A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Achieving the Goals--Goal 5- First in the World in Math and Science Technology Resources - November 1996

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Current Classroom of the Future (COTF)
Research & Development Projects

The Astronomy Village: Investigating the Universe multimedia program contains ten complete investigations in astronomy intended to complement and extend high school science curricula. Each investigation extends across four weeks of daily one-hour sessions. Working much as astronomers do in a simulated hilltop observatory environment, students using Astronomy Village are immersed in a problem-solving scenario to help them learn about the nature of scientific inquiry while studying contemporary problems in astronomy.

BioBLAST is a multimedia, high school curriculum supplement which uses NASA's Advanced Life Support System (ALSS) research as a conceptual framework for teaching key biological concepts. This project is in the first year of its two-year development and iterative testing cycle. As one of the COTF projects, BioBLAST addresses the organizational mission of developing innovative educational technology applications that support student learning through activities that reflect the practice of science.

Exploring the Environment. As part of NASA's High Performance Computing and Communications (HPCC) program, the Exploring the Environment project is developing high school environmental science and earth science modules that are accessible over the Internet. The project emphasizes on-line collaboration, NASA's remote sensing databases,and teacher training.

NASA COTF
Wheeling Jesuit University
316 Washington Avenue
Wheeling, WV 26003
(304) 243-2388
http://www.cotf.edu/

NASA Classroom of the Future

The Classroom of the Future (COTF) program at Wheeling Jesuit University serves as NASA's principal national research and development center for educational technologies as well as a key agency resource in providing technology-based tools and resources to K--12 schools. The mission of the COTF program is to help improve the quality of K--12 mathematics, science, and technology education in the United States. Working with educators and scientists from across the nation, COTF is developing the latest in multimedia curriculum tools for elementary and secondary classroom teachers. COTF contains several multimedia-capable classrooms; a video production suite featuring Ku-Band broadcast capability; high-speed, broad bandwidth connectivity to the Internet; a distance learning classroom; a regional NASA Teacher Resource Center; a Challenger Learning Center Space Flight and Mission Control simulator; and a unique cutting edge computer-video LAN over which it is possible to provide dozens of users with simultaneous access to multiple interactive multimedia resources.

NASA Spacelink

NASA Spacelink is one of the agency's electronic resources specifically developed for use by the educational community. It is a comprehensive electronic library which contains current information related to NASA's aeronautics and space research. Teachers, faculty, and students will find that Spacelink offers not only information about NASA programs and projects, but also teacher guides, pictures, and computer software that can enhance classroom instruction. For users connecting via the World Wide Web, Spacelink also provides links to other NASA resources on the Internet.

Educators can access materials chosen specifically for their educational value and relevance including: science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education lesson plans; information on NASA educational programs and services; historical information related to NASA aeronautics and space research; current status reports on agency projects and events; news releases; and television broadcast schedules for NASA TV.

Spacelink may also be accessed by computer through direct-dial modem or the Internet. NASA Spacelink can be accessed through the following connection methods: modem line: (205) 895-0028; terminal emulation: VT-100 required; data format: 8-N-1.

NASA Spacelink fully supports the following Internet services: World Wide Web: http://spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov/; Telnet: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov; Gopher: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov; Anonymous FTP: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov; TCP/IP address: 192.149.89.61

NASA Spacelink
Education Programs Office
Mail Code CL01
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, AL 35812-0001
E-mail: comments@spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov

NASA Television

Established in the early 1980s, NASA Television offers the general public a front-row seat at mission launches and activities taking place in space during a mission, as well as informational and educational programming, historical documentaries, and updates on the latest developments in aeronautics and space science.

Programming on NASA Television begins at 12:00 noon EDT, Monday through Friday, and is shown in four-hour blocks that are repeated at 4:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m. and midnight. Although all programming has historical and educational value, the 2:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. programming are designated as containing educational material suitable for classroom use.

For more information, contact:
NASA Headquarters, Code P-2
NASA TV
Washington, DC 20546
(202) 358-3572
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/ntvgraphics/

NEWEST (NASA Educational Workshops for Elementary School Teachers)

NEWMAST (NASA Educational Workshops for Mathematics, Science and Technology Teachers)

NASA Educational Workshops provide teachers with an opportunity to observe NASA's state-of-the-art research and development through direct interaction with NASA scientists at each of the nine NASA field centers. Translation activities have been developed and incorporated into the workshops to help teachers adapt their new content knowledge, experience, and materials into their specific educational situations. Selected participants will spend two weeks at one of NASA's nine centers. Travel expenses, housing and meals are included as part of the program.

The NEWEST and NEWMAST programs are sponsored by NASA and implemented in cooperation with International Technology Educational Association (ITEA), National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Workshop Activities
Workshop participants will visit research and applied science facilities; examine topics relating to Mission to Planet Earth, Aeronautics, Human Exploration and Development in Space, Space Science and Space Technology; collect and review educational materials in the Teacher Resource Center; and share their teaching experiences and ideas with other participants.

For more information, contact:

National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
(703) 243-7100
home page: http://www.nsta.org or Education Division, Code FE
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546
(202) 358-1110

Quest

Quest is the home of NASA's K-12 Internet Initiative, one of the electronic resources that the agency has developed for the educational community. The project specializes in providing programs, materials, and opportunities that allow teachers and students to use NASA resources as learning tools to explore the Internet. Through Quest teachers can access information about educational grants, interact with other schools that are already online, and explore links to other NASA educational resources.

One of Quest's most unique endeavors is the "Sharing NASA" online interactive project. Students and educators are given the opportunity to communicate with NASA scientists and researchers to experience the excitement of real science in real time. In addition to these programs, the project also houses information and materials which accompany the K-12 Internet Initiative videos. These videos promote the Internet in schools and assist educators in acquiring and integrating the Internet into the classroom. Quest can be accessed via the Internet at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/. For information about the videotapes, send an E-mail message to: video-info@quest.arc.nasa.gov.

To stay informed about new opportunities in the Sharing NASA program, send an E-mail message to: listmanager@quest.arc.nasa.gov in the body of the message, write these words: subscribe sharing-nasa. For additional information, send an E-mail message to:info@quest.arc.nasa.gov.

Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR)

The Small Business Innovation Program (SBIR) seeks to develop innovative technologies by providing competitive research contracts to U.S.-owned small businesses to develop leading-edge technologies.

John Ippitito
SBIR Program Manager
Code XC, NASA
Washington, DC 20546-0001
(301) 309-1234
home page: www.alliedtech.com

(Note: A listing of NASA Teacher Resource Centers is located in Appendix G )
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[U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs]

[The National Endowment for the Arts]