccarsproject/resources/remote-sensing-resources/learning/RGB_NIR_ChannelMix.png?attachauth=ANoY7cpHWq9eXXCLk4I0MZv2OKnYBKLiqS30YsKB_Q-oom7YxlYiWhEvHf40emvfsWrlzYReeVazQhz5lVuqsvnMwhx264BE6lV5xMxAlqB-Emz4L1J-l4QejQf29aXzlSgYDA46gJN55eQ_-7BpjhblpkHaweQAFsEXqe0TADkrAJV52hGFJXpmxuyQtSxmykHWJog2jNPUQeaq5OOFp3WRf1dUcD5y1E4_Tos1Os_LKamddGbdKTCJAx7Zo9OGFaMFNc6UIFtnhtFWcH7CFPgqb3hR4r_RFQ%3D%3D&attredirects=0"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcJLlOMIqDK9Wj1bpw7Psd53YAy_ErMpa2yXLcswkzo-9TxuAK_hbuKLxhJ8qTjHKre-pIjGF5C8qlD4YayiUsymCFvzLx9Adz0-j-10m1JdAz-jZSAhsHnGNtlRJrN4lywdMBSfFr6N7D/s400/RGB_NIR_ChannelMix.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708674605669503202" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px; " /></a></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;">-----------------------------------------------------</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;">A bit more information that you may find helpful:</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px">Our TwinCam cameras have a sensitivity 8 bits per pixel - that is 2</span><span style="font: 8.0px 'Myriad Pro'; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><sup>8</sup></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"> or 256 integer values for each of the red, blue, and green channels. The values represent a grayscale range from 0-255, with 0 corresponding to 0% reflectance (black), and 255 responding 100% reflectance (white). This is called the Radiometric Resolution of the camera or sensor.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; min-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Based on the reflectance curve in the graph above, a typical pixel of healthy green vegetation might have the following values:</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBwMsUx-F40CsRqsDr6yYsEY2anHxJq9_5mnxMuDk9eLFYvWTeY0Yc40OvCR_zRHxjuvNc2kkYUO7xWiDG7Nxq5_HxNfudsp3jhyL90_E9uS-NKbaE-NAACKVbmSBFLtxpoDTdAueC4iVq/s320/Table_1-03.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708676798508956066" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px; " /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;color:#333333;">Normally, we would display the red, green and blue pixels values into the corresponding red, green and blue channels and our leaf would look greenish. However, we are interested in the NIR information, and to see those values we need to map that information to one of the other channels. </span></span></p><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUrS-QruBPER0qr4Bg8HH_Bl3UoKtRioOIAgiWe6Y0WX9rHFZhD5A1sYVnJ5JxE62-qtdNuXtQSj2u29z9o0m4tF5wO01JgoXsC60ZdVusuRJ4UfNXvlILUAv-ARr6mZSshaC54kKrMg5/s320/Table_2-04.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708677448813159186" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'Myriad Pro';font-size:100%;">You can see from these values that the red channel has a considerably higher pixel value than the green or blue. Vegetation will appear red in these images. Some of the imagery and datasets we find online already have the channels mapped this way.</span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;font-size:100%;">Cheers!</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; font-size:100%;">Andy</span></p></span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Myriad Pro'; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><br /></span></div></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; "><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; "><br /></span></p></span></div>eph_subhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393469109762527124noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-78362381013305117252012-01-10T19:27:00.000-08:002012-01-10T19:28:26.841-08:00Designing High Quality PBL from ASCD<h2> Designing High Quality PBL</h2><div id="ka_descriptionBlog">In a recent <a href="http://edge.ascd.org/_Ten-Ways-to-Teach-Innovation/blog/5545792/127586.html"><span style="color: blue;">ASCD post</span></a>, I listed ten ways to teach innovation. By far, the most important item on the list is #1: Implementing high quality project based learning (PBL). <br />
<br />
I emphasize the term ‘high quality’ PBL for two reasons. First, many educators still equate PBL with ‘doing projects,’ ‘hands on’ learning, or ‘activities.’ This is an industrial holdover from the time when projects were designed as an antidote to lecture or a respite from seat time, as a culminating opportunity for students to finally demonstrate what they had learned during the year, or even as a simple reward for having endured tedious instruction. <br />
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PBL is a far more evolved method of instruction. Well-executed PBL begins with the recognition that, as in the real world, it’s often difficult to distinguish between acquiring information and using it. Students learn knowledge and elements of the core curriculum, but also apply what they know to solve authentic problems and produce results that matter. Students focus on a problem or challenge, work in teams to find a solution to the problem, and often exhibit their work to an adult audience at the end of the project. Most important, PBL emphasizes carefully planned assessments that incorporate formative feedback, detailed rubrics, and multiple evaluations of content and skills. <br />
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But even with a method, mediocre PBL is still possible (and too prevalent). Simply turning students loose on a problem or question, putting them in groups, and having them do an exhibition or PowerPoint at the end of two weeks, does not meet the criteria for ‘high quality.’ This is especially true if innovation is our goal. Fostering innovation is a complex, challenging task that requires a teacher to do many things all at once: Refocus learning on the student; teach critical content; develop and assess global-age skills; offer constant opportunity for deep thinking and reflection; and reward intangible assets such as drive, passion, creativity, empathy, and resiliency. High quality PBL can offer students that complete experience, but it doesn’t happen automatically.<br />
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High quality PBL begins with a consistent, considered project design. Teachers move through a design process based on specific principles backed by proven methods and practices. Taken as a whole, this methodology allows teachers to conceive and implement a coherent problem-solving process that brings out the best work in students and addresses the key standards in the curriculum. Slight variations exist among practitioners, but there is general agreement on these methods. In my work, I use seven design principles. Each principle represents a point—or fault line—at which the project can be made more powerful and engaging, or less so: <br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>Identify the challenge. </em></strong>At the core of PBL lies a meaningful, doable challenge. This means that projects start with a powerful idea, an authentic issue, or a vital concept. The challenge must then be defined so that it aligns with the objectives of the course, but not so narrow that it doesn’t demand innovation and insight.</li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: Design projects that matter</em>. A project that gives students an opportunity to contribute to their community or prepares them for life will invite their best efforts and whole-hearted participation. Generally, if projects originate from a laundry list of standards, they lack a big idea to power the project. There must be a reason to learn beyond covering the curriculum. <br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>Craft the Driving Question. </em></strong>Your intention drives a project. What is the deep understanding that you want students to demonstrate at the end of the project? There is a proven process for turning a challenge into a driving question that captures the intent and depth of the project.</li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: Make the problem relevant.</em> An effective Driving Question taps a deep level of motivation. For example, a social studies team shifted their question on a Depression-era project to get at deeper lessons from the 1930’s that resonate today: <br />
<br />
“What can we learn from the 1930’s?” <em>to “</em>How important is self-reliance in today’s world?”<br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>Start with Results. </em></strong>PBL mimics the ‘plan backwards’ approach recommended by many educators. Given that PBL focuses on problem solving, innovation, and ‘fuzzy’ goals, it is imperative that you design both the knowledge acquisition as well as the <em>process</em> of learning. Think of yourself as more of a coach than a teacher. Your job is to put together a game plan for high performance.</li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: Think beyond normal lesson planning. </em>Questions that should come up at this stage: What protocols and peer methods will you use to encourage reflection and deep thinking? How will you organize your teams? What evidence will you require to reward innovative thinking? <br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>Build the Assessment. </em></strong> The key to high quality PBL assessment is to view content as one of several outcomes that will help students become more skillful, be reflective about their capabilities, and prepare them for post secondary success.<strong> </strong>This means designing evaluations and formative assessments in five areas: (1) global-age skills; (2) conceptual understanding; (3) personal strengths or habits of mind; (4) innovation and creativity; and (5) critical content. </li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: Distinguish assessment and evaluation</em>. Assessment is a constant tool, used to improve performance and support growth over time; evaluation is the final score. Formative assessment is essential to PBL. Use it regularly throughout a project to improve performance. Assess skill development as well as content mastery.<br />
<br />
<ol><li><strong><em>Enroll and engage. </em></strong> Starting right is the key to success at the end. This includes helping students connect their interests to the question or problem, and organizing teams for effective performance by establishing norms and clear benchmarks. </li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: </em>Use a Critical Friends or tuning protocol to have students refine the question or the project. This is an excellent time to incorporate student voice. If you need a copy of the protocol, download the Top Ten PBL Tools at<em> <a href="http://edge.ascd.org/service/linkOut.kickAction?as=127586&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thommarkham.com%2F&h=9481c24b445b2963e33a24ee7637ff30" target="_self" title=""><span style="color: blue;">www.thommarkham.com</span></a>.</em><br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>Focus on quality. </em></strong>High quality PBL relies on teams that demonstrate commitment, purpose, and results, similar to the organizational goals of high performing industries. To do this, let go of the notion of ‘groups’ and move to the language of teamwork. Allow plenty of time for preparation, drafting, and refinement of products, presentations, and skills.</li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip: Facilitate deep thinking</em>. Teach your students the tools of inquiry and require the teams to practice the skills of dialogue, visible thinking, peer evaluation, and critique. <br />
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<ol><li><strong><em>End with Mastery. </em></strong>PBL is a non-linear process that begins with divergent thinking, enters a period of emergent problem solving, and ends with converging ideas and products. A good PBL teacher manages the work flow through the chaos of the project, but also closes the project by giving students every opportunity and support necessary to experience a sense of mastery and accomplishment. </li>
</ol><br />
<em>High quality tip:</em> <em>Reflect.</em><strong> </strong><em>Take two days to review and reflect on the project.</em><strong> </strong>Reflect on accomplishments, and evaluate the project against criteria. Was the Driving Question answered? Was the investigation sufficient? Were skills mastered? What questions were raised? The project debrief improves future projects, as well as teaching students the cycle of quality improvement. <br />
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How can we sum this up? PBL promises more engaging school work and a shift in the culture of learning that should be visible in the form of more satisfied, higher performing, and more innovative students. But it does require a systematic approach that fully engages students, offers a potent blend of skills and intellectual challenge, and prompts or awakens a deeper curiosity about life. From that standpoint, PBL is still a work in progress.<br />
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<em>Thom Markham, Ph.D., is a psychologist and school redesign consultant who assists teachers in designing high quality, rigorous projects that incorporate 21<sup>st</sup> century skills and the principles of youth development. He is the primary author of the Buck Institute for Education’s Handbook on Project Based Learning and the author of the forthcoming Project Based Learning Coach’s Guide. He may be reached through his website at <a href="http://edge.ascd.org/service/linkOut.kickAction?as=127586&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thommarkham.com%2F&h=9481c24b445b2963e33a24ee7637ff30" target="_self" title=""><span style="color: blue;">www.thommarkham.com</span></a>, where visitors can download the Top Ten Tools for PBL.</em></div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-81543359879614348022011-12-12T08:11:00.000-08:002011-12-12T15:47:09.177-08:00Instructional STEM Unit Development for the ICCARS Project<div class="column"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Due Date: February 28, 2012 </span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The ICCARS program has four, distinct deliverables:</span><br />
<ul><li><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The NASA AEROKATS TwinCam-AeroPod Field Operation Manual and the AEROKATS TwinCam-AeroPod Image Processing Lab Guide. </span></b></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Customized Handheld Field Data Collector</b> (Software Package). </span></li>
<li><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>ICCARS NASA STEM Instructional Units. </b>There will be 60 instructional units produced using PBL methodology grounded in inquiry and student led investigations, applying NASA image data and resources, and aligned with Michigan educational standards in earth science, biology, physics and mathematics. These units will be published online with a subscription setup which will also support the dissemination and sustainability of the ICCARS project. </span></i></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>ICCARS eLearning Collaboratory</b> </span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><br />
