Preparing Your iPad for Use in the ICCARS Project 2011- 2012

We 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:

• 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.
• Ability to use mirroring when connected to a projecting device.

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):

• Have fun with it, play with it, download lots of free apps.  Become comfortable with it.
• Open the warranty box and make sure that you submit the warranty number that is included within the box.
• 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. 
• 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.

To make learning easier with the iPad, you are encouraged to watch the guided tours at:

http://www.apple.com/ipad/guided-tours/

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:

http://www.apple.com/ipad/

and watch the video on using the Smart Cover (now I know how to get it to stand up correctly).

You might also like to think about new ways to use the iPad in education.  If so, check out:
http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

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:
iBooks (added 8 - 1- 11)
Climate Change
TWC Max+ (The Weather Channel)
Negotiator
iMatter
TiltMeterE
EarthObserver
CliMate
Skeptical Science
Climate A2Z
GPS HD
Gaia GPS
iGiS
GisRoam
Clinometer
Satellites
NASA
Compass
NASA Now
Our Choice (CC Book by Al Gore)
LeafsnapHD
Protractor
Spaced
Flipboard (Social Networking)
Early Edition (RSS Reader)
Pages (Word Processing)
Numbers (Similar to Excel)
Keynote (Similar to Powerpoint)
Garageband
App Tracker (Great for App Bargain Hunting)
PBS
NFB (National Film Board of Canada)
NPR
Howcast (How to Videos -- Even on how to use the iPad)
SoundNote
PDFReader Pro
GoodReader
TED
EMD PTE (Periodic Table)
Science360
Facebook
Twitter

We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.  Use the comment section in the blog, found below.

What are your favorite climate change and remote sensing apps?

My Favorite Apps for the Study of Climate Change and Remote Sensing

(as of May, 2011)

David Bydlowski

Wayne County Mathematics and Science Center at Wayne RESA

ICCARS Project

bydlowd@resa.net

Climate Change News -- RSS, news, and video feeds.  ($2)

Climate Mobile (CliMate) -- Personal Climate Analyzer: Database of the most current climate change data along with historical data analysis.  (free)

Gaia GPS -- Offline topographic maps, compass, and GPS tracking. ($13)

GISRoam -- Mobile GIS application. (free)

iMatter -- Student Activism. Best section is kids versus global warming. (free)

MotionX GPS HD -- GPS, maps and navigation. ($3)

NASA App HD -- Satellites, remote images and much more. (free)

NASA Now -- Aggregates NASA feeds. (free)

Negotiator -- Information on the UN Climate Change Conferences (free)

Our Choice -- Interactive book by Al Gore on climate change. ($5)

Satellites -- Displays the location of the International Space station. ($1)

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.....

Project-Based Learning

Edutopia 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 HERE.  He understands that there is only so much time in a day, so he shares three principles for instruction:

1. Academic Rigor -- Ask a Question
2. Balanced Assessment -- Write an Essay with a Rubric
3. Active Exploration and Adult Connections -- Conduct an Interview

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 HERE.  They project two videos:

1. An Introduction to Project-Based Learning (three minutes)
2. Project Based Learning: An Overview (nine minutes)

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 HERE.

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 HERE.  She shares a few "gems":

1. Get Minds Inquiring
2. Lay a Foundation
3. Look to the Discipline for Cues
4. Develop Confidence
5. Build Some Buzz
6. Establish the Right Context

The final resource is a TED Talk.  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 HERE.

Formatting Guidelines for the ICCARS Project

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.

Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Unit Plan

Introduction to Unit:

1)    State your name/s and the grade level and course for which the Unit is designed.

2)    State the title of the Unit

3)    List the Driving Question(s) for the Unit

4)    List the Major Understanding(s) for the Unit

5)    List the Expectations for the Unit, both Inquiry and Content (code plus full written expectation).

6)    List the essential content for the Unit.

7)    List an example of a project/challenge that would be appropriate for this unit.  (Examples can be found at: http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/science_projects.php)

8)    Unit Calendar (Listing of 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.

** Note – The full unit must address: climate change / use of NASA data / remote sensing.

Formatting Guidelines (Template) for ICCARS Lesson Plans

Lesson sections:

1.     Labeled “Introduction” -- Give a brief title to your lesson that describes the content focus and include the driving question or major understanding.

