Earth Exploration Toolbook Workshops to Facilitate the Use of Earth Science Data in Education

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The Earth Exploration Toolbook (EET, http://serc.carleton.edu/eet) is an online resource for teachers and students. It is a collection of computer-based learning activities within the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) and the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE). Activities or "chapters" in the EET provide step-by-step instructions for accessing specific data and analyzing it with a software analysis tool to explore issues or concepts in science, technology, and mathematics. EET chapters use a variety of technology tools, including geographic information systems (GIS), image processing programs, spreadsheet applications, and others. EET chapters facilitate access to a wide range of datasets, including Landsat data from NASA, climate-modeling data from EOS-Webster, and earthquake data from the USGS, along with many others. In this project, the use of Earth science data by students is being facilitated through EET Data Analysis Workshops: two-hour professional development experiences for teachers on using the NSDL, DLESE, and an EET chapter. These workshops are being conducted in a unique and effective way; participants work at their own Internet-connected computers, and dial into a toll-free group teleconference for step-by-step facilitation and interaction. Plans call for up to 600 different teachers to participate in the workshops. To ensure that diverse and underserved communities are reached, teachers are being actively recruited for participation. Usage data are being gathered through pre- and post-workshop surveys and post implementation surveys. These survey data are providing evaluative input to help improve both the workshops and the chapters, and to determine the effectiveness of the workshops in increasing the use of digital libraries, and in getting Earth science data used by students. The Divison of Earth Sciences in the NSF Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) is providing significant co-funding in recognition of the project's efforts to integrate education and research in areas of interest to GEO.