</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Instructional Module Required Components:</b></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Utilization of Project Based Learning (Focus of January PLC)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Grounded in Inquiry (<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/5eteachingmodels/index.html" target="_blank">5 E Model</a> - Guides Student Inquiry)</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Aligned to Michigan Standards</span></li>
</ul><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Modules<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Introduction to Module:</span></b></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1) State your name/s and the grade level and course for which the Module is designed.</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
2) State the title of the Module</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
3) List the Driving Question(s) for the Module</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
4) List the Major Understanding(s) for the Module</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
5) List the Expectations for the Module, both Inquiry and Content (code plus full written expectation).</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
6) List the essential content for the Module.</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
7) List an example of a project/challenge that would be appropriate for this Module. Examples can be found at:</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://globe.gov/scrc/research"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">http://globe.gov/scrc/research</span></a></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">h<a href="ttp://usanpn.org/education/clearinghouse">ttp://usanpn.org/education/clearinghouse</a></span></li>
<li><a href="http://journeynorth.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">http://journeynorth.org</span></a></li>
<li><a href="http://sciencebuddies.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">http://sciencebuddies.org</span></a></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8) Module Calendar (Listing of Units/Lessons with approximate number of days. Make sure you include the Pre/Post test). Please list each day, such as Day 1- , Day 2-, etc. Each day provides a short description, no more than 2-3 sentences.</span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3747033934590005446"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">** Note – The full module must address: climate change / use of NASA data / remote sensing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Unit Plans -- Each Unit is composed of a 5E set of lesson plans. Most modules will be composed of 2 -3 Units.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6pt;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Lesson sections: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Introduction</b>” -- Give a brief title to your lesson that describes the content focus and include the driving question or major understanding.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Expectations</b>” – list the inquiry and content expectations (<b>code only</b>) that represent what students will know and/or be able to do as a result of instruction.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Resources</b>” – include a list of all the resources you and students will need to do the lesson, including written materials (handouts), instructional media (slides, overheads, computer software), and scientific materials and apparatus. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Safety</b>” – describe any safety precautions you will be taking related to the materials involved in the lessons. What safety gear will you provide, what cautions will you give students?</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Engagement”</b> – “The teacher or a task accesses the learners’ prior knowledge and helps them become engaged in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge. The activity should make connections between past and present learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organize students’ thinking toward the learning outcomes of current activities.” (BSCS, 2006) Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Exploration”</b> – “Outline a sequence of activities for the body of the class. Include any key questions you will ask students that will guide them toward your learning goals. Write this section as though you were providing guidance to a substitute teacher – you want her or him to understand the lesson just as you planned it.” (BSCS, 2006) Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Explanation”</b> – The explanation phase focuses students’ attention on a particular aspect of their engagement and exploration experiences and provides opportunities to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviors. An explanation from the teacher or the curriculum may guide them toward a deeper understanding, which is a critical part of this phase. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled<b> “Elaboration”</b> - Teachers challenge and extend students’ conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, the students develop deeper and broader understanding, more information, and adequate skills. Students may apply their understanding of the concept by conducting additional activities. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Evaluation</b>” –Provide a summative assessment task for students to complete or questions for them to address that will give you feedback on how their understanding relates to the expectations. </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 6pt 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">10.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Labeled “<b>Appendices”</b> – Include any of the following that are relevant to your lesson: <i>Student handouts</i> or activity sheets; pictures, diagrams, overheads, or other <i>resources that will be available publicly</i> to the class. Include rubrics for assessments and other assessment tools.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">** Notes on <b>formative assessment</b>: Formative assessment encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to assess student progress toward achieving the expectations. It can be informal oral questioning during class, a written ‘exit slip’ they hand in at the end of class, a take-home question, a problem to brainstorm about, asking them to apply what they learned to a new situation, etc.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bibliography:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">BSCS. (2006) <i>The BSCS 5E Instructional Model. </i> Executive Summary. Retrieved 3/09/11, from <a href="http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html">http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html</a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Falk, Andrew, Secondary Methods Class, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. </span></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer"><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="post-author vcard"></span></span></div></div></div></div><br />
</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-17032133194576014992011-12-09T06:47:00.000-08:002011-12-09T06:47:36.496-08:00Movies About Climate ChangeMany teachers in the ICCARS Project share movies/documentaries (besides An Inconvenient Truth) about climate change with their students. What are the movies/documentaries that you like best? Here are a couple of movies/documentaries, with a short description of them. All of the ones listed below can with be streamed or downloaded from the websites. Please share your comments and suggestions in this posting:<br />
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<b>Carbon Nation:</b> <strong><span style="color: red;"><span style="color: black;">carbon nation</span></span></strong> is a documentary movie about climate change SOLUTIONS. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don't buy it at all, this is still a compelling and relevant film that illustrates how SOLUTIONS to climate change also address other social, economic and national security issues. You'll meet a host of entertaining and endearing characters along the way.<br />
<a href="http://www.carbonnationmovie.com/">http://www.carbonnationmovie.com/</a><br />
<br />
<b>A Sea Change:</b> It’s a frightening premise, and it’s happening right now. <em>A Sea Change</em> follows the journey of retired history teacher Sven Huseby on his quest to discover what is happening to the world’s oceans. After reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s “The Darkening Sea,” Sven becomes obsessed with the rising acidity of the oceans and what this “sea change” bodes for mankind. His quest takes him to Alaska, California, Washington, and Norway as he uncovers a worldwide crisis that most people are unaware of. Speaking with oceanographers, marine biologists, climatologists, and artists, Sven discovers that global warming is only half the story of the environmental catastrophe that awaits us. Excess carbon dioxide is dissolving in our oceans, changing sea water chemistry. The more acidic water makes it difficult for tiny creatures at the bottom of the food web to form their shells. The effects could work their way up to the fish 1 billion people depend upon for their source of protein.<br />
<a href="http://www.aseachange.net/">http://www.aseachange.net/</a><br />
<br />
<b>The Age of Stupid:</b> The Age of Stupid stars Oscar-nominated Pete Postlethwaite (In The Name of the Father, The Usual Suspects, Brassed Off) as a man living in the devastated future world of 2055, looking back at old footage from our time and asking: why didn't we stop climate change when we had the chance?<br />
<a href="http://www.spannerfilms.net/films/ageofstupid">http://www.spannerfilms.net/films/ageofstupid</a><br />
<br />
<b>Earth The Operators' Manual:</b> “Earth: The Operators’ Manual” dispenses with politics, polemics or punditry; instead, it presents an objective, accessible assessment of the Earth’s problems and possibilities that will leave viewers informed, energized and optimistic. Host Richard Alley – a geologist, contributor to the United Nations panel on climate change and former oil company employee whom Andy Revkin of the New York Times once called “a cross between Woody Allen and Carl Sagan” – leads the audience on this engaging one-hour special about climate change and sustainable energy, premiering during Earth Month 2011. Alley’s book of the same name, a companion to the program, is published by W.W. Norton & Company.<br />
<a href="http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/broadcast_info">http://earththeoperatorsmanual.com/broadcast_info</a><br />
<br />
<b>Power Surge:</b> Can emerging technology defeat global warming? The United States has invested tens of billions of dollars in clean energy projects as our leaders try to save our crumbling economy and our poisoned planet in one bold, green stroke. Are we finally on the brink of a green-energy "power surge," or is it all a case of too little, too late? From solar panel factories in China to a carbon capture-and-storage facility in the Sahara desert to massive wind and solar installations in the United States, NOVA travels the globe to reveal the surprising technologies that just might turn back the clock on climate change. NOVA will focus on the latest and greatest innovations, including everything from artificial trees to green reboots of familiar technologies like coal and nuclear energy. Can our technology, which helped create this problem, now solve it?<br />
Learn more about the "carbon calculator" discussed in the program at this site from the <a href="http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/">Cool Climate Network</a>.<br />
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/power-surge.html">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/power-surge.html</a>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-44321802528398539492011-11-03T10:44:00.000-07:002011-11-03T13:32:08.131-07:00GLISA Symposium 2011On November 3, 2011, I attended the GLISA Symposium 2011 at the Palmer Commons on the campus of the University of Michigan. The main purpose of me attending this symposium was to listen to a presentation by Kathy Jacobs, US Global Change Research Program.<br />
<br />
GLISA is an acronym for the Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center. The Great Lakes Integrated Sciences and Assessments Center (<acronym>GLISA</acronym>) links producers and users of scientific information, facilitating smart responses to climate variability and change. A changing climate will have significant effects on the economic vitality, ecological health, and the well-being of residents in the Great Lakes basin.<br />
<br />
David Bidwell, Project Director, opened the Symposium explaining that GLISA is funded through a five year grant from NOAA. This symposium is the first annual since their funding began in October, 2010. He introduced the website:<br />
<a href="http://glisa.umich.edu/">http://glisa.umich.edu</a> or <a href="http://glisa.msu.edu/">http://glisa.msu.edu</a><br />
He stated that their focus is on Lake Erie and Lake Huron, but also the remaining Great Lakes. He said that they work on mitigation (causes of climate change) and adaptation (the effects of climate change and actions that can be taken) but their focus is on adaptation. He also noted that the symposium is the culmination of a two day series of meetings that GLISA has been holding with stake holders. He then introduced three sessions (20 minutes each) that are sharing research from the GLISA Core Team.<br />
<br />
These presentations included:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>GLISA Climate Information from Laura Briley, GLISA -- <a href="http://www.glisaclimate.org/">http://www.glisaclimate.org/</a></li>
<li>Review of Assessments from Maria Carmen Lemos of the U of M -- <a href="http://glisa.umich.edu/great_lakes_climate/reports.php">http://glisa.umich.edu/great_lakes_climate/reports.php</a></li>
<li>Stakeholder Analysis from Ken Frank of MSU -- <a href="http://glisa.umich.edu/research/social_science.php">http://glisa.umich.edu/research/social_science.php</a></li>
</ul><div><br />
GLISA funds different projects. There are 5 - GLISA-Funded Assessment Projects, that can be found at: <a href="http://glisa.umich.edu/research/grants.php">http://glisa.umich.edu/research/grants.php</a> They are:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>An assessment of the implications of climate variability and changes for Michigan's Tourism Industry (Don Holecek and Sarah Nichols, MSU). Their research is looking primarily at winter sports.</li>
<li>Modeling framework for informing decision maker response to extreme heat events in Michigan under climate change (Laura Schmitt Olabisi, MSU). Most of her work is to examine heat event deaths.</li>
<li>Assessing the impacts of climate variability and change on Great Lakes evaporation: Implications for decision making, adaptation, and water resource management (John Lenters, University of Nebraska-Lincoln). They are actually measuring direct evaporation using the "eddy covariance" method. The study is mostly taking place on Lake Superior and Lake Huron.</li>
<li>Predicting the impacts of climate change on agricultural yields and water resources in the Maumee River Watershed (David Hyndman, MSU). The interesting aspect of this project what our growing season will look like in the year 2100 -- comparable to Kansas, 2011. This project utilizes GIS and remote sensing.</li>
