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Martinsville Middle School science teachers Chanda Prillaman (left) and Lillie Moreland examine The JASON Project learning materials. (Bulletin photo by Mickey Powell) |
Thursday, September 11, 2008
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
An online program aimed at middle school students can help anyone gain a better understanding of science, according to two Martinsville Middle School (MMS) teachers.
The JASON Project, a nonprofit National Geographic Society subsidiary, is aimed at motivating students to learn about science through connections with prominent scientists and scientific events, said Lillie Moreland and Chanda Prillaman, who train other teachers to use the program.
The project, geared toward students in grades 5-8, also uses resources of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
It gets its name from the Greek myth of the Argonauts, adventurers who traveled in a ship with a hero named Jason and explored the far reaches of the ancient world, according to its Web site.
Right now, The JASON Project is focused on two main themes: “Operation: Monster Storms” and “Operation: Resilient Planet.”
The storms component shows how extreme weather, such as tornadoes and hurricanes, evolves from the sometimes ferocious power of nature, as well as how people can prepare for severe weather and protect themselves.
The resilient planet component focuses on how people, animals, plants, trees and other aspects of life depend on each other for sustainability, as well as what can be done to conserve and restore the earth’s ecology.
Webcasts range from riding along with storm chasers to try and figure out how tornadoes form to visiting the Chesapeake Bay to study how changes in soil deposits have affected people’s ability to find live oysters.
“Everything is going to virtual reality,” Moreland said. Since students usually do not have opportunities to interact with scientists, she said, the scientists have found a way to bring their activities to students.
Depending on how classroom lessons are being taught, The JASON Project can be used in class frequently or near the end of a grading period to review information already taught, the teachers indicated.
Even though it has online labs and learning activities directed at students, The JASON Project basically is “a community-based program,” one the public can use to learn about topics of science, according to the teachers.
“If you have an interest” in one of those topics, Prillaman said, “you can search it out, and it doesn’t cost you anything.”
“The same access we (teachers) have, they have” to the information, said Moreland, referring to the public.
All a person has to do is go online and register at www.jason.org.
Students can view podcasts (broadcasts that can be shown on portable media players or computers) and webcasts (broadcasts shown on the Web) featuring scientists who discuss their work and why it is important. They also can get questions answered by scientists through blogs, or schools can schedule appointments for scientists to directly interact with students online, Prillaman said.
MMS students have not yet personally interacted with scientists, she said.
What is notable about The JASON Project, the teachers said, is that it lets students watch and learn about research directly from scientists who are doing it, instead of reading about it in a textbook after it is done.
Students “are going to learn best when they are actually engaged” in an activity rather than just reading about it, Moreland said.
Furthermore, “kids are so tech-savvy” nowadays that “anytime you can do anything on a computer ... they’re more engaged” in learning, said Prillaman. |
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