Students and teachers are able to ask questions, download images and files, and learn about the estuary from experts. Classrooms across the state can use their computers to see and ask questions about many of the plants and animals that make estuaries special places. Once the Live Video Page has been accessed, participants can see a moving image and beside it, a chat window. The video image should update at about one to three frames per second and should give a good, clear view of what's happening. The chat window is the communication device.
Participants log on by typing in the school or class name.
This allows everyone to be able to read what everyone else is saying. Access to the live video stream is available during scheduled times, however any school can visit the mainpage at any time to check on the progress of other groups and update weather and water information. The mainpage has links to other pages of information that will be valuable for lesson planning. A special page allows students and teachers to download numerous copyright-cleared still images and movies for use in classroom Hyperstudio or Powerpoint presentations. This guide is a seventy-page booklet that covers the ecology, habitats and specific plants and animals found in North Carolina's estuaries.