<li>Designing a decision support system for harvest management of Great Lakes lake whitefish in a changing climate (Abigail Lynch, MSU) Lake Whitefish is the most economically valuable fishery in the Upper Great Lakes. Question--What happens with climate change? Their model contains climatic conditions; population dynamics; management strategies and fishing management.</li>
</ul><div>The keynote presentation is being given by Katharine Jabos, Office of Science and Technology Policy. Her topic is "Building a Foundation for Adaption Through the National Climate Assessment." More can be found at: <a href="http://assessment.globalchange.gov/">http://assessment.globalchange.gov</a></div></div><div><br />
Her focus is helping people make better decision and taking action based on information. The US Strategic plan is at <a href="http://www.globalchange.gov/">http://www.globalchange.gov</a> The goals are to: advance science; inform decisions; sustained assessments; communicate and educate. She spoke about the "New" National Climate Assessment. This new Assessment will be "web-based" not "paper-based." She is speaking about the complexity of putting a team together to write the assessment. It took 14 months just to put the team together. She shared an interesting point that this assessment will use the study of severe weather as part of the science of climate change.<br />
<br />
She spent a lot of time talking about the new climate assessment, but now is talking about her experiences that have brought her to where she is today. Her background was in Arizona where she worked on water resources and the impacts of climate change. Her experiences showed her that management between scientists and stakeholders is very important. She is now sharing her experience in enhancing water supply reliability in the Grand Canyon. Here are the lessons she has learned:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Asking and Answering the right questions</li>
<li>Actively managing the interface between scientists and decision-makers</li>
<li>Problem-solving focus, focusing on outcomes and best professional judgment</li>
<li>Reframing -- for example water conservation through major energy-intensive technologies is not a meaningful solution</li>
<li>Reinventing/repurposing existing capacity</li>
<li>Building "knowledge networks" or networks that connect users and producers of information.</li>
<li>Being focused on adaptive management</li>
<li>Investing in capacity building</li>
<li>Using trusted intermediaries</li>
<li>Products tailored for specific audiences instead of one size fites all</li>
<li>Engagement events designed to suit specific audiences and outcomes with local sponsors; working through professional societies at their own meetings</li>
<li>Symmetry of interests--information empowers people to truly participate</li>
<li>Science as a "boundary object" (A boundary object is a concept in sociology to describe information used in different ways by different communities) - coproduction</li>
<li>Patience</li>
</ul><div>What doesn't work:</div><div><ul><li>Excessive focus on downscaling techniques as the approach to decision-scale support</li>
<li>Excessive focus on reducing uncertainly as opposed to focusing on using what we already do know</li>
<li>Shared assets are more vulnerable: the case of the Arizona Water Institute. </li>
</ul></div></div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-55235676584061705792011-10-19T12:03:00.000-07:002011-10-19T12:36:00.945-07:00Flying kites in higher winds<div>Some recent events have prompted me to issue a cautionary note about flying kites and Aeropods. I highly recommend avoid flying the 9 ft kite when ground wind speeds are above 12 mph. Though the 9 ft kites are rated 3 - 18 mph, this is a bit deceptive. The problem is that we are measuring our wind speed at ground level (AGL). Typically you can add 5 to 10 mph for winds aloft, and if it's gusty even more. The spreader on the 9 foot seems particularly ill suited to absorbing the stress produced by gusts above 20mph. If you are flying kites at wind speeds above 12 mph AGL, there is a very good chance you are at the functional limit of the kite when aloft. We have now seen four of these kites fail under similar circumstances. </div><div><br /></div><div>We are trying out a slightly more robust spreader to see if that helps, (this is the carbon rod that stretches across the kite between the wing spars). We have to be careful not to rely on this too much though. These delta kites have maximized surface area in order to lift in light winds. This can become a problem as winds increase and become gusty. There is a point at which strengthening the spreader will just pass the failure to another stress point on the kite.</div><div><br /></div><div>For what it's worth, I have found that the 7 ft kite does better under those conditions, and if you have sustained winds in the 6 - 12 mph range, it can handle the MonoCam easily, and probably the TwinCam at the higher end. As always, be sure to do a test flight without a camera to get a sense of what is happening aloft. Attaching a tail to the kite during the test flight can help to determine wind direction and speed aloft. You can use the Beaufort Scale to help judge the winds form the ground. The Beaufort Scale is available on our site at: <<a href="http://t.co/uAg0OXy9">sites.google.com/site/iccarspro…</a>> Look in the documents at the bottom of the page. There is also an abbreviated version is the little kite flying handbook from Into the Wind that you received at the summer workshop. </div><div><br /></div>Another good reason to avoid flying Aeropods when ground winds are above 12 mph is that it becomes increasingly difficult to capture good images as the wind overcomes the Aeropods stabilizing mechanisms in the higher winds aloft. <div><br /></div><div>Remember, the more practice you have with the kites, the better you will understand how they behave in different wind conditions, and what you can do to mitigated things like sudden gusts or fall-offs in wind speed. Practicing with your Monocam will help you prepare for successful flights with the TwinCam and other more valuable sensors down the road.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>eph_subhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393469109762527124noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-37332466677393841012011-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:002011-10-11T11:44:54.277-07:00MY NASA DATAOn Tuesday evening, September 27, 2011 -- Preston Lewis from NASA presented a webinar on MY NASA DATA. The URL is:<br />
<a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov</a><br />
Thanks to Alan Gould of the Lifelines Project for coordinating this webinar for all Lifeline participants. The archive of the MY NASA DATA climate change presentation by Preston Lewis is now available on the Lifelines Presentations archive site:<br />
<a href="http://www.globalsystemsscience.org/lifelines/presentations">http://www.globalsystemsscience.org/lifelines/presentations</a><br />
It's about 75 min, including questions.<br />
<br />
MY NASA DATA is a website that was created so that anyone can utilize a huge bank of satellite data for easy use. Through the use of their Live Access Server (LAS) you are able to generate plots graphs and other images to be used as you need.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the features of the website:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Science Project Ideas</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php</a></li>
<li>Cloud Observation; Contrail Observation; Dust Observation; Sky Color; etc.</li>
</ul></ul><li>Science Glossary</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/glossary.php">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/glossary.php</a></li>
<li>From "accretion to zonal band"</li>
</ul></ul><li>Computer Tools</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/tools.html">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/tools.html</a></li>
<li>How to download YouTube videos; Opening data in Excel; Latitude/Longitude Tool</li>
</ul></ul><li>Facebook Page</li>
<ul><ul><li>Like them at MY NASA DATA</li>
</ul></ul><li>YouTube Station</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/mynasadata">http://www.youtube.com/mynasadata</a></li>
<li>MY NASA DATA tutorials; Real World: Monitoring; NASA Earth Science Week</li>
</ul></ul><li>Data Access</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/data.html">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/data.html</a></li>
<li>Three levels of data access -- basic, intermediate and advanced. </li>
</ul></ul><li>Climate Change Lesson Plans</li>
<ul><ul><li><a href="http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/ClimChg_lessons.html">http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/ClimChg_lessons.html</a></li>
<li>Studying snow and ice changes; March of the Polar Bears; Is Grandpa Right?</li>
</ul></ul></ul><div>The presenter was Preston Lewis. He can be contacted at preston.lewis@nasa.gov or 757.951.1925.</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-25084566554760495882011-09-24T13:59:00.000-07:002011-09-25T12:34:40.938-07:00Top Songs About Climate Change“Climate change is now widely recognized as the major environmental problem facing the globe.” (UNEP) Global warming and climate change are an important and controversial topics. They have raised strong feelings on both sides of the debate. Where do you stand?<br />
<br />
This post is part of Blog Action Day 2009, a worldwide initiative started by Envato founders Collis and Cyan Ta’eed, now being run by Change.org. Blog Action Day exists to change the conversation on the web for one day by uniting thousands of bloggers around one important issue – this year, Climate Change. It’s not too late to register your blog and participate.<br />
<br />
Music is an effective tool for raising awareness, expressing emotions and prompting action. Many musicians are very conscious of the environment. Here are 8 top songs about climate change. The songs are new and old, fast and slow, funny and serious, by the famous and the unknown.<br />
<br />
Read the full blog posting and YouTube videos of the songs, please visit:<br />
<a href="http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/top-8-songs-about-climate-change/">http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/top-8-songs-about-climate-change/</a><br />
<br />
1. Saltwater by Julian Lennon<br />
2. Where We Going to Go by David Todd<br />
3. The Shadow by Sandel<br />
4. I Need to Wake Up by Melissa Etheridge<br />
5. The Last Day on Earth by Kate Miller-Heidke<br />
6. Earth Song by Michael Jackson<br />
7. Can We Save the Planet With Music by Douglas Stambler<br />
8. Protect the World by a Bunch of Aussie Kids<br />
<br />
There is another list of songs related to climate change and human impact n the environment. It was compiled by Richard L. Wallace, Ursinus College Environmental Studies Program, January 2009. To view the list, please visit:<br />
<a href="http://www.conbio.org/workinggroups/sswg/downloads/climatechangesongs.pdf">http://www.conbio.org/workinggroups/sswg/downloads/climatechangesongs.pdf</a>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-8068414994670771352011-09-21T09:08:00.000-07:002011-09-22T14:54:54.353-07:00Climate Change Book ListThere have been many requests for good books that deal with climate change. Here are a some books, that are recommended by the ICCARS Project:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li><a href="http://www.climatecrisis.net/">http://www.climatecrisis.net/</a></li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>As in the Heart, So in the Earth: Reversing the Desertification of the Soul and the Soil by Pierre Rabhi </li>
</ul><ol><ul><li><a href="http://store.innertraditions.com/isbn/978-1-59477-081-4">http://store.innertraditions.com/isbn/978-1-59477-081-4</a></li>
<li>(Thanks to Serge for sharing) </li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>Frazier's Penguins by Fen Montaigne</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li><a href="http://fraserspenguins.com/">http://fraserspenguins.com/</a></li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>Storms of My Grandchildren by Dr. James Hansen</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li><a href="http://www.stormsofmygrandchildren.com/">http://www.stormsofmygrandchildren.com/</a></li>
</ul></ol><ul><li>With Speed and Violence: Why Scientists Fear Tipping Points in Climate Change by Fred Pearce</li>
</ul><ol><ul><li><a href="http://forum-network.org/lecture/speed-and-violence-tipping-points-and-climate-change">http://forum-network.org/lecture/speed-and-violence-tipping-points-and-climate-change</a></li>
</ul></ol><div>We will continue to update this list of books. Do you have any suggestions? If so, please add your comments. Let's make this list as helpful as possible.</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-36009942532826488592011-08-11T05:01:00.000-07:002011-08-11T05:23:37.412-07:00Assignment Due at the End of the ICCARS Project TrainingOn Friday, August 12, 2011, the ICCARS 5-day training comes to an end. During the afternoon of the 12th, project participants will have time to work on their instructional units. By the end of the afternoon, each participant will need to turn in an outline of their unit. It will need to include:<br />
1. Teacher Name and School<br />
2. Subject Taught<br />
3. Alignment to specific Climate Literacy Principle(s) -- (Ideally, both the number(s) and letters.<br />
4. Approximate length of time of the unit.<br />
5. General outline of the unit.<br />
6. How the GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign will be implemented in the unit (Climate Foundation activities and/or Intensive Observation Periods (IOP's)-anticipated month.<br />
7. How will remote sensing be implemented in your unit?<br />
8. What NASA data sites will be used?<br />
9. Ideas about encouraging student projects around the question of "What is my climate and how has it changed over time?" (ecosystems and climate; climate and large-scale extreme weather; cargon, energy, and your carbon footprint; and air pollution, human health, and climate)<br />
<br />
Identification -- Subject -- Alignment -- Time -- Outline -- SCRC -- Remote Sensing -- NASA data -- Student Projects<br />
<br />
Detailed instructions for future work can be found at: <a href="http://iccarsproject.blogspot.com/2011/03/formatting-guidelines-for-iccars.html">http://iccarsproject.blogspot.com/2011/03/formatting-guidelines-for-iccars.html </a>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-67790308102993778062011-07-28T10:03:00.000-07:002011-08-06T06:18:18.497-07:00Preparing Your iPad for Use in the ICCARS Project 2011- 2012We are excited to begin year two of the ICCARS with the implementation of iPads for all of the teachers in the Project. 16 of our teachers are using the original iPad and 42 are using the iPad 2. The major differences between the iPad and the iPad 2 are:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Built in Cameras (Front and Read) -- The original iPad uses a SD adaptor to move photos from a camera to the iPad. The iPad 2 saves the photos directly from the built in cameras.</li>
<li>Ability to use mirroring when connected to a projecting device.</li>
