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NODE Project

The NOAA Ocean Data Education (NODE) Project is developing curriculum for grades 6-8 designed to help teachers and students use real scientific data to explore dynamic Earth processes and understand the impact of environmental events on a regional or global scale.

Accessing historical and real-time scientific data offers exciting teaching opportunities, yet teachers face many challenges utilizing real-time data and incorporating it into their teaching. NOAA possesses an array of observing systems that monitor oceanic, atmospheric, and terrestrial parameters, but what's missing — according to a 2006 assessment by the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve — are relevant, easy-to-use curriculum activities that put real-time data into an exciting and compelling context as well as simple, intuitive computer interfaces for accessing online data.

The NODE demonstration project aims to help fill these gaps by creating three new curriculum modules and online tools for accessing data. The project is being undertaken by veteran curriculum and technology developers Caroline Joyce and Todd Viola under a contract with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and in close collaboration with staff at NOAA's National Estuarine Research Reserve System, National Marine Sanctuary Program, and the National Oceanographic Data Center.



Pedagogical Approach Print E-mail
Written by Caroline Joyce   
Friday, 01 June 2007 13:55

The challenge posed by this project is to determine what teachers need to help them develop competency in the use of online tools to access real-time data so that they will be able to integrate them into their instructional practices. We propose that the best way to tackle this challenge is to present the use of real-time data as part of a systems approach to learning. The systems approach to program design and development is highly recommended within The National Science Education Standards according to the National Research Council (NRC).  The NRC recommends that programs designed for middle and high school students incorporate ways in which students can utilize the concept of systems to organize how they understand and manipulate the natural world as well as the technical world.

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 January 2010 02:55
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Curriculum Design Print E-mail
Written by Caroline Joyce   
Friday, 01 June 2007 13:56

For this project, we will develop three, multi-part curriculum modules, with accompanying interactive web activities, data visualizations and animations. Our conceptual framework for these modules is a systems approach to learning and organizing curriculum components. We have used this approach over many years, and have met with great success when utilizing multiple technologies related to a scientific research story.

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 January 2010 03:06
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Technical Approach Print E-mail
Written by Todd Viola   
Friday, 01 June 2007 13:59

Generally speaking, our approach to software and technology development will be to adapt existing tools rather than develop new software. To address the requirements for the data translation system and Web-based interfaces, we propose starting with two tools that have already been developed. By employing Web services and published protocols, we believe we can incorporate the capabilities of these existing tools into new, customized  interfaces which we will design. We believe that these two initial tools will address a number of educational activities and data types. However we are open to identifying other approaches and starting points in consultation with NOAA staff.

Last Updated on Saturday, 16 January 2010 02:55
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