The Exploratorium Digital Teaching Box Project: A Professional Development Tool S

描述（由申请人提供）：新一代科学标准将挑战教师以一种新的方式进行实践——让学生参与核心概念，同时也参与科学过程，并拥抱交叉主题。为了让教师们为这一转变做好准备，在美国国立卫生研究院支持的研究科学家的协助下，探索教师研究所将为455名6-12年级的生物教师提供创新的专业发展，使他们能够创建数字教学盒——特定主题的、基于平板电脑的、数字活动集合——为他们的教室定制。科学家将直接与教师一起构建教学箱，提供他们实验室的图像和他们研究的信息，从而将课堂生物学与正在进行的生物医学研究联系起来。与此同时，科学家们将学习如何将他们的研究成果转化为新的、基于标准的课堂。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The emerging Next Generation Science Standards will challenge teachers to approach their practice in a new way--engaging students in core concepts, but also the processes of science, and embracing crosscutting themes. To prepare teachers for this transition, the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, assisted by NIH- supported research scientists, will offer innovative professional development to 455 biology teachers of grades 6-12 that will enable them to create Digital Teaching Boxes--topic-specific, tablet-based, digital activity collections--customized for their classrooms. Scientists will work directly with teachers in constructing the teaching boxes, providing images from their labs and information about their research, thus linking classroom biology to ongoing biomedical research. At the same time, the scientists will learn how to translate their research for the new, standards-based classroom. Using Apple's iBooks Author, the teachers will be able to assemble their own collection of microscope images and time-lapse videos, science activities, interviews of scientists, text, hands-on classroom activities, and other resources to teach a complete science unit. The Exploratorium will offer teachers its exceptional collection of high-quality images (from its SEPA-funded Microscope Imaging Station), science activities, teaching tips, and other material from more than 25 years of work with teachers. In addition, the Exploratorium and the research scientists will collaborate with teachers to create new digital assets (microscope images, activities, interviews, classroom activities) that teachers decide will best help them address the new standards. In the final year of the project, the Teacher Institute will offer free webinars about the project-ne version designed for teachers and one for professional developers. They will publicize the webinars nationally through teacher organizations and social media. All digital assets and sample toolboxes created by teachers will be available to educators free on a project website. Six to eight case studies of collaborations between teachers and scientists will highlight how to best work together to address the standards, and what produces the most effective digital teaching boxes for use by teachers in the classroom. Teachers will be recruited from the large pool of Teacher Institute alumni in Northern California, and at least 60 percent will be teachers of underserved students. Classroom experience in life science, informed by the new science standards, is most likely to inspire and prepare underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students to pursue biomedical careers, but teachers need support to make this transition.