</ul><div>Thirty-five new teachers in the ICCARS Project have come in to pick up their new iPads. Each teacher received an iPad 2, a VGA adaptor and a two year warranty. Here are some of the things we talked about (or we should have talked about):<br />
<br />
<ul><li>Have fun with it, play with it, download lots of free apps. Become comfortable with it.</li>
<li>Open the warranty box and make sure that you submit the warranty number that is included within the box.</li>
<li>Set up the "Find My iPhone" app. This is very important because it will help in case your iPad gets misplaced. It allows you to send out a message, a beep, or erase the iPad. There is no charge for this service. Just follow the directions. </li>
<li>You can do your email on the iPad, using the Mail App. If you use Microsoft Exchange, MobileMe, GMail, Yahoo, AOL, or other accounts, it can be easily set up in the settings section. You probably will not be able to set up your school email through the mail app.</li>
</ul><div>To make learning easier with the iPad, you are encouraged to watch the guided tours at:</div></div><div><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/guided-tours/">http://www.apple.com/ipad/guided-tours/</a></div><div>You will find great videos on using Facetime, Mail, Safari, iBooks, Videos, Photos, Find My iPad, iPod, iTunes, App Store, Maps, and AirPlay. You might also want to visit:</div><div><a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">http://www.apple.com/ipad/</a></div><div>and watch the video on using the Smart Cover (now I know how to get it to stand up correctly).<br />
<br />
You might also like to think about new ways to use the iPad in education. If so, check out:<br />
<a href="http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/">http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/</a><br />
<br />
I (Dave) would also like to share with you, some of my favorite apps that complement the study of climate change. Take a look at them in the App Store, on your iPad. Don't buy any yet, we will be able to do that for you, but if they are free try them out. Here is a list of the Apps:<br />
iBooks (added 8 - 1- 11)<br />
Climate Change<br />
TWC Max+ (The Weather Channel)<br />
Negotiator<br />
iMatter<br />
TiltMeterE<br />
EarthObserver<br />
CliMate<br />
Skeptical Science<br />
Climate A2Z<br />
GPS HD<br />
Gaia GPS<br />
iGiS<br />
GisRoam<br />
Clinometer<br />
Satellites<br />
NASA<br />
Compass<br />
NASA Now<br />
Our Choice (CC Book by Al Gore)<br />
LeafsnapHD<br />
Protractor<br />
Spaced<br />
Flipboard (Social Networking)<br />
Early Edition (RSS Reader)<br />
Pages (Word Processing)<br />
Numbers (Similar to Excel)<br />
Keynote (Similar to Powerpoint)<br />
Garageband<br />
App Tracker (Great for App Bargain Hunting)<br />
PBS<br />
NFB (National Film Board of Canada)<br />
NPR<br />
Howcast (How to Videos -- Even on how to use the iPad)<br />
SoundNote<br />
PDFReader Pro<br />
GoodReader<br />
TED<br />
EMD PTE (Periodic Table)<br />
Science360<br />
Facebook<br />
Twitter<br />
<br />
We would love to hear your comments and suggestions. Use the comment section in the blog, found below. <br />
<br />
<br />
</div><div><br />
</div><div><br />
</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-82093572874595395012011-05-06T11:20:00.000-07:002011-05-06T11:20:10.063-07:00What are your favorite climate change and remote sensing apps?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;"><br />
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<div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">My Favorite Apps for the Study of Climate Change and Remote Sensing<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">(as of May, 2011)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">David Bydlowski<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Wayne County Mathematics and Science Center at Wayne RESA<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">ICCARS Project<o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="mailto:bydlowd@resa.net"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "ヒラギノ角ゴ Pro W3";">bydlowd@resa.net</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="Body1" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Climate Change News</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- RSS, news, and video feeds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>($2)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Climate Mobile (CliMate)</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Personal Climate Analyzer: Database of the most current climate change data along with historical data analysis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(free)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Gaia GPS</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Offline topographic maps, compass, and GPS tracking. ($13)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">GISRoam</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Mobile GIS application. (free)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">iMatter</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Student Activism. Best section is kids versus global warming. (free)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">MotionX GPS HD</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- GPS, maps and navigation. ($3)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">NASA App HD</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Satellites, remote images and much more. (free)</span><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">NASA Now</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Aggregates NASA feeds. (free)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Negotiator</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Information on the UN Climate Change Conferences (free)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Our Choice</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Interactive book by Al Gore on climate change. ($5)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;">Satellites</span></b><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica;"> -- Displays the location of the International Space station. ($1)</span></div><div class="Body1"><br />
</div><div class="Body1"><o:p>What are your favorite iPad (iOS) resources for the study of climate change and remote sensing? I did not list any tool apps. Share your comments and share your favorite climate change and remote sensing apps!! Looking forward to your comments.....</o:p></div><!--EndFragment-->ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-46910470878402657192011-05-03T12:51:00.000-07:002011-05-03T12:51:37.385-07:00Project-Based Learning<a href="http://www.edutopia.org/">Edutopia</a> has recently come out with a great series of resources on Project-Based Learning. In the first article, written by Bob Lenz, he talks about making Project-Based Learning easy. You can read the full article by clicking <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/blog/project-based-learning-made-easy-bob-lenz">HERE</a>. He understands that there is only so much time in a day, so he shares three principles for instruction:<br />
<br />
<ol><li>Academic Rigor -- Ask a Question</li>
<li>Balanced Assessment -- Write an Essay with a Rubric</li>
<li>Active Exploration and Adult Connections -- Conduct an Interview</li>
</ol><div><br />
</div><div>The next resource is entitled: Core Strategy; Project-Based Learning. Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. You can view the full resource by clicking <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning">HERE</a>. They project two videos:</div><div><ol><li>An Introduction to Project-Based Learning (three minutes)</li>
<li>Project Based Learning: An Overview (nine minutes)</li>
</ol><div><br />
</div></div><div>The next resource is an article written by the staff of Edutopia. It is entitled--Why Teach with Project-Based Learning?: Providing Students With a Well-Rounded Classroom Experience. The major point of the article is that Project-based learning helps students apply what they learn to real-life experiences and provides an all-around enriching education. You can read the short article by clicking <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning-introduction">HERE</a>.</div><div><br />
</div><div>The next resource is blog posting from Suzie Boss. It is entitled, Perfecting with Practice: Project-Based Teaching. I think you will find the links within the article very helpful. You can read the posting by clicking <a href="http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-teaching-takes-practice">HERE</a>. She shares a few "gems":</div><div><ol><li>Get Minds Inquiring</li>
<li>Lay a Foundation</li>
<li>Look to the Discipline for Cues</li>
<li>Develop Confidence</li>
<li>Build Some Buzz</li>
<li>Establish the Right Context</li>
</ol><div><br />
</div></div><div>The final resource is a <a href="http://www.ted.com/">TED Talk</a>. John Hunter puts all the problems of the world on a 4'x5' plywood board -- and lets his 4th-graders solve them. At TED2011, he explains how his World Peace Game engages schoolkids, and why the complex lessons it teaches -- spontaneous, and always surprising -- go further than classroom lectures can. I think you will see that it could easily be adapted to fit the kinds of questions that come up in your classroom. You can watch the 20-minute video by clicking <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/john_hunter_on_the_world_peace_game.html">HERE</a>.</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-37470339345900054462011-03-17T07:59:00.000-07:002011-03-17T07:59:34.515-07:00Formatting Guidelines for the ICCARS Project<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The formatting guidelines for the ICCARS Unit Plan were introduced on Monday, March 15. They have been listed below. What do you think of the plan? Share your comments within the blog.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Unit Plan<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 3.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Introduction to Unit:<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>State your name/s and the grade level and course for which the Unit is designed. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>State the title of the Unit</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>List the Driving Question(s) for the Unit</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>List the Major Understanding(s) for the Unit</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>List the Expectations for the Unit, both Inquiry and Content (code plus full written expectation).</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>List the essential content for the Unit.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>List an example of a project/challenge that would be appropriate for this unit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Examples can be found at: http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php)</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Unit Calendar (Listing of Lessons with approximate number of days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make sure you include the Pre/Post test).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please list each day, such as Day 1- , Day 2-, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each day provides a short description, no more than 2-3 sentences.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;">** Note – The full unit must address: climate change / use of NASA data / remote sensing.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Lesson Plans <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Lesson sections: <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Introduction</b>” -- Give a brief title to your lesson that describes the content focus and include the driving question or major understanding.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Expectations</b>” – list the inquiry and content expectations (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">code only</b>) that represent what students will know and/or be able to do as a result of instruction.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Resources</b>” – include a list of all the resources you and students will need to do the lesson, including written materials (handouts), instructional media (slides, overheads, computer software), and scientific materials and apparatus. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Safety</b>” – describe any safety precautions you will be taking related to the materials involved in the lessons. What safety gear will you provide, what cautions will you give students?</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Engagement”</b> – “The teacher or a task accesses the learners’ prior knowledge and helps them become engaged in a new concept through the use of short activities that promote curiosity and elicit prior knowledge. The activity should make connections between past and present learning experiences, expose prior conceptions, and organize students’ thinking toward the learning outcomes of current activities.” (BSCS, 2006) Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Exploration”</b> – “Outline a sequence of activities for the body of the class. Include any key questions you will ask students that will guide them toward your learning goals. Write this section as though you were providing guidance to a substitute teacher – you want her or him to understand the lesson just as you planned it.” (BSCS, 2006)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Explanation”</b> – The explanation phase focuses students’ attention on a particular aspect of their engagement and exploration experiences and provides opportunities to demonstrate their conceptual understanding, process skills, or behaviors. An explanation from the teacher or the curriculum may guide them toward a deeper understanding, which is a critical part of this phase. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> “Elaboration”</b> - Teachers challenge and extend students’ conceptual understanding and skills. Through new experiences, the students develop deeper and broader understanding, more information, and adequate skills. Students may apply their understanding of the concept by conducting additional activities. Include a formative assessment as appropriate.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Evaluation</b>” –Provide a summative assessment task for students to complete or questions for them to address that will give you feedback on how their understanding relates to the expectations. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: .25in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span>Labeled “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Appendices”</b> – Include any of the following that are relevant to your lesson: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Student handouts</i> or activity sheets; pictures, diagrams, overheads, or other <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">resources that will be available publicly</i> to the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Include rubrics for assessments and other assessment tools.