7..... THE UNO A VIA TION MONOGRAPH SERIES UNOAI Report 2000-4 The University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning Neal Grandgenett July 2000 UNO Aviation Institute University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182-0508 The University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute Monograph Series Mission The UNO Aviation Institute Monograph Series began in 1994 as a key component of the education outreach and information transfer missions of the Aviation Institute and the NASA Nebraska Space Grant & EPSCoR Programs. The series is an outlet for aviation materials to be indexed and disseminated through an efficient medium. Publications are welcome in all aspects of aviation. Publication formats may include, but are not limited to, conference proceedings, bibliographies, research reports, manuals, technical reports, and other documents that should be archived and indexed for future reference by the aviation and world wide communities. Submissions Aviation industry practitioners, educators, researchers, and others are invited to submit documents for review and possible publication in the monograph series. The required information is listed in the Submission Form, found on the world wide web at: www.unomaha.edu/-nasa/researchers/monograph.htm Dissemination The UNO Aviation Institute Monograph Series is indexed in various databases such as National Transportation Library (NTL), Educational Research Information Clearinghouse (ERIC), Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS), Aviation TradeScan, NASA Scientific & Technical Reports (STAR), and the Library of Congress. The series is also cataloged in the UNO Library, which is a member of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), an international bibliographic utility. OCLC's Union Catalog is accessible world wide and is used by researchers via electronic database services EPIC and FirstSearch and is also used for interlibrary loans. In addition, copies have been provided to the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and the University of Nebraska at Keamey Libraries. Copies are also provided to the Nebraska Library Commission, the official archive of state publications. Ordering UNO Aviation Institute monographs are available from the UNO Aviation Institute, Allwine Hall 422, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0508. Order information is also available on the world wide web at www.unomaha.edu/-nasa/researchers/monograph.htm University of Nebraska at Omaha Aviation Institute Aviation Monograph Series Recent monographs in the series include: 2000-4 The University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning 2000-3 Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) Research Report 2000-2 The Airline Quality Rating 2000 2000-1 NASA EPSCoR Nebraska Preparation Grant: Year 2 99-5thru 99-8 The Conference Proceedings of the 1999 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG) of the WCTR Society 99-4 Selected Papers on Aviation Security 99-3 The Airline Quality Rating 1999 99-2 NASA EPSCoR Nebraska Preparation Grant: Year 1 99-1 NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium 1995-1999 Self-Evaluation 98-6 thru 98-9 The Conference Proceedings of the 1998 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG) of the WCTR Society 98-3 thru 98-5 The Symposium Proceedings of the 1998 Air Transport Research Group (ATRG) 98-2 Aviation Security: Responses to the Gore Commission 98-1 The Airline Quality Rating 1998 A complete listing of monographs is available at www.unomaha.edu/-nasaJresearchers/monograph.htm To Obtain Monographs Complete this formand include acheck orpurchase ordermade payable to theAviation Institute. Orderswithin theU.S. are $7.50 (U.S.) permonograph, andinternational ordersare$10.00 (U.S.) tocover thecosts of printing,shipping, and handling. Allow 4-6 weeks fordelivery. Please forward this requestto:Aviation Institute, University ofNebraska atOmaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0406. Phone: 402-554-3424 or1-800-3 FLY UNO; Fax: 402-554-3781; E-mail: [email protected] You may also order online at _w.unomaha.edu/-nasa/researchers/monograph.htm Name Company Address City, St., Zip Country Phone E-mail Quantity Monograph # Unit Cost Total Cost $ $ TOTAL ENCLOSED $ This series is co-sponsored by the NASA Nebraska Space Grant Consortium UNO Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning The University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning The Vision: A New Center for Teaching and Learning Within the context of innovative coursework and other educational activities, we are proposing the establishment of a University of Nebraska at Omaha Center for the Use of Space Data in Teaching and Learning. This Center will provide an exciting and motivating process for educators at all levels to become involved in professional development and training which engages real life applications of mathematics, science, and technology. The Center will facilitate innovative courses (including online and distance education formats), systematic degree programs, classroom research initiatives, new instructional methods and tools, engaging curriculum materials, and various symposiums. It will involve the active participation of several