Understanding Tsunamis - an online workshop for educators (15/04/05)

Good morning CEPA list members:

The College of Exploration (based in the USA) is hosting an online workshop for teachers on UNDERSTANDING TSUNAMIS - 2005, funded by the National Science Foundation.

The dates are April 22 - May 15. Registration begins April 5. You can register here: http://www.coexploration.org/tsunami/registration.html - and registration is free!

Introduction to the workshop
Due to the recent devastating and tragic tsunami disaster, there is an urgent imperative to reach out to teachers and students and provide appropriate scientific information about this tsunami event. Teachers have an immediate need to understand the characteristics of this recent overwhelming natural disaster to address their students' questions and concerns. This workshop will provide a direct link from scientists doing research on tsunami to the education community - so that they can share information about the causes, and scientific and health implications of this recent disaster and tsunamis in general.

The College of Exploration through NSF funding is conducting a three-week online professional development workshop for educators that focuses on the tsunami, providing timely and relevant information specific about this tsunami disaster. The overall goal of this workshop is to increase teachers' and students' awareness about tsunamis at a time when the tragedy has been impacting the world so dramatically and the topic has been a major news event. See the list of researchers and an overview of the workshop here http://www.coexploration.org/tsunami/overview.html.

Format
The workshop material will be delivered online in an asynchronous format, allowing participants to take part at times convenient for their schedule, and also allowing flexible participation across time zones, encouraging wide geographic nationwide and international participation. The workshop will be delivered online over the Internet in a private learning space, with the participants needing only a Web browser and private password. This is a proven format developed and offered by the College of Exploration over the past ten years. More information on this is available here http://www.coexploration.org/tsunami/faq.html.

The workshop will be offered interactively for up to 500 formal and informal educators nationwide and internationally. Registrants over 500 will be offered "read only" access to the workshop to ensure that anyone who wants to can at least obtain the information.

Best weekend wishes, Sandra Hails, Ramsar Secretariat

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