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">**<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notes on <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">formative assessment</b>: Formative assessment encourages students to assess their understanding and abilities and provides opportunities for teachers to assess student progress toward achieving the expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be informal oral questioning during class, a written ‘exit slip’ they hand in at the end of class, a take-home question, a problem to brainstorm about, asking them to apply what they learned to a new situation, etc.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bibliography:</div><div class="MsoNormal">BSCS. (2006) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The BSCS 5E Instructional Model. </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Executive Summary. Retrieved 3/09/11, from <a href="http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html">http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html</a> </div><div class="MsoNormal">Falk, Andrew, Secondary Methods Class, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. </div><!--EndFragment-->ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-82983955353437447112011-02-20T19:33:00.000-08:002011-02-20T19:39:45.723-08:00Teaching Units for the ICCARS Project<div class="MsoNormal">Unit Design</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There have been a few questions that have been coming up regarding the Climate Change units that are due on April 8, 2011. The blog is a good place to discuss the unit. Please share your comments and suggestions. This will be helpful so that everyone can learn from each other.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please keep in mind that the unit you turn in on April 8 may look different from its final form in 2012. You will be able to adjust your unit as you use it and as your thinking changes. We will have a template within the next month that we will be using. As long as you are doing your work in Word format (Office, Pages, etc.), you will not have a problem with the template. It will just be a matter of cutting and pasting. The work that you share does not have to be original work. You are not expected to design brand new activities to do with students. But please cite all of your work. The goal of these units is to provide teachers, outside of our project, with units that they can use with their students.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>There are three topics that need that must be included within each unit:</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Climate Change</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Remote Sensing</li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>NASA Data</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">There are two reasons why these topics must be included. First, it is a requirement of the grant. But secondly, in order to study climate change, the other topics are necessary. In order to study climate change we need to collect data. There are many ways to collect data. Remote sensing is the act of collecting data about an object without physically contacting the object. Our students will collect data from their local environment, which in turn can be added to the global database. Probably the largest database comes from NASA. We want students to know where they can turn to, in order to use data to support their conclusions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the units are developed, the process of inquiry should be clearly identified. Inquiry will look very different in classrooms. The sad part is that sometimes it is absent in a classroom. Inquiry can be teacher directed, learner directed, or somewhere in between. You are encouraged to look at the Inquiry Continuum to see where your classroom fits in. Please visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11519881/Inquiry-continuum">http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11519881/Inquiry-continuum</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">to view the continuum. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Another source to view is the ACT College Readiness Standards. It will provide you with guidance on what students should know about interpreting data, scientific investigations, and evaluating models, inference, and exponential results. You can view the standards at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.act.org/standard/planact/science/index.html">http://www.act.org/standard/planact/science/index.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Finally, the 5 E’s should be prevalent within your lessons. The 5 E Instructional Model will promote the practice of inquiry. The 5 E’s are Engage, Explore, Explain, Enrich, and Evaluate. Normally it takes 3-5 classroom periods to get through the 5 E’s. You are encouraged to visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html">http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the BSCS website where you can learn more about the instructional model. Even NASA encourages teachers to use the 5 E model, as you can see at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/5eteachingmodels/index.html">http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/5eteachingmodels/index.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">You can download a pdf document at:</div><div class="MsoNormal">learningcenter.nsta.org/files/PB186X-4.pdf</div><div class="MsoNormal">which will allow you to view all of the components of each of the 5 E’s. Even though the document was written for an elementary book, the chart on the 4<sup>th</sup> and 5<sup>th</sup> page provides the BSCS document for the BSCS 5 E Teacher and Student. It should provide you with all of the information you need to understand each of the E’s.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now for the unit! You need to make sure that all of the following information is included (much of this has already been turned in, but now you are putting everything together into one document):</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"></div><ol><li>Title of Unit</li>
<li>Aligned list of the Standards, Statements, and or Expectations.</li>
<li>List of the essential content that you want students to have.</li>
<li>Major Understanding (s) and/or Minor Understandings.</li>
<li>Essential Questions that need to be answered during the unit.</li>
<li>List of instructional materials that you will be using in the unit.</li>
<li>Day by day lesson plans, including:</li>
<ol><li>Pre/Post tests</li>
<li>Instructional Activities (aligned to the 5E’s)</li>
<li>Assessments and Evaluations</li>
</ol></ol><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">As you design your day-by-day lesson plans, you do not need complete lesson plans, but you need enough description so that others would have a clear idea of what they would have to do to mirror your instruction.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tom Green has developed a unit on the Carbon Cycle, that you may want to use. He will be making instructional videos to help explain how to implement them into your curriculum. Please visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://resa.net/curriculum/curriculum/science/professionaldevelopment/climatechange/carboncycle/">http://resa.net/curriculum/curriculum/science/professionaldevelopment/climatechange/carboncycle/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Please share you comments and your ideas. The goal of this unit is twofold:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"></div><ul><li>To provide instructional units for other teachers so that they can more effectively teach climate change to their students.</li>
<li>Provide you with the opportunity to show the quality of work that you do in the classroom. It is your chance to be published.</li>
</ul>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-17050665877201373282011-02-17T01:53:00.000-08:002011-02-17T12:57:36.313-08:00Vegetation Indices and NDVI<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some remotely sensed imagery such as Landsat images are very well suited to identifying land-use and land-cover (LULC) types on medium scales. In our project we are also using 4-band AEROKATS TwinCam imagery to identify local LULC types at much finer spatial resolutions. Through the use of supervised or unsupervised classification methods in image processing software, it is possible to break up images into discrete classes that can then be quantified and subjected to statistical analysis.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another method for understanding the imagery is though the identification of photosynthetically active, healthy green vegetation. Healthy green vegetation absorbs a high percentage of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Photosynthetically Active Radiation</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (PAR) in the visible portion of the EM spectrum - roughly from 0.4 - 0.7µm (or 400 - 700nm). </span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In healthy green vegetation, chloroplasts in the outer palisade mesophyll layer of the leaves contain the pigment chlorophyll. Chlorophyll pigment controls the plant's absorption of visible light. This absorption is particularly high in the blue (around 0.4 - 0.5µm) and red (0.6 - 0.7µm) portions of the spectrum. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The red and blue wavelengths are converted by the chloroplasts into food for the plant. </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Green light (~ 0.5 - 0.6µm) has a </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">lower absorption rate (therefore higher reflectance), resulting in the overall green appearance of healthy plants. Reflectance percentage (or albedo) in the red and blue wavelengths is generally well below 5%, with green around 10%. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A very different thing happens to the light in the near-infrared (NIR) portion of the spectrum, (~0.7 - 1.1µm). These longer waves penetrate deep into the leaf, and are reflected by the cellular structure of the spongey mesophyll near the back wall of the leaf. Reflectance (or albedo) ranges around 50-60% in the NIR.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiFrJItUc0DsI3mUPOUPuQO4MIPNbcJ6LQAHyRBM3NKcTUJnDg2LXhOhq6bH1e6OOkgkqnz7bgMuNY4KPvQ8NQKQglI-ZD_VwFd9_7QNqMKKwc84rHURo3iGM5W2krZpZ1NF7CGP58GHT/s400/reflect2a.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574763966530952274" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px; " /></span></span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><br /></span></span></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If plants become stressed and leaves begin to desiccate less visible light is absorbed to make food and less near-infrared radiation is reflected. Therefore the ratio of reflectance in the visible versus reflectance in the NIR ranges begins to change.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A simple ratio (SR) can be used to describe this: </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">SR = </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">VIS/NIR</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Because red acts as a good proxy for the visible portion of the spectrum as a whole we can use it to rewrite the simple ratio:</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">SR = R/NIR</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To compensate for shadows and variations in slope in some terrains, and to avoid extreme numeric ranges in the result, another index was developed - the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Here the difference between the NIR and VIS reflectance is divided (or normalized) by the total reflectance in those ranges:</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NDVI = (NIR-R)/(NIR+R)</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 12.1px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This ratio is calculated on every pixel in the image using the red and NIR bands. The result of this calculation is always a value between -1 and +1. The closer the value is to +1, the more likely the target pixel is healthy photosynthetically active vegetation. The closer it is to 0 or -1, the less likely it is to be healthy vegetation.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NDVI is useful for calculating biomass and primary production. It is also useful for monitoring green-up and green-down, as well as changes in the occurrence times of each over different years. NDVI is employed in monitoring drought and desertification as well.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sources and more information:</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">NASA/GSFC Remote Sensing Tutorial (RSt), Primary Author: Nicholas M. Short, Sr.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><a href="http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect3/Sect3_1.html"><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#1f00ac;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect3/Sect3_1.html</span></span></a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana; min-height: 12.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 10.6px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(31, 0, 172); "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px ;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Measuring Vegetation (NDVI & EVI), NASA Earth Observatory,</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 10.6px; font: normal normal normal 10px/normal Verdana; color: rgb(31, 0, 172); "><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px ;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"></span></span><a href="http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MeasuringVegetation/measuring_vegetation_2.php"><span style="text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MeasuringVegetation/measuring_vegetation_2.php</span></span></a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana; min-height: 12.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Introductory Digital Image Processing - A Remote Sensing Perspective, John R. Jensen 2005</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana; min-height: 12.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Global System Science - ABCs of Digital Earth Watch Software, Lawrence Hall of Science, UC-Berkley</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"><a href="http://lawrencehallofscience.org/gss/"><span style="font: 10.0px Verdana; text-decoration: underline ; letter-spacing: 0.0px color:#1f00ac;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">http://lawrencehallofscience.org/gss/</span></span></a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana; min-height: 12.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 10.6px; font: 10.0px Verdana; min-height: 12.0px"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px"></span><br /></p></span></span><p></p>eph_subhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393469109762527124noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-36091590985846772912011-02-14T14:22:00.001-08:002011-02-14T14:23:14.036-08:00Summary of the ICCARS PLC Webconference on Monday, February 7, 2011<div class="MsoNormal">Review of the ICCARS PLC Webconference on Monday, February 7, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Present: Laura Amatulli, Lynn Bradley, Wanda Bryant, Russ Columbus, Erica Conley-Shannon, Greg Dombro, Jennifer Gorsline, Tome Green, Dan Neil, Kathleen O’Connor, Deena Parks, John Rama, Darcie Ruby, and Bruce Szczechowski</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Absent: John Bayerl and Caroline Chuby</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The agenda for the meeting will follow, but before the agenda is listed, there was information that was shared from the group and we want that listed here, so that everyone can view the information quickly:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Free viewing of the PBS Program—Secrets Beneath the Ice. Please visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/secrets-beneath-ice.html">http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/secrets-beneath-ice.