As part of step one in the procedure for my Multimedia Montage Project, I have joined the "Teach Astronomy" Google group and NASA's Center for Astronomy Education (CAE) Facebook Group. I am interested in developing a website that is in line with my mission, both personal and professional, which is to expand human understanding of the universe. My specific area of interest is cosmology, which is the study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe. However, this is a highly specialized area that falls under the broader topic of astrophysics, and even broader topic of astronomy. Since I would like my website to appeal to all ages, but primarily high school and up, I think that it is important to focus on the basics that would be most readily absorbed by the general public. Ideally, as I see it right now, I would like my website to serve not only as a source of learning, but also as a source of inspiration for further study. I envision it as an informal learning source that leads to more formal learning opportunities.
I believe that the communities that I have joined will help me to gain a better understanding of the current state of astronomy education in general. I would, however, like to find more communities to join that will help me with understanding how best to communicate the subject of cosmology with a general audience. (I am thinking that I may have to break the site down into areas that include something like a kids corner and other areas that provide more detail for advanced individuals.) The majority of the resources seem to be in the area of physics education, and there are some with regard to astronomy education, but few related to cosmology education. Also, in my search for astronomy education related communities, I came across some great multimedia resources. I am also wondering if there are communities related to astronomy related multimedia and/or web development. I am looking forward to searching for more communities to join and believe that they will continue to influence my work far beyond this course.
I am interested in creating a website as well! Your concept sounds very interesting. Would this website be for students in your classroom? What types of multimedia would were you thinking about putting on your website? The universe fascinates many and I believe if people were able to see actual recordings from NASA missions it would inspire people to learn more. Actually, listening to audio recording of conversations between the astronauts and the ground base would serve the same purpose.
ReplyDeleteI agree that you should put a kid corner on the site. You would be appealing to a larger audience if you included the kid’s corner along with more advanced material. This can only help your site grow. I also looked for a web development community. I wanted to join a community where I can post questions as they arise during the creation of my site. If you find one please let me know and I will do the same.
You have some really fantastic ideas. I like how you analyzed the communities you joined and it gave you more ideas for other types of communities to look for. It would be so beneficial if there was a community that I could join to answer questions that I came up with as I'm sure I will have lots of questions about bees as I go through my experience with the project I have in mind.
ReplyDeleteI haven't ever explored cosmology but I imagine if there was a great and kid-friendly website when I was younger, I would have been a lot more interested and informed! I look forward to seeing how yours turns out!
Going to the NASA site is a great way to start. It seems very much in line with your goal of helping regular people have a greater understanding of the universe. There are so many places you could point your students to from your own website and its kids corner. Exposing kids to this topic will help give them a cosmic perspective. They can think of themselves in relation to this vast realm. A little humility is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteOne great site you may have heard of is earthsky.org which focuses on the astronomical events you can see on any given day. Some events tie into your interests in cosmology. You could ask, how does tonight's sky relate to the origin and structure of the universe? There may be some communities related to this already.