Approximately 25 local high school and college educators met at the UNL campus to discuss the usage of instructional technology in astronomy education. Details on the offerings of the workshop are given below.

This workshop was targeted for college instructors of 100-level astronomy classes and high school instructors who presently teach astronomy or may be interested in developing an astronomy course. The workshop has three goals: 1) to acquaint educators with the new web-based astronomy "textbook" Online Journey Through Astronomy, 2) to introduce new developments in the UNL Department of Physics and Astronomy, and 3) to bring together members of the astronomy and physics teaching community to share ideas and identify potential collaborators.

Workshop Agenda

• 2:00 pm - Welcome - Dr. Kevin Lee

• 2:15 pm - Keynote Address - Dr. Michael Guidry

  "Online Journey through Astronomy: Interactive Animation and Web-Based Educational Technology"

  Abstract: Recent advances in software, hardware, and availability of internet connectivity at reasonable bandwidth provide a unique opportunity for the application of Web-based technology to university and K-12 education. Once one dispenses with the standard hype associated with the .com economy, there are four clear advantages to a state-of-the-art implementation of a Web-based electronic syllabus: (1) Nonlinear interactivity, where the system responds in different ways to different user input (as opposed to passive viewing of linear movies). (2) The immediacy of a syllabus that literally can be updated on a daily basis. (3) The use of electronic modularity and nonlinear linking to allow unprecedented customization possibilities for the adventurous teacher and student. (4) The marshalling of Web database technologies and e-commerce distribution to lower the effective production and maintenance cost of a syllabus. I shall describe our recent efforts to implement such an approach in university and K-12 level education. My primary examples will be taken from Online Journey through Astronomy (published commercially by Wadsworth/Brooks Cole), our newly completed electronic syllabus for introductory astronomy that is completely Web (and therefore also CD ROM) deliverable. The unifying themes of the presentation will interweave three critical issues: how does one ensure that a Web-based electronic approach to education increases (not decreases!) interactivity with students, how does one ensure that such an approach does not sacrifice solid pedagogy to electronic gadgetry, and what are the technologies to enable sophisticated interactivity that is suitable (both in format and bandwidth requirements) for Web delivery. Provocative hint: Online Journey through Astronomy is usable at 56 kbps modem speeds and contains no GIFs, JPEGs, animated GIFs, Quicktimes, or MPEGs (staples of standard Web development) or Director movies (staples of CD ROM development) in their original formats for any of its 350 interactive animations or 1000 illustrations! These "conventional" technologies have been replaced by programming using primarily streaming vector graphics and streaming vector graphics with embedded bitmaps (implemented with Flash Shockwave), Java, Javascript, and some PERL.
  
  

  Related Link

  • A Guide for Educational Web Technologies.

• 3:15 pm - Discussion: How Will Instructional Technology Affect How We Teach?

              Moderator : Dr. Edward Schmidt

• 4:00 pm - Presentation: The Astronomy Applet Group - Dr. Kevin Lee

• 4:15 pm - Presentation: The CROP (Cosmic Ray Observatory Project) Group - Dr. Greg Snow

• 4:30 pm Departmental Openhouse

  Tours will be available for:
  • The Student Observatory - Dr. Martin Gaskell
  • The Minnich Solar Telescope - Dr. Norman Simon
  • Innovative Interactive Physics Laboratories - Dr. Robert Fuller and Vicki Plano-Clark
  • The Laser Laboratory - Dr. Stephen Ducharme
  • The Atomic Physics Laboratory - Dr. Hermann Batelaan and Dr. Tim Gay
  • Physics Demonstrations - Dr. Cliff Bettis
  Attendees will be able to meet with:
  • Mike Guidry
  • A representative of the Astronomy Applet Group
  • A representative of the CROP Group
    

  
  
  

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