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">EarthKAMM – Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students is an educational outreach program allowing middle school students to take pictures of our Earth from a digital camera on board the International Space Station. For more information or to register for the April 5-8 EarthKAMM mission, please visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/">https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://cleanet.org/">http://cleanet.org/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">was again mentioned as a really good resource educational resources.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A great site to check out for student projects is Think Quest, which can be found at:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.thinkquest.org/en/">http://www.thinkquest.org/en/</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">eCyberMission is a free, web-based science, technology, engineering and math competition for students in grades six through nine. The deadline to enter is March 3. For more information, please visit:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx">https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Agenda:</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Updates – New Picasa Photos, CTN Grant Update, E-Rate Grant Update, Michigan Climate Coalition, ICCARS Calendar, ICCARS Pre/Post Test Developed based on Yale Study, Blog</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Important Dates: The 2011 Climate Summit will take place on April 27 from 4:00 – 8:00 and the Summer Training for ICCARS will take place August 8 – 12 at Wayne RESA.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Lifelines is offering two optional webinars—February 23 and March 16 from 6:00 – 7:00. Possible collaborations among teachers may be coming.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Additional Resources/Opportunities: Thacher Environmental Grants; GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign, NASA Explorer Schools.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>iPad Updates: Movie—Secrets Beneath the Ice; Book—Frasers Penguins; new eBook from Andy Henry on Image Processing.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Assessments have been collected and are being reviewed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Next Assignment Due April 11 – Full Unit Development</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Climate Change Science – Discussion of Climate Change an Winter Storms</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">9.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Remote Sensing – Satellite Meteorology focusing in on the CERES, GOES, and POES.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-77295073558835804522011-02-07T10:37:00.000-08:002011-02-07T20:47:14.438-08:00Thoughts on the relationship between weather, climate, and global warming<!--StartFragment--> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">After last week's snow storm there was a lot of noise about whether this was caused by climate change, whether it refuted global warming, or if it was just weather in the Midwest. This brought me back to how much difficulty there is in understanding the relationship between weather, climate change and global warming. Without getting into whether we are observing a natural or man-made phenomena, I am going to take a stab at this clarifying these relationships.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"></p><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">The underlying phenomena driving climate change is global warming – the Earth is heating up. This is a simple, verifiable fact.</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">This heating occurs unevenly, largely do to local and regional variables, (e.g., air and ocean currents, atmospheric moisture, relative </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">albedo</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">, carbon sequestration, urban heat islands, etc.).</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">As the Earth gets warmer, ocean and air currents change, distributing heat and moisture in new patterns. Warmer oceans also mean more moisture is available to the atmosphere.</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">We experience these changes in our daily lives through weather, which is highly sensitive to such forcings.</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">Over longer periods, these effects produce changes in climate, which can dramatically alter the physical and biological characteristics of place on local, regional and global scales.</span></span></span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">These changes in climate can also create feedback that amplifies these effects locally, regionally and globally.</span></span></span></li></ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">More concisely, the warming of the planet causes changes in distribution of heat and moisture through weather. These patterns, sustained over time, cause changes in climate. Changes in climate in turn can create feedback that further impacts weather patterns. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">And so on...</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">When we talk about the response of weather to global warming, we are talking about a</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> large and nonlinear system (weather) </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">responding </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">to an influx of additional energy (</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">global warming)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">. Even though the increase in energy input may be gradual and seemingly small, the system response can be chaotic and severe.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">By itself, the storm tells us very little about global warming and climate change. However, as part of a larger pattern of increasingly severe and unusual storms, heat-waves, droughts, and floods - all set against a background of record setting global temperatures -</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> last weeks storm is entirely consistent with what we should be expecting to see.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333333;">That is, just about anything.</span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span style=" vertical-align: baseline; color:black;"></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top:4.32pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:left;direction:ltr; unicode-bidi:embed;vertical-align:baseline;mso-line-break-override:restrictions; punctuation-wrap:simple"><span style="color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">As an added note, evidence suggests that historically, dramatic shifts in global climate have not tended to occur gradually, but quite often occur in time periods as short as a decade or less. Again, this is not inconsistent with non-linear systems.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->eph_subhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393469109762527124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-22729086027057170912011-01-09T13:05:00.000-08:002011-01-10T10:05:53.502-08:00Driving Questions<div class="MsoNormal">Driving Questions from <a href="http://pbl-online.org/">http://pbl-online.org</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Driving Question is central to the inquiry process and must come before deciding on the project or unit activities. The natural outcome of the project or unit is that it is driven by the Driving Question. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">A good Driving Question makes a unit or project intriguing, complex, and problematic. Although standard classroom assignments, like story problems and essays, pose questions that students must answer, a Driving Question requires multiple activities and the synthesis of different types of information before it can be answered. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It brings cohernce to disparate unit or project activities and serves as a “lighthouse” that promotes student interest and directs students toward the units or project’s goals and objectives.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Driving Questions should address authentic concern. For example, when creating the Driving Question it is useful to ask yourself: “Where is the content I am trying to teach used in the real world?” Although it is usually easier to focus students’ attention on a single question, some topics will require multiple Driving Questions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Driving Questions are: provocative; open-ended; go to the heart of a discipline or topic; challenging; can arise from real world dilemmas that students find interesting; and are consistent with curricular standards and frameworks. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Take the quiz at: <a href="http://pbl-online.org/driving_question/dqtest/dqtest.html">http://pbl-online.org/driving_question/dqtest/dqtest.html</a> to determine how much you understand Driving Questions.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the <b>ICCARS projec</b>t, there are <b>three things</b> that should come through in any <b>Driving Question</b> for this project: it should focus in on <b>climate change</b>; requires students to have some understanding of <b>remote sensing</b> to provide evidence to their answer; and utilize <b>NASA data</b> in some way.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here are some examples of Driving Questions that have been turned in so far. What do you think of them? Share your comments below:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> </div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ol><li>How can we, your family and society, lessen our impact on Global Climate Change and what data supports these solutions?</li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">How can you as a student use simple tools and instruments (remote sensing) to gather data and evidence to draw conclusions about patterns of weather and climate in your own environment?</span></li>
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">What kind of correlation exists between altitude and weather statistics such as temperature and wind speed? Will this correlation be consistent as weather conditions change?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">How do human activities affect climate change such as global warming?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">How does climate change affect living organisms in Dearborn, MI?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">How can you explain the relationship between weather and climate and how does this relationship contribute to climate change?</span></li>
</ul><li>How is climate change and global warming evident in Southgate?</li>
<li>Multiple Driving Questions, but still needs a main one.</li>
<ul><li>How do changes in land use affect local water quality?</li>
<li>How do changes in land use affect local temperature and precipitation?</li>
<li>How do changes in land use affect carbon sequestering?</li>
<li>How do changes in land use affect air quality?</li>
<li>How do changes in land use affect biodiversity?</li>
</ul><li>How can we use kites equipped with weather sensors and cameras to learn about how animals adapt to climate change?</li>
<ul><li>How does a kite fly on a windy day?</li>
<li>How does our team work together safely to fly large kites equipped with remote sensing devices?</li>
<li>What information can we gather with remote sensing devices and what can it tell us about animals and their habitats?</li>
</ul><li>What’s in the Atmosphere and Why Should I Care?</li>
<ul><li>How does the composition of the earth's atmosphere affect its properties and behavior?</li>
<li>How does solar radiation influence conditions on earth?</li>
<li>How can scientific tools help us understand human impact on the atmosphere?</li>
</ul><li>Why does Avondale Middle School and it's local area look the way it does?</li>
<li>How can you lessen your Carbon Footprint, here in Detroit?</li>
<ul><li>What role does carbon dioxide play in global warming?</li>
<li>How do cardon dioxide levels in Detroit compare to levels in other areas?</li>
<li>How do our actions impact carbon dioxide levels?</li>
<li>What can we do at the individual level to reduce carbon dioxide levels? At the local level? At the global level?</li>
</ul></ol>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-44656064740677905282010-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:002010-12-23T14:01:37.774-08:00Summary of the December 13, 2010 ICCARS PLC TeleconferenceEquipment Used: Audio—Phone Conference provided by Wayne RESA; Video—Adobe Connect, provided by Wayne RESA<br />
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You can listen and view the Videoconference by visiting:<br />
<a href="http://remc.adobeconnect.com/p47275523">http://remc.adobeconnect.com/p47275523</a><br />
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4:15 – 4:30 – Login<br />
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4:30 – 6:00 – Teleconference<br />
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Attendees: John Bayerl, Lynn Bradley, Wanda Bryant, Russell Columbus, Erica Conley-Shannon, Greg Dombro, Jennifer Gorsline, Tom Green, Dan Neil, Kathleen O’Connor, Deena Parks, John Rama, Darcie Ruby, Bruce Szczechowski, and Yichun Xie.<br />
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Absent: Laura Amatulli and Caroline Chuby<br />
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Hosts: David Bydlowski and Andy Henry<br />
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<b>Agenda and Notes:</b><br />
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1. Audio Test<br />
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2. Update on our participation in the Michigan Climate Coalition and Kathleen O’Connor’s participation in the Condition 1 project.<br />
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3. Update on iPad Update to 4.2.1 and the use of RSS Readers.<br />
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4. Review of Units that were turned in on December 10.<br />
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a. Theme, Time Span, Alignment to Standards, Identification of Key Knowledge and Skills<br />
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b. Units are posted at: http://geodata.acad.emich.edu/iccars/ in Resources and then Lesson Plans<br />