Departments and Colleges on the UNO campus and be well integrated into the campus environment. It will have a direct impact on pre-service and in-service educators, the K12 students that they teach, and other college students of various science, mathematics, and technology related disciplines, in which they share coursework. It is our belief that there are many exciting opportunities represented by space data and imagery, as a context for engaging mathematics, science, and technology education. For example, as an elementary, middle, or high school student, imagine the excitement of partnering with a practicing scientist to help do real science, such as mapping snow and glaciers, gathering evidence of environmental change due to global warming, or even assessing the water resource potential of an area from space. In Page 1 UNO Center for Space Data Use inTeaching and Learning addition, imagine the dynamic mathematics that can be learned in such a context, including the active use of mathematical problem solving, reasoning, and modeling. The use of space data can also help facilitate an engaging use of educational technology, particularly in such areas as geographic information systems, image processing, numerical analysis, and virtual reality. Such student engagement is believed to be a critical component within the context of science and mathematics instruction (Miller, 1989; Schauble & Lehrer, 1999). Most importantly, the use of space data within integrated curricula is a convenient and interesting way to address new initiatives and standards for science, mathematics, and technology education. It is also a rich context for use of technology within a particular discipline, which has been shown to be of key importance in the successful educational technology learning environments (Carrol, 1997; Cooley, 1997; Dugger 1997; Polka, 1997). The UNO Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning being proposed in this document will encompass a comprehensive training and dissemination strategy that targets the improvement of K-12 education, through changes in the undergraduate and graduate preparation of teachers in science, mathematics and technology education. This is compatible with the call for such comprehensive and collaborative strategies of teacher preparation by many researchers (Darling-Hammond, 1994; Ingersoll, 1999). Our Center, with its use of advanced educational technology and resources, will take full advantage of various multidisciplinary topics and teaching strategies that are facilitated with the use of space data in the classroom. In essence, we will use space data to help provide a thread and context for various programmatic activities consistent with strong curriculums in mathematics and science (Mundry & Page 2 UNO Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning Loucks-Horsley, 1999; Meichtry, 1992). Thus images and data from space will be used as a foundation for teacher training and student learning and will help facilitate a rich environment for teaching and learning which integrates important standards in science, mathematics, and technology education (Figure 1). Page 3 UNO Center for Space Data Use in Teaching and Learning Figure 1. EARTH SCIENCE GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE Science Technology Math Education Education Education Standards Standards Standards Page 4 UNOCentefrorSpacDeataUseinTeachinagndLearning This educational approach would cut across disciplines and grade levels to facilitate scientific inquiry, technical skills, and problem solving. For example, an elementary student might simply view a satellite image and count the number of glaciers or mountain peaks depicted in an image. They could begin to understand the spatial relationships between glaciers and their topographic setting, and attempt to predict where other glaciers might form. At the secondary level, students could delineate and map land-cover characteristics such as water, vegetation, snow and ice, and relate these spatial distributions to topographic characteristics in an attempt to understand the relationships between topography, land-cover, and climate. Such activities are in line with calls for instructional activities that support general scientific literacy (National Research Council, 1996), and are very compatible with the constructivist and problem based learning environments which are particularly powerful in the learning of mathematics and science (Savery and Duffey, 1995; Wilson, 1995; Cox, 1989). Undergraduate and graduate students could use the same images accessed at different times to document the aciive surface processes responsible for the changing patterns on the landscape. In this way they can begin to understand the active system and attempt to determine the factors causing environmental change. In all the aforementioned examples, students would also learn about technology, as it is used to observe, manipulate, and analyze data. The use of space data will serve as a foundation in our education approach because it characterizes and contains rich information regarding the spatial and temporal complexities of our world. It also offers the ability to engage the teaching and learning of multidisciplinary topics. In this context, curriculum related to geographic information Page 5