Teaching with Great Lakes and Dunes Data Workshops at National Lakeshore

Date: February 29, 2012
Contact: Wendy Smith, 219-395-1987

INDIANA DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE: On Monday, April 2, educators have the opportunity to take part in two, half-day professional development workshops at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Both workshops focus on the use of scientific data from real-life investigations.

From 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. educators in grades 5 - 12 are invited to attend "Discovering Data in the Dunes". Participants will learn how they can involve their students in data collection and analysis activities that will help them understand Karner blue butterflies, saw whet owls, wetland investigations, and additional projects currently underway within the Indiana Dunes region. From 1:00 - 5:00 p.m., teachers in Grades 5 - 12 can participate in the "Teaching with Great Lakes Data" workshop, sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)- Sea Grant and Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. In this second workshop, teachers will learn about climate & weather, storm surges, dead zones, and fish habitat in the Great Lakes and how to use real-time and historical data to teach about these topics. Lessons are aligned with National Science Education Standards and Great Lakes Literacy Principles.

Each teacher participating in "Teaching with Great Lakes Data" will receive a $200 stipend from NOAA-Sea Grant for participating in post-workshop evaluations. Please do not register for the afternoon workshop if you have attended a Teaching with Great Lakes Data Workshop in the past. All participants must bring their own wireless-enabled laptop or tablet. You must be able to access the internet and download files for this workshop.

Both workshops will be held in the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Pre-registration is required and only twenty spots will be filled. To register, call [phone] or e-mail [e-mail] before March 23.