Digital library for Earth System Education
Resources and Services for Scientists and Research Programs
Interdisciplinary Modeling for Aquatic Ecosystems Curriculum Development Workshop
Shelley Olds
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
DLESE Program Center
July 17 – 22, 2005
support@dlese.org
Goals: By the end of this talk, you’ll
www.dlese.org
be able to…
• Explore systems/interdisciplinary
definitions (You are not alone)
• Use DLESE resources
• Become involved: contribute resources
• Build a curriculum and library collection
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Digital Library for
Earth System Education
• http://www.dlese.org
www.dlese.org
• Supported by the National Science
Foundation
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• The geoscience member library of
the National Science Digital Library
What is DLESE?
• A collaborative effort to provide support and
leadership in addressing the national reform
agenda for science education, scientific literacy,
and scientific discovery
www.dlese.org
• Supports a broad audience of educators and
learners: K-12, university, informal education, the
public
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• Improves the quality and
efficiency of teaching
and learning about the
Earth system
www.dlese.org
www.dlese.org
• Emphasizes pedagogical support for
teaching and learning approaches
that view Earth as a system
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Earth System Science: Bretherton’s
www.dlese.org
conceptual model of Earth system processes
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Simplified model of the Earth system
Atmosphere
Cryosphere
Hydrosphere
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Biosphere
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Lithosphere
Cosmosphere
Anthrosphere
What does DLESE offer?
• Free access to learning resources about the Earth
System
www.dlese.org
 Lesson plans,
computer and
lab activities,
data visualizations,
instructor guides,
virtual
field trips…
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 Themed collections
about a specific topic
 Reviewed collections
• DLESE doesn’t ‘own’ the resources
• Provides information about resources as metadata
so you can easily find what you’re looking for
What does DLESE offer?
• Community
connections
www.dlese.org
• Professional
development
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• Opportunities to
contribute reviews,
provide feedback
• News and
Opportunities
2003 Annual Meeting
First
Teaching
Box
workshop,
June 04
www.dlese.org
DLESE may be useful to you….
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When you:
• Teach (or want to teach)…
• Develop educational resources…
• Run a research project with a public
outreach component…
• Are part of an interest group organized
around an Earth or environmental theme
When you teach …
www.dlese.org
• The DLESE Library of 10,000+ educational
resources is searchable by
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Topic
Resource type
Educational
level
Collection
Educational
standard
• Useful for finding resources when you are
teaching outside your normal expertise
Develop educational resources …
www.dlese.org
• Disseminate your
resource in a place where
educators look:
http://www.dlese.org
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• Submit information about your resource to DLESE:
http://www.dlese.org/suggestor/index.jsp
Research projects with a public outreach
component …
• Create an ‘instant library of resources’: Add
the DLESE Search Service to your website
• More than a link to the homepage
Customizable javascript web service
www.dlese.org
Retains look and feel of your website
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• Customize selection criteria for your audience
(grade level, subjects, and resource types)
• It’s free and very simple to implement
• Contact support@dlese.org
• See http://preview.dlese.org/search/
Build a curriculum:
Teaching Boxes case-study
www.dlese.org
• Collaborative project
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 Create classroom ready instructional units
 Teams of teachers, science advisors, interface
designers, facilitators
• Components
 Conceptual framework
 Description of each activity
 Resource list
 Assessments
 Engage students in the
process of science by being evidence-based
www.dlese.org
• sdlkfj
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Curricular ideas to consider
• Purpose of the course
 Survey course?
 Familiarity w/ multiple models?
 Expertise in specific models?
www.dlese.org
• Emphasis
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•
•
•
•
•
 On the overlap of disciplines?
 Familiarity w/ each discipline
Concepts to guide the course
Thread running through the course
Resources/models to include
How to make a good presentation
Important research questions
 Within each discipline
 Overlapping the disciplines
Modeling topic map to throw darts at:
Atmospheric
MMS
Watershed/ Hydrologic
Water Quality
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Snow Hydrology
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Groundwater flow &
transport
Groundwater /
Surface water
GIS
Philosophy of
modeling
Uncertainty
Ecological systems
Ecological / Algae
Ecological / Fish
Data & Models
Economics
Issues of Scale
Statistics
Build a library collection …
• Build a themed collection of educational
resources on your topic
www.dlese.org
http://www.csma
te.colostate.edu/d
wel/
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• Information for DLESE collection builders:
http://www.dlese.org/Metadata
Build & contribute collection process
1. Is the collection theme within DLESE scope
2. Determine type and format of collection
3. Understand collection policies
4. Create a scope statement
www.dlese.org
• Determine collection building strategy
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• Determine collection selection criteria
5. Create metadata records (catalog resources)
6. Send metadata records to DLESE
7. Approval - Collections Accessioning Taskforce
8. Maintain the collection
DLESE required metadata - ADN Format
• Title - the name of the resource
(Cataloger Provided)
• URL - the URL to an online resource
• Description - a narrative describing the content/purpose
• Subject - general topic areas that the resource is about
• Technical reqs - browser or platform requirements
www.dlese.org
• Resource type - type of educational resource (lab, photo)
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• Audience - grade range of the resource
• Copyright - copyright statement
• Cost - yes/no/unknown cost to use or access resource
• Resource creator - author or publisher information
• Resource cataloger - cataloger information
Lessons learned in collection building
• Ensure resources are within scope
• Presentation of the metadata is just as
important as the resource
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Educational context is understood
Access to data/other materials works
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• Start with a small group of resources and
metadata records; then build strategically
• Cataloging takes time so appropriate
resource selection is critical
Opportunities to get involved
• Suggest new resources
for the library
• Submit teaching tips or reviews
for the resources you use
www.dlese.org
• Attend an annual
meeting or workshop
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• Tell others about DLESE:
http://www.dlese.org
support@dlese.org