TOOLS & SUPPORT FOR INTEGRATING REAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATA INTO EDUCATION

Using real data in a classroom setting exposes students to a sense of discovery and enables more meaningful application of scientific concepts. By working with data from a place they are familiar with students can form deeper connections to the research or they can learn about a new place by examining how environmental observations differ with geography. Students are also exposed to, and can solve, challenges faced by "real" researchers, such as interpreting metadata and data scarcity.

With the support and resources provided by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science, Inc. (CUAHSI), educators can more easily implement real data into their classroom. Free of cost, CUAHSI offers an extensive catalogue of environmental observations, tools for accessing data, and staff support for developing data-driven lessons. To promote collaboration and sharing among educators, all lessons are made available on the Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College (SERC) website. This presentation will describe community data tools, how researchers have used them in developing lesson plans, and the resources available to learn more.