 |
|
| QUEST: Education Network: Educator Guides: Where Facts and Figures Come to Life! |
Students and educators are often limited in the ways they can participate in science. Lack of resources, physical restrictions, and access to experts can limit the study of our natural world. Different types of media, such as video, radio and the internet are able to conquer some of these roadblocks and are powerful learning tools. Educators can maximize learning by encouraging students to actively participate in these media. The key to using media effectively is preparation.
Educator Guides will be the key tool offered by EdNet to help facilitate the connection between QUEST media and the classroom learning environment. Guides will be created for television and radio segments that offer close ties to the California State Science Standards. These guides aim to make facts and figures come to life. Over the course of QUEST's first season, approximately twenty guides will be available for download on the QUEST website.
Educators will be brought "up to speed" on segment topics and will find ways to keep students engaged through various segment activities. The guides will also enhance educators' personal knowledge and add to their curricular "toolbox" by suggesting connections to lesson plans, web sites, and workshops offered by QUEST partners.
Each educator guide will feature, "QUEST Quads", four unique areas for further use of the segment. Field Notes will highlight additional outdoor activities; Field Trip will identify places to visit with students; Field Research will spotlight topics to research; and Field Test will point to hands-on opportunities for students.
Two of the first Educator Guides will be for the television segment, NASA's Rocket to the Moon and for the radio segment, Curbing Pollution by Keeping Cities Cooler.
NASA's Rocket to the Moon guide will explore students' perceptions of the importance of space exploration and focus on creative teaching about the moon. This guide will include connections to educator resources from NASA's LCROSS mission and the Chabot Space and Science Center. This guide will tie into the State standards on astronomy and the study of the solar system.
Many educators are familiar with using visual media with students. The Curbing Pollution by Keeping Cities Cooler guide will introduce the value of using auditory media as well. This guide will tie into State standards on the electromagnetic spectrum and energy transfer, and provide a real world example for why these topics are important to understand.
|
|
|