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5. Next Assignment – Write the Driving Questions for each unit. Due January 7.<br />
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6. Group Sharing<br />
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a. Kathleen spoke about her participation in Condition 1.<br />
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b. No major issues with the iPad Update or RSS Readers<br />
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c. Many groups commented on their units. A few questions were asked about Driving Questions. In particular—how many driving questions are appropriate within a unit.<br />
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7. Information about Climate Change based on the Yale Report-America’s Knowledge of Climate Change and the presentation given at the 2010 UN Climate Conference.<br />
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a. It was recommended that participants download the report and possibly use some of the questions with their students. It also provides a way of getting a better understanding of the misconceptions associated with climate change.<br />
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b. http://environment.yale.edu/climate/news/knowledge-of-climate-change<br />
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c. Yale presentation at the UN Climate Conference: http://environment.yale.edu/climate<br />
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d. Global Warming’s “Six Americans.” – What they think, why they think, and the questions they would ask.<br />
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8. Group Sharing—participants said the information was enlightening and informative.<br />
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9. Information about Remote Sensing<br />
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a. Remote Processing Process – Statement of the problem; Identification of In Situ and Remote Sensing Data Requirements; Remote Sensing Data Collection; Remote Sensing Data Analysis; Information Presentation<br />
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b. AEROKATS TwinCam Image Processing/Classification Steps – Acquire Imagery from Sensor; Preprocess Imagery; Process Imagery-Supervised Classification<br />
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c. John Rama spoke to the problems that he has had in the process to help others see what problems can arise.<br />
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d. MultiSpec Tutorials<br />
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e. Earth Observation Systems – NASA Global Climate Change Website and NASA/JPL Eyes on the Earth 3D<br />
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f. http://climate.nasa.gov/index.cfm<br />
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g. http://climate.nasa.gov/Eyes/eyes.html<br />
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h. Categories of EOS Missions—14 Satellites (8 atmosphere; 2 oceans; 4 land)<br />
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i. EOS Data Sources – NASA/GSFC Global Change Master Directory; CEOS Climate Diagnostics; USGS Earth Explorer; USGS GloVis and MODIS Web<br />
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j. http://gcmd.nasa.gov<br />
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k. http://idn.ceos.org<br />
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l. http://edcsns17.cr.usgs.gov/EarthExplorer<br />
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m. http://glovis.usgs.gov<br />
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n. http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov<br />
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10. Group Sharing—Majority of the discussion centered around the difficulty of the process and that many had a general understanding but not a working understanding. It was also stated that there is a disconnect between remote sensing and climate change, in terms of understanding. Some participants suggested that we meet over the Holiday Break to work on Image Processing and related issues. Wednesday, December 22 from 9:00 – 3:00 was selected as the date to do this, at Wayne RESA.<br />
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11. Next PLC Teleconference will take place at 4:30 (EST) on January 10, 2011.<br />
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Editors Note: The PLC teleconference went pretty smooth. The major problem was that it went 30 minutes too long. As hosts, we have to work on working within the time constraints. But special thanks go out to all of the participants who not only stayed on, but actively participated. It is also very impressive that the group wanted to meet on their own time, to improve their skills and understanding.ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-27578785907308021322010-12-06T08:59:00.000-08:002010-12-06T09:31:29.364-08:00Image Processing QuestionJohn Rama had a question about the image processing exercise that I thought might be valuable for sharing with the group.<br /><br /><span></span><i>"The attached word file has the MultiSpec Image and what I think is the Statistical Analysis that goes with this image. I would like to have a discussion about what it all means. It may be so poorly done that it is not worth discussing. I would like to see something more than just pretty colors but need help understanding what information can be pulled from the analysis - even if it is information that says this image is not useable. Thoughts.<br />John R."</i><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8AofvVBFdmMepu8QMbhhKXnUQ-MJ7Zwc4E-lWE1X37AlhgXwJNTuJDzl26TCf0eHhw9D_PeKTjkySVqUArndq0cAA-8AoIjg-4Y3FUTnHEHdq7a1ZNQGdKdTygyfHr1zgfciqgAVGk2a/s1600/JR_MultiSpec_Ex_1.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8AofvVBFdmMepu8QMbhhKXnUQ-MJ7Zwc4E-lWE1X37AlhgXwJNTuJDzl26TCf0eHhw9D_PeKTjkySVqUArndq0cAA-8AoIjg-4Y3FUTnHEHdq7a1ZNQGdKdTygyfHr1zgfciqgAVGk2a/s320/JR_MultiSpec_Ex_1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547622739687988258" /></a><br /><br />Hi John, I agree, thank you for your effort here. It is definitely worth discussing.<br /><br />The information on the left refers to the statistical probability that each pixel in the category is classified correctly. In a supervised classification model (where you "train" the classification by selecting representative samples first) you determine the classification scheme. In a unsupervised classification, the program automatically classifies the image into a predetermined number of categories based on a sampling method and no training samples.<br /><br />It looks like you ran your classification process properly. The issue I see here is that the visible and NIR images were not registered (spatially aligned) to each other. If you look carefully you will see that the house appears twice in the image, with a considerable offset. Once you see this you will probably recognize that all of the features maintain this offset. This means that any given pixel in the composite image will contain information from two different features (e.g., house/field, road/trees, etc.). Any statistical analysis of the pixels will therefor not be a valid representation of the site on the ground.<br /><br />Also don't forget that when properly registered, the part of the image that extends beyond the overlap must be trimmed off in your image processing software. Pixels that contain information from only one image will distort the calculations from the overall image.<br /><br />As for the statistics:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Classification of Training Fields</span> provides information about the likelihood that a pixel in your selection was actually representative of the overall selection (a patch of dirt in a selection of grass will read as incorrect because it is not representative of the rest of the selection).<br /><br />If you look at the column 1 "Grass", you will see that there are 19776 pixels in the training selection that are identified as Class Number 1, 0 are identified as Class Number 2, 65 are identified as Class Number 3, 8 are identified as Class Number 4, 8 are identified as Class Number 5, and 74 are identified as Class Number 6. This means that your training selection for "Grass" also contained what the system identified as 65 pixels of "Road", 8 pixels of "Car", 8 pixels of "Trees", and 74 pixels of "Field".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Training Class Performance</span> tells you how the pixels in the image ended up being classified based on the training selections. Note that the Total and Reliability Accuracy rows at the bottom of the table are not properly aligned with the columns above. They need to shift left.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Class Distribution for Selected Area</span> displays the actual results of the entire image classification. You can see here how many pixels of each class were identified, and the percentage of the total image that they comprise.<br /><br />Again, because your images were not aligned, the classes do not represent the real classes on the ground because the pixels are mixed. If you go back and align and crop the images you should get much more accurate results.<br /><br />Classification of images is very important because it allows us to quantify the data and make it available for analysis. It is only one of many things we can do with the images. We will post another tutorial next week on producing a vegetation index, which can tell you how much photosynthetic vegetation is in the image, as well as the status of photosynthetic plants.<br /><br /><br />I hope this is helpful, and not too confusing. Thoughts or questions?eph_subhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03393469109762527124noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-63292340294084646652010-11-29T16:26:00.000-08:002010-11-29T16:28:17.149-08:00How To Set Up Free Find Your iPhone/iPadThis article is taken from MacLife Magazine<br />
http://www.maclife.com/article/news/how_set_free_find_your_iphone_even_unsupported_devices<br />
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Happy iOS 4.2 Day! In case you haven’t heard, Apple has generously made one of the formerly subscription-only MobileMe services, Find My iPhone, now free for all owners of current-generation iOS devices. Here’s how to get it up and running -- even on an older device.<br />
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Find My iPhone always made an odd match with MobileMe, which requires a $99 annual subscription to use. Doesn’t Apple want every iOS mobile device user to be able to find their lost or stolen unit? Apparently they do, because Find My iPhone is now a free service, complete with an update to the existing universal iOS app and the ability to log in to Me.com using your Apple ID.<br />
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Unfortunately, the free edition of Find My iPhone requires a current generation iOS device -- which means, an iPhone 4, fourth-gen iPod touch or iPad. But fear not, MacLife.com is here to make the magic happen on any device you happen to own.<br />
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Install (or Update) Find My iPhone<br />
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The first step toward feeling secure that you can find a lost device is to head to iTunes (either on your computer or from the device itself) and download Find My iPhone 1.1, which was released on Monday alongside iOS 4.2. Apple notes that “this update is required for users of the previous version of Find My iPhone app (v1.0 and v1.0.1), so no sense delaying the inevitable.<br />
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Of course, you’ll also have to be running iOS 4.2 in order to take advantage of Apple’s generosity, so if you haven’t done so, plug your device into iTunes and get updated. (Jailbreakers beware: You’ll be restored to a stock iOS 4.2 install, so approach with caution.) Seriously -- go do it right now. We’ll wait.<br />
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MobileMe login<br />
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Sign In with Your Apple ID<br />
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Okay, everyone on iOS 4.2 (which is actually iOS 4.2.1 if you want to be nitpicky about it) and have Find My iPhone 1.1 installed? Good, let’s move on.<br />
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Launch the Settings app and head into “Mail, Contacts, Calendars,” then add a MobileMe account. You’ll be greeted with a request to enter either your Apple ID or MobileMe e-mail address. In this case we want to enter our Apple ID, which is the same as the one we use to shop at the iTunes Store (you remember it, don’t you?). Type it in and move to the Password field, enter that and tap on Next. Apple will verify your credentials and you’ll be ready for the main event -- flip the switch to turn on Find My iPhone (or iPad, or iPod touch), tap Allow at the prompt and then Save to activate.<br />
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Find My iPad allow prompt<br />
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If you don’t have an Apple ID yet, prepare to run the gauntlet to get one: Tap on “Create Free Apple ID,” enter your Location and date of birth (Month, Day and Year), tap Next and then complete your e-mail address, first and last name, password and security question. Apple has beefed up security with iTunes passwords, now requiring at least eight characters, which must include a number and both an uppercase and lowercase letter. (Yikes!) You’ll also be presented with the first of 14 pages (?!) of Apple’s “MobileMe Free Account” terms of service. Accept that and the final hurdle remains -- verifying your new account from an e-mail you’ll receive and then logging into the new account online. Whew!<br />
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Find My iPhone app<br />
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Launch Find My iPhone App<br />
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Now that iOS 4.2 recognizes you as a free user, you can launch the Find My iPhone app, where you’ll be greeted by the same request for Apple ID and Password.<br />
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This request was initially a conundrum for us, since our Apple ID and password happen to be the same as our MobileMe account -- when we entered our Apple ID and password, Find My iPhone threw back an error, even with the correct info. The solution is to turn off your paid MobileMe service, or login using your full MobileMe e-mail address (for instance, “ilovemaclife@me.com” instead of just “ilovemaclife”) to use Find My iPhone as part of your subscription.<br />
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In either event, once you log in, you’ll be presented with a list of devices, which at this point should only contain the device being held in your hand. You can add additional devices by repeating the instructions above on each one.<br />
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Find My iPad on Me.com<br />
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What About My Older Devices?<br />
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Ah, you were clearly paying attention earlier when we mentioned a trick to get your older iOS devices working with the free Find My iPhone service. For whatever reason, Apple has limited the free offering to the iPhone 4, fourth-gen iPod touch and iPad, but what if you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS that’s capable of running iOS 4.2 but can’t be activated?<br />
