The two-year project will expand the Konza Schoolyard LTER program via the Internet so teachers and classes everywhere can access data about the tallgrass prairie. The databases now being compiled by the students will become accessible to many other classrooms, and, for the first time, the long-term scientific datasets from research projects at Konza Prairie Biological Station will be streamlined for use by school classes. Having these two types of databases accessible for classroom use will offer teachers an incredible array of scientific information about the tallgrass prairie. Teachers will be able to use the scientific databases in many ways. For example, math teachers who do not typically bring their students to Konza Prairie will be able to use these datasets, too.
Students can do basic statistics like averages and percentages or graph the data.
The Eisenhower Professional Development grant will fund two technology-training workshops. We hope that if we can tie that excitement back to classroom projects later on, their good feeling about doing science will keep rolling along for months after they visit. We want students to feel that science is something they can do and can be excited about for more than just a couple of days. Prepared by Kay Garrett.