From mogk at montana.edu Thu Aug 18 10:52:30 2005 From: mogk at montana.edu (Mogk, David) Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2005 11:52:30 -0600 Subject: [Healthwksp] Geology and Public Health and Biocomplexity Updates Message-ID: <55E2BF00E82C6F40B29C7ED824F523316D0607@GEMSTONES.msu.montana.edu> Dear Friends, Greetings from Montana! It's hard to believe that summer has slipped past, and that we're already looking at the start of the next school year. This is my annual reminder for everyone to please use the on-line teaching resources we've developed at SERC-use these resources to help design your course, find new resources to support your teaching, use and contribute to the teaching activity collection, and stay in touch via the listserv: Teaching Biocomplexity: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/biocomplexity/index.html Geology and Human Health: http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/health/index.html We've been working to upgrade these sites, and to expand the URL and teaching activity resource collections. I would particularly like to call your attention to: * We are continually looking for additional web-based resources that support teaching and learning about these subjects; please take a moment and contribute (link on the websites) any resources that you routinely use in these classes. * We are also making a big push to increase the teaching activities in these collections (i.e. assignments that you hand out to students). We know that you all have one or two really cool exercises that you have in your files. We really need to expand these activity collections, and to fill some important gaps in our coverage. So, as you prepare for your classes and rediscover your own collection of exercises, please take a few minutes and contribute to the overall collection. If everyone submits just one or two new exercises we'll have a tremendous resource to share with everyone. * We will unveil a new instructional module in just a few days that is a GIS-based, on-line resource that allows users to do an Environmental and Health Risk Inventory of your own community. This module demonstrates how to use a number of on-line databases such as the Toxic Release Inventory, CDC health data, etc. We're doing the final editing of this module now, so stay tuned. * Encourage your colleagues to join the listserv. We need to demonstrate a "ripple effect" of the Cutting Edge workshops, and one way to do this is to recruit new users and contributors. Please be our ambassadors and encourage your colleagues to join and help out. Please continue to submit your own queries and thoughts to the listserv-we had some very interesting and insightful discussions last year! * And, in your own teaching and other professional activities, please remember to use these web resources (and other related resources at SERC, Teach the Earth, http://serc.carleton.edu ), early and often. We need to show growth in our use numbers, and if you value these resources, we need to provide evidence that use is growing as we seek future funding to sustain this project. * Remember, when you make a submission or contribution, it takes my staff a few days to work "at the back end" before the materials will be made public on the website. So, please be patient. On a personal note, let me just simply say that we really need your help this year as we continue to grow and use these resources. I have funding and staff for only one more year to continue to work on these sites-so now is the time to redouble our efforts to further build these collections and the user base. If you value these services, help us develop these sites into a comprehensive and sustainable resource for use by faculty and students for years to come. Wishing everyone a great new school year. Keep us posted on the listserv-we'd like to know what's on your mind. With best wishes to all, Dave Mogk -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://serc.carleton.edu/pipermail/healthwksp/attachments/20050818/bc3f6c22/attachment.html