2.     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.

3.     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.

4.     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?

5.     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.

6.     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.

7.     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.

8.     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.

9.     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.

10.  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.

**  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.

Bibliography:

BSCS. (2006) The BSCS 5E Instructional Model.  Executive Summary. Retrieved 3/09/11, from http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html

Falk, Andrew, Secondary Methods Class, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. 

Teaching Units for the ICCARS Project

Unit Design

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.

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.

There are three topics that need that must be included within each unit:

•         Climate Change
•         Remote Sensing
•        NASA Data

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.

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:

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/11519881/Inquiry-continuum

to view the continuum. 

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:

http://www.act.org/standard/planact/science/index.html

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:

http://www.bscs.org/curriculumdevelopment/features/bscs5es.html

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:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/nasaeclips/5eteachingmodels/index.html

You can download a pdf document at:

learningcenter.nsta.org/files/PB186X-4.pdf

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^th and 5^th 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.

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):

1. Title of Unit
2. Aligned list of the Standards, Statements, and or Expectations.
3. List of the essential content that you want students to have.
4. Major Understanding (s) and/or Minor Understandings.
5. Essential Questions that need to be answered during the unit.
6. List of instructional materials that you will be using in the unit.
7. Day by day lesson plans, including:
1. Pre/Post tests
2. Instructional Activities (aligned to the 5E’s)
3. Assessments and Evaluations

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.

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:

http://resa.net/curriculum/curriculum/science/professionaldevelopment/climatechange/carboncycle/

Please share you comments and your ideas.  The goal of this unit is twofold:

• To provide instructional units for other teachers so that they can more effectively teach climate change to their students.
• Provide you with the opportunity to show the quality of work that you do in the classroom.  It is your chance to be published.

Vegetation Indices and NDVI

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.

Another method for understanding the imagery is though the identification of photosynthetically active, healthy green vegetation. Healthy green vegetation absorbs a high percentage of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) in the visible portion of the EM spectrum - roughly from 0.4 - 0.7µm (or 400 - 700nm).

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. The red and blue wavelengths are converted by the chloroplasts into food for the plant. Green light (~ 0.5 - 0.6µm) has a 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%.

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.

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.

A simple ratio (SR) can be used to describe this:

SR = VIS/NIR

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:

SR = R/NIR

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:

NDVI = (NIR-R)/(NIR+R)

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.

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.

Sources and more information:

NASA/GSFC Remote Sensing Tutorial (RSt), Primary Author: Nicholas M. Short, Sr.

http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect3/Sect3_1.html

Measuring Vegetation (NDVI & EVI), NASA Earth Observatory,

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/MeasuringVegetation/measuring_vegetation_2.php

Introductory Digital Image Processing - A Remote Sensing Perspective, John R. Jensen 2005

Global System Science - ABCs of Digital Earth Watch Software, Lawrence Hall of Science, UC-Berkley

http://lawrencehallofscience.org/gss/

Summary of the ICCARS PLC Webconference on Monday, February 7, 2011

Review of the ICCARS PLC Webconference on Monday, February 7, 2011

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

Absent:  John Bayerl and Caroline Chuby

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:

Free viewing of the PBS Program—Secrets Beneath the Ice.  Please visit:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/secrets-beneath-ice.html

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:

https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network:

http://cleanet.org/

was again mentioned as a really good resource educational resources.

A great site to check out for student projects is Think Quest, which can be found at:

http://www.thinkquest.org/en/

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:

https://www.ecybermission.com/public/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx

Agenda:

1.     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

2.     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.

3.     Lifelines is offering two optional webinars—February 23 and March 16 from 6:00 – 7:00.   Possible collaborations among teachers may be coming.

4.     Additional Resources/Opportunities: Thacher Environmental Grants; GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign, NASA Explorer Schools.

5.     iPad Updates:  Movie—Secrets Beneath the Ice; Book—Frasers Penguins; new eBook from Andy Henry on Image Processing.

6.     Assessments have been collected and are being reviewed.

7.     Next Assignment Due April 11 – Full Unit Development

8.     Climate Change Science – Discussion of Climate Change an Winter Storms

9.     Remote Sensing – Satellite Meteorology focusing in on the CERES, GOES, and POES.