CAETI Project Abstract
Title: On-Line Learning Academy (OLLA)
Space Simulations
Performer(s):
Dr. Suzanne Taylor
Loral Defense Systems
70 E. Swedesford Road
Paoli, PA 19301-0517
Ann Culp
NPTN
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Cluster: SNAIR
Contact Information:
Phone: 610-648-2009
Fax: 610-648-2288
email: suzanne@vfl.paramax.com
Phone: 310-322-8980
email: arc@nptn.org
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1. Instructional Focus:
Content area/topics: The straightforward fit is into science curriculum, although there is enough flexibility in activity to enable cross-disciplinary participation with earth and space science, math, language arts, health, social studies, physical education, and potentially art.
Process skills: Inquiry-based learning activities; telecommunication projects, group, collaborative projects; problem solving and decision making.
2. Target Population: Grades 4-10.
3. Summary Description: The on-line Space Simulation activity was created as a hands-on, inquiry-based learning activity to encourage students to develop and utilize problem solving and decision making skills. While communication, collaboration, information exchanges and acquisition take place via telecommunications and World-Wide-Web (WWW) access, all of the projects and a number of the activities crucial to the simulation take place off-line in the classroom. These activities may be further supported and enabled through Academy One's NESPUT simulations, which will allow DoDEA schools to participate in information exchanges relevant to the simulations with other students around the globe.
The introduction to the Space Simulation project via the On-Line Learning Academy, OLLA (Loral's Web-based project) provides teachers with a number of strategies for planning and implementing a successful simulation into their classroom. The planning materials support and encourage customized themes and activities, so teachers can easily meet the required curriculum objectives for their grade levels or subject areas. Several lesson plans are housed on-line as a starting point for the teachers' planning process.
Suggestions for participation in the NESPUT simulations range from passive participation in which email exchanges with participating schools take place; to a bit more complex participation as an alternate landing site, providing current weather information throughout the prescribed times; to an actual in-house mission which would be staged in a classroom with several students, or perhaps an entire class or more participating in many space related activities. On-line support is available for teachers from the planning stages through the implementation stages so teachers feel they can ask questions of qualified educators who have participated in these projects.
4. Training and Staff Development:
- Teacher prerequisite skills/knowledge needed: None specified.
- Student prerequisite skills needed: None specified.
- Training needed/provided: 3 full days; 6 hours each day.
- Technical Support needed/provided: Support for telecommunications via the Internet; on-line access to qualified educators who have participated in these projects, especially during the planning and implementation stages.
5. Technological/Resources Needed: Computer lab will be necessary for group training, equipped with computers, Internet access, Netscape browsers, and access to server. Work space for planning and implementation of mini-simulations will also be needed.
6. Intended Outcomes:
Students: Students will learn science and math through research and other preparation for space simulations. They will learn problem solving and collaboration in preparing for the simulations. They will use the Internet to gather data for the simulations and to consult with team members or experts in distant locations. Students will prepare communications to complex audiences found in the simulation environment.
Teachers: Teachers will use planning materials support to relate the content of simulations to the required curriculum objectives of their grade levels or subject areas. They will use resources available through OLLA to launch simulations as vehicles for learning. Teachers will learn to balance student independence in the simulation environment with teacher responsibility for guiding students to significant learning experiences.
7. Instructional Time Required: The introduction, implementation, and culmination of this project are at the teacher's discretion, however a minimum of 6-8 weeks is required to prepare for and implement a successful mission. The NESPUT simulation typically occurs over a one-day period.
8. Role of the Pilot Teacher(s): Pilot teachers meet with Loral representatives in early January so that the space simulation activity may be explained. Interested participants will spend more time with the Loral team to plan classroom activities and coordinate collaboration with other teachers. The performers will encourage multi-disciplinary and multi-grade level participation. (Desired number of participants - minimum of 5 classrooms and 2 schools.)
9. Example(s) of Use of This Product (Scenario): Several grade school classes participate in a reenactment of the historic Apollo 11 space flight, by studying the real mission and recreating it. One class serves as the nutritional team, studying the nutritional needs of the body on earth, and comparing these needs with the body's needs in space. They design a galley for the simulator, prepare dehydrated food which will be taken on the mission, and are responsible for the menus and meals the day of the simulation. Another class serves as the meteorologists for the mission. Working in cooperative groups, students build a weather station and monitor the important elements throughout the simulation.
Five high school classes participate in a space mission simulation to fix a hole in the ozone layer. In preparation for the mission, the different classes serve as math consultants, physicians, video news reporters, and journalists. Six student astronauts embark on a simulated shuttle mission for the purpose of repairing the earth's ozone layer. A shuttle replica built by one of the classes is placed in the gymnasium at one of the schools. The student astronauts spend the day performing mission exercises and experiments similar to those performed on NASA shuttle flights. They travel into space where they execute a series of tests and investigations.
Throughout the mission, the student astronauts communicate to mission control and other schools in several states and countries via telecommunications. Parents, schoolmates and other teachers visit the simulation during the day. A journalism class creates a multimedia presentation on the mission and publishes it on the Web to be shared.
