HELP IS JUST A CLICK AWAY! A PODCASTING SERIES BY SCIENTISTS FOR K-12 TEACHERS THROUGH THE PENNSYLVANIA EARTH SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Many teachers are thrust into science positions where they may have little knowledge of earth science content or feel weak in certain areas. Other than performing a google search, teachers feel helpless in finding assistance. Many elementary teachers as well as some middle school teachers opt to either avoid a topic in earth/space science or assign students to read chapters and answer questions. As a result, students are missing out on the joy of learning about earth science. To aid in the teaching of earth and space science, the Pennsylvania Earth Science Teachers Association (PAESTA) has begun a podcasting series to help teachers understand or clarify science content, and in some instances supply data and activities to assist the teacher in teaching a particular topic or concept. Teachers submit a discipline question on the PAESTA website and the science content experts begin the process of providing the answer. Podcasts are done once a month and our hope is to increase the utilization of this phenomenal idea as well as build a solid podcast library. You can access our podcasts at http://www.paesta.psu.edu/podcasts