NASA | Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum

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Space Weather Centers: The NASA Sun Earth Connection Education Forum is developing a student space weather forecasting system with the capability for students to develop and broadcast their own space weather programming over the web. The system, called Space Weather Center, will provide near real time space weather mission data through the existing Tracking a Solar Storm and will model the capabilities of the NOAA, Boulder Space Environment Center. Students will be equipped with web casting and video production software to develop space weather programs with inputs from solar and geospace mission data. Space Weather Center is now being beta tested at two local middle schools with plans to install one at the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitors Center. Other educational technologies such as pod casting are also being developed as enhancements to the program.

SEC Problem Based Learning Modules: Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional method that challenges students to identify how they learn. They work together cooperatively to seek solutions to real world problems, identifying what they know and what they need to know to solve a problem. PBL prepares students to think critically and analytically, and to find and use appropriate learning resources. NASA mission scientists will be working with our team of educators to provide, for the classroom, a series of PBLs using NASA mission data while a student learns about the science discoveries from the Sun-Earth Connection missions. This will be an exciting and challenging project for students, using real data, analyzing the data and presenting a solution to the problem, not that different from the challenges that a NASA science team deals with during a NASA mission.

Podcasts: With the podcast revolution taking a firm hold on the internet community, SECEF decided it was time to join fun. We are presently developing podcasts for the Sun-Earth Day Eclipse theme to compliment the Webcast on March 29th. Podcasting will help to broaden our audience base because of the unique nature of RSS (Real Simple Syndication). When new podcasts are made available, our users will be notified automatically by their software and the podcast will be downloaded for them to experience whenever they want. This, coupled with our traditional online efforts will help to spread the word about Sun-Earth Connection science to the public. Our first podcast can be found on the Sun-Earth Day home page, and is listed in iTunes when searched for "Sun-Earth Day".