EARTH SCIENCE AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM ENHANCES CLASSROOM CURRICULUM

The Earth Science and Space Technology Program (ESSTEP) was intended to encourage increased use of technology by faculty in K-14 as an enhancement to their teaching Earth Science and other related subjects. Funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by the Geological Society of America, Dottie Stout served as principal investigator, instructor, workshop host and inspirational mentor from 1997-1999. I had the good fortune to be a member of the 1998-1999 cohort. The program was a two-year professional development effort to which regional teams of faculty from secondary and undergraduate institutions applied for participation. Intensive two and one-week sessions focused on learning techniques that included the use of GPS, ESRI’s ArcView mapping, NIH Image, and learning about on-line computer laboratories that can be incorporated into the classroom. During the first two week session, each team developed a plan to incorporate the newly learned material into their classrooms as well as establish collaborations between the faculty at the different grade levels to encourage cross over learning. Some of the collaborations were made between schools from very different socio-economic backgrounds and different areas of the United States. In the second year, a week long session was used to bring together a larger group of participants to present projects that had been developed by the teams and evaluate their effectiveness in the classroom. Additionally each team developed plans for disseminating their new knowledge through peer professional development at the local, state or national level. For my own part, I became much more comfortable using computer technologies and GPS in my classroom thanks to these intensive workshops. My students benefited from learning how to map using GPS and ESRI's ArcView. They also enjoyed learning about such subjects as Isochron Dating and Earthquakes using on line computer labs. It was through Dottie's vision that my students now enjoy the use of modern technology in their pursuit of knowledge in the Earth Sciences.