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The solution is amazingly simple -- although you’ll need access to one of the newer devices in order to make the magic happen. As it turns out, you can use a friend’s current-generation device to sign in using your Apple ID and password as outlined above. If they happen to be a MobileMe subscriber, you’ll need to turn off their existing account to take advantage of this tip.<br />
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With Find My iPhone activated on your friend’s device, repeat the process on your older handset -- you can confirm that things are working as expected by using the same credentials to log in at Me.com, where you’ll now see both your friend’s device as well as your own.<br />
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Once you’ve confirmed that things are working on your elder device, simply delete your friend’s device from your account on the same Me.com page (you can’t delete devices from the Find My iPhone app itself) and lo and behold, your aging device will continue to work absolutely free forevermore.ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-26006527249632648082010-11-24T12:22:00.000-08:002010-11-24T12:22:18.544-08:00Multitasking, Wireless Printing Come to iPadThis posting comes from the eSchool News-Technology News for Today's K-20 Educator (http://www.eschools.com)<br />
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Apple Inc. released new software on Nov. 22 that lets users of its iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad devices print wirelessly over Wi-Fi networks. The software addresses what has been a key complaint about the iPad to date—that users can’t print their documents from the tablet—and ed-tech observers say it could help spur more widespread use of the device in schools.<br />
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Apple first described some of the new features in iOS 4.2, the latest operating system for the Apple gadgets, at a media event in September.<br />
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The iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad don’t have ports for hooking up with printers, which makes the AirPrint feature one of the biggest advances for all of Apple’s gadgets. With the new software, the gadgets can find printers on home or school networks, then send text, photos, or graphics directly to the printer over Wi-Fi. To start, iPads, iPhones, or iPods with AirPrint will only work directly with certain Hewlett-Packard Co. printers.<br />
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The software update also includes AirPlay, which lets iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users send video, music, and photos directly from the gadgets to the TV screen through the company’s Apple TV set-top box. Someone who is watching a movie on the go on an iPad could walk into his or her living room or dorm room and switch to the TV with a few taps. Apple also said special AirPlay-enabled speakers for streaming music will be on sale in the coming months.<br />
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In addition, Apple said it is making its Find My iPhone application available without charge for owners of the iPhone 4, the iPad, and the latest iPod Touch model. The app helps people find their missing device on a map; users also can remotely lock or delete data from a lost device, which could help with data security on campus.<br />
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The update brings many features already available for iPhones and the iPod Touch to the iPad, including a form of multitasking, or the ability to keep some programs running in the background while doing other things. For example, users will be able to start up the Pandora music program and keep listening while switching to another application. The update also makes switching between programs faster.<br />
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With the new software, iPad users also can consolidate multiple eMail accounts into one inbox, play games against other Apple gadget owners, and rent TV episodes from the iTunes app.<br />
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This is the iPad’s first holiday season on the market, and Apple is positioning the software update as another reason to buy.<br />
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“iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a completely new product, just in time for the holiday season,” said CEO Steve Jobs in a statement.<br />
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Users can download the new software by syncing their devices with iTunes.<br />
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Ed-tech observers said the new software is a significant upgrade that could help further position the iPhone and iPad as instructional tools.ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5114528898825546253.post-81040011808056413762010-11-17T07:47:00.000-08:002010-11-17T11:16:39.251-08:00Don't Forget Why NASA is Funding This Project<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #2e2e2e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">NASA conducts its work in four principal organizations, called mission directorates:</span><br />
<ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: disc; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 1em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 30px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://aerospace.nasa.gov/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #004d93; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Aeronautics</a>: pioneers and proves new flight technologies that improve our ability to explore and which have practical applications on Earth.</li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/exploration" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #004d93; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Exploration Systems</a>: creates capabilities for sustainable human and robotic exploration.</li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://science.hq.nasa.gov/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #004d93; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Science</a>: explores the Earth, solar system and universe beyond; charts the best route of discovery; and reaps the benefits of Earth and space exploration for society.</li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #004d93; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Space Operations</a>: provides critical enabling technologies for much of the rest of NASA through the space shuttle, the International Space Station and flight support.</li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal;"><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: visible !important; overflow-y: visible !important; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">The Science Mission Directorate (SMD) engages the Nation’s science community, sponsors scientific research, and develops and deploys satellites and probes in collaboration with NASA’s partners around the world to answer fundamental questions requiring the view from and into space. SMD seeks to understand the origins, evolution, and destiny of the universe and to understand the nature of the strange phenomena that shape it. SMD also seeks to understand:</div><ul style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><li>the nature of life in the universe and what kinds of life may exist beyond Earth;</li>
<li>the solar system, both scientifically and in preparation for human exploration; and</li>
<li>the Sun and Earth, changes in the Earth-Sun system, and the consequences of the Earth-Sun relationship for life on Earth.</li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: visible !important; overflow-y: visible !important; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">The Science Mission Directorate sponsors research that both enables, and is enabled by, NASA's exploration activities. The SMD portfolio is contributing to NASA’s achievement of the Vision for Space Exploration by striving to:</div><ul style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><li>Understand the history of Mars and the formation of the solar system. By understanding the formation of diverse terrestrial planets (with atmospheres) in the solar system, researchers learn more about Earth’s future and the most promising opportunities for habitation beyond our planet. For example, differences in the impacts of collisional processes on Earth, the Moon, and Mars can provide clues about differences in origin and evolution of each of these bodies.</li>
</ul><ul style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><li>Search for Earth-like planets and habitable environments around other stars. SMD pursues multiple research strategies with the goal of developing effective astronomically-detectable signatures of biological processes. The study of the Earth-Sun system may help researchers identify atmospheric biosignatures that distinguish Earth-like (and potentially habitable) planets around nearby stars. An understanding of the origin of life and the time evolution of the atmosphere on Earth may reveal likely signatures of life on extrasolar planets.</li>
</ul><ul style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><li>Explore the solar system for scientific purposes while supporting safe robotic and human exploration of space. For example, large-scale coronal mass ejections from the Sun can cause potentially lethal consequences for improperly shielded human flight systems, as well as some types of robotic systems. SMD’s pursuit of interdisciplinary scientific research focus areas will help predict potentially harmful conditions in space and protect NASA’s robotic and human explorers.</li>
</ul><div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: visible !important; overflow-y: visible !important; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">NASA has defined a set of space and Earth Science questions that can best be addressed using the Agency’s unique capabilities. NASA works with the broader scientific community, considers national initiatives, and the results of decade-long surveys by the National Research Council in defining these questions.</div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 1px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: visible !important; overflow-y: visible !important; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">See also the <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Science Strategy">Science Strategy</a> section for more information about how NASA Science is pursuing these questions.</div><ul id="big_question_index" style="overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"><li><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">Earth</h3><ul><li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/is-the-global-earth-system-changing-and-what-are-the-consequences/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How is the global earth system changing?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/what-are-the-primary-causes-of-the-earth-system-variability/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the primary forcings of the Earth system?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/how-does-the-earth-system-respond-to-natural-and-human-induced-changes/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How does the Earth system respond to natural and human-induced changes?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/what-are-the-consequences-of-change-in-the-earth-system-for-human-civilization/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the consequences of change in the earth system for human civilization?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/earth-science/big-questions/how-well-can-we-predict-future-changes-in-the-earth-system/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How will the Earth system change in the future?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">Heliophysics</h3><ul><li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/big-questions/how-and-why-does-the-sun-vary-and-what-are-the-consequences/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What causes the sun to vary?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/big-questions/what-are-the-fundamental-physical-processes-of-the-space-environment/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How do the Earth and Heliosphere respond?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics/big-questions/how-does-solar-variability-affect-human-society-technological-systems-and-the-habitability-of-planets/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the impacts on humanity?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">Planets</h3><ul><li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/big-questions/how-did-the-suns-family-of-planets-and-minor-bodies-originate/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How did the sun's family of planets and minor bodies originate?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/big-questions/how-did-the-solar-system-evolve-to-its-current-diverse-state/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How did the solar system evolve to its current diverse state?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/big-questions/how-did-life-begin-and-evolve-on-earth-and-has-it-evolved-elsewhere-in-the-solar-system/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How did life begin and evolve on Earth, and has it evolved elsewhere in the Solar System?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/planetary-science/big-questions/what-are-the-characteristics-of-the-solar-system-that-lead-to-the-origins-of-life-1/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the characteristics of the Solar System that lead to the origins of life?</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 1.6em; font-style: inherit; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.05em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">Astrophysics</h3><ul><li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/big-questions/what-are-the-origin-evolution-and-fate-of-the-universe/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">What are the origin, evolution and fate of the Universe?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/big-questions/how-do-planets-stars-galaxies-and-cosmic-structure-come-into-being/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How do planets, stars, galaxies and cosmic structure come into being?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/big-questions/when-and-how-did-the-elements-of-life-in-the-universe-arise/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">When and how did the elements of life in the Universe arise?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/big-questions/is-there-life-elsewhere/" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #993302; font-size: 13px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Is there life elsewhere?</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul></div></span></div>ICCARS Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11233757820075396706noreply@blogger.com2