My NASA DATA: Earth System Science Data for Formal and Informal Education

Abstract:

The Mentoring and inquirY using NASA Data on Atmospheric and Earth science for Teachers and Amateurs (MY NASA DATA or MND) project was launched in 2004 to bring authentic science data to the K-12 classroom and informal education communities. One of the main features is its Live Access Server (LAS). The LAS is an open source tool that allows users to customize data sets to suit their individual needs, choosing from among 250 global Level III data sets. The MY NASA DATA project hosts over 120 lesson plans and activities that utilize this library of Earth system science data as collected by NASA satellites. This collection of data parameters are offered to help teachers easily add data exploration to their current curriculum, and give them an easy to use tool to keep coming back for all of their data needs. Through the built in inquiry of the lesson plans and the easy to navigate layout of the LAS, educators have numerous ways connect their students to the data, giving their students a unique hands on experience with authentic NASA data.

With a shift in many states science standards, classroom teachers are rethinking how science can be taught in the classroom. Through the use of data exercises in the classroom, teachers now have the ability to introduce their students to the many possibilities of data. By using authentic data, students can immerse themselves in place based learning exercises and be driven by inquiry to answer all of their questions through immersion in the data. The MY NASA DATA lesson plans, activities, and the data itself, give formal and informal audiences a place to go for science understanding and the answers to many questions in the science classroom. By utilizing authentic data sets and materials on MY NASA DATA that are prepared specificaly for all areas of education, users will be more readily prepared to answer their own questions about the world around them meet the needs of classroom assessment.