Full-Day Pre-Conference Workshops

Teaching Environmental Issues in the Classroom (9:00am-5:00pm)
with Ali Goulstone Sweeney, CAEE

This day-long workshop will actively involve educators in an exploration of how to investigate and evaluate environmental issues with their learners. This workshop models a variety of effective strategies and tools educators can use to assist learners in exploring and seeking responsible courses of action toward the resolution of environmental issues.  The workshop is full of activities to help participants determine the best way for their students to explore local environmental issues.

GIS Workshops
(may be taken as a full-day or separate morning or afternoon workshops)
with Esther Worker, ESRI

Morning (9:00am-1:00pm): Spatial Literacy: The next ‘R’ for 21st Century Students
Spatial literacy takes students to a higher level of problem solving through the power of place and geospatial technology. This introduction to spatial thinking using ArcExplorer, ESRI’s free Geographic information system (GIS) software will give educators a quick tour of the benefits of spatial thinking, and the opportunity to go through a classroom lesson using ESRI’s ArcExplorer Java Edition for Education (AEJEE) and the new ArcGIS Explorer.

(A lunch break will be provided at 12:30)

Afternoon (1:00-5:00pm): The Power of Place: Using GIS to add rigor and relevance to environmental lessons to help solve the what, who, why, when and where issues of problem solving
Organizations around the world are leveraging their information technology (IT) investments by integrating mapping and geographic information system (GIS) technology. GIS provides essential information tools for many levels of society. Students need the best tools to be able to make informed decisions, improve communication, increase efficiency, know where, when, why, and how to take action, and to share knowledge with others. GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in ways simply not possible in the rows and columns of a spreadsheet. Beautiful and interesting maps provide better decision making tools and analysis and make a difference in our world. We’ll use ESRI’s ArcView 9.2 software for a hands on experience in looking at environmental issues.

Half-Day Afternoon Workshops (1:00-5:00 pm)

What's Pollinating that Plant?
with Angela Overy
This workshop will begin with a lively presentation including colorful photographs on how plants get fertilized. Discover whether birds, bees, butterflies, bugs, wind or water facilitate a plant's sexual reproduction, and learn how to tell the sex of a flying bee. Then, go hands-on with a simple lab workshop where you will dissect the reproductive organs of plants and study their colors, shapes, sizes and smells.

Discover a Watershed…The Colorado
with Mike Wilde
Get an up close and personal look at the newest Project WET activity guide: “Discover a Watershed: The Colorado.” This guide combines all of the great features of the basic WET guide with activities that are specific to the Colorado River watershed from the headwaters to the ocean. The hands-on activities explore the unique geology, hydrology, habitats, history, politics, art and cultures of the Colorado River watershed. Included in the guide is a wall-map of the watershed and a 75 page full-color narrative journey down the Colorado River; a “must have” for Colorado educators. You’ll learn about this interdisciplinary activity guide from one of the Colorado teachers who literally helped write the book. Come discover a watershed…you might get a little WET!  (You will receive a copy of the "Discover a Watershed: The Colorado" guide and other materials as part of this workshop).

Lodging

Optional lodging is available Thursday night (April 24) and includes dinner Thursday night and breakfast Friday morning. Click here for prices.

Teacher Credit

You may earn 1/2 credit hour of teacher recertification credit or graduate credit (if your school accepts credit from Colorado School of Mines) for participating in the Full-Day GIS pre-conference workshop or the Teaching Environmental Issues workshop.  You may also apply the hours from the half-day workshops towards the hours needed for credit at the conference.  The cost for this is an additional $34.00. Checks are to be made payable to Colorado School of Mines and paid at the conference. Course requirements will be available at registration. You may also apply the hours from any pre-conference workshops towards the 16 total required to receive 1 credit from CSM for the main conference.

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