Initial Publication Date: February 3, 2011

Telecon Recap and Information Page

Thank you to all who participated in the Telecon/Elluminate Session on November 16. It was great to hear your voices and to learn more about what you've been up to over the last few months. For those of you who couldn't make it, we hope your Ambassador efforts are going smoothly and we encourage you to contact us or your fellow Eyes in the Sky II participants if you need support.

Below you will find a summary of what we talked about during the Telecon/Elluminate Session, as well as an audio recording of the evening's conversations.

Telecon Audio Recording (MP3 Audio 43.5MB Nov30 10)
**NOTE: If the full recording does not play when you click the file link and open it within your web browser, download the file to your computer by right clicking (control+click for Mac users) and choosing Save Link As.... You should then be able to listen to the full recording with your mp3 player of choice.


Ambassador Program

Many of you are off to a great start with your Ambassador Program efforts. Check out the Presentations and Conferences page for information about when and where your colleagues are making presentations.

Use the discussion board on the Ambassador Discussions page to communicate with other Eyes in the Sky II teachers about coordinating your Ambassador Program efforts. You can also use this space to let us know if you are scheduled to present at an upcoming meeting or conference so we can add you to the growing list on the Presentations and Conferences page. Please attach any handouts from your presentations to your discussion board posts so that others can see what you've prepared.

Listen to the Telecon Audio Recording (MP3 Audio 43.5MB Nov30 10) to hear some of your fellow participants talk about some of what they have done so far to fulfill their Ambassador Program requirements.


Virtual Workshops

Some of you have expressed an interest in hosting a virtual workshop as part of your Ambassador outreach. We now have a 1-800 number as well as two desktop sharing software options (Elluminate and Wiggio) that you can use to run your sessions. Please email Carla carla_mcauliffe@terc.edu if you would like to reserve the use of any of these services and to discuss technical support for your online events.


Student Research

If you haven't planned out your student research project, now would be a good time to start. Here are some useful resources to help you out.

  • Student Research Presentation (PowerPoint 16.2MB Dec2 10): Power Point outlining features to include in your Student Research Projects.
  • ESRI Community Webinars: Check out the November 4 Webinar, "Fast Web Mapping with ArcGIS Explorer Online and Community Atlas" about how to use ESRI's free browser-based GIS, ArcGIS Explorer Online to create a Community Atlas with students.
  • EPA's 2008 Report on the Environment: This report uses scientifically sound measures, called indicators, to address fundamental questions relevant to the EPA's mission to protect the environment and human health.
  • Expedition Earth and Beyond: Bring rigor and relevance to your classroom and have your students be transformed into scientists as they explore Earth and other planetary bodies in our solar system. Stunning images are the hook to help students not only want to learn about Earth processes, but to provide them with the opportunity to get involved with NASA in the process of exploration, discovery, and science.
  • Hubbard Brook GIS Mapping Project (Acrobat (PDF) 2.7MB Jul11 10) and Hubbard Brook Maps (Acrobat (PDF) 703kB Jul11 10) for ESRI Community Atlas Project: Service Learning Project done by Ina Ahern and her students in New Hampshire
  • More Student Projects: Environmental MyWorld GIS projects done by Betsy Youngman's science students at Phoenix Country Day School. Topics include Climate Change, Oceanography and Marine Biology.
  • NASA Earth Observatory Experiments: Interactive experiments that can be used to teach all ages about the art and science of space-based remote sensing. The experiments focus on how NASA uses remote sensing to study how and why the Earth changes.
  • GIS Etc. GPS Loaner Program: GISetc and Geological Society of America Education have joined together to offer the GPS Loaner Program. Class sets of Garmin eTrex GPS units are available for a two week loan to educators who would like to introduce GPS technology to their students, but who are not in a position to invest in units.

Social Networking

Many of you have expressed an interest in using social networking tools to keep in touch and share ideas and files. As you know, we already have an Eyes in the Sky II Facebook Group in place. If you're interested in joining, go to the Social Networking page for instructions.

We've also looked into some other options and have decided to start a Wiggio group (thanks Billy Goodman for the suggestion!). Wiggio is a free online toolkit for working in groups. In addition to communication and file sharing, you can also use Wiggio to host online sessions or virtual workshops for the Eyes in the Sky II Ambassador Program. To learn more, check out this #tpl=about_wiggio_0 About Wiggio (link down) page and watch the tutorial video. We'll be setting up an Eyes in the Sky II group soon and will send you all an invitation to join.