Teachers, looking for a way to expand the walls of your classroom? Students, looking for a way to connect with Smithsonian experts and other classrooms around the world?
With a wide range of topics, the 2013 Smithsonian Online Education Conference Series provides an online space for students to engage with Smithsonian experts–from historians, art educators, scientists, anthropologists and more—and make connections from textbooks to today’s world.
In each online conference in the series, you will join with students and teachers to interact with curators, researchers, and educators from various disciplines at the Smithsonian. Special sessions will be dedicated to teachers in a “virtual teachers’ lounge” to highlight Smithsonian learning resources related to conference topics and offer an opportunity to discuss them with fellow teachers. And be sure to check out the Resources page for other activities and learning opportunities, including the Smithsonian Quests program, for use before, during and after the conference sessions.
Understanding Astrophotography
Join Smithsonian science educators for two free online Q&A sessions: “Understanding Astrophotography: Where Science and Art Meet,” a look at how scientists transform raw data from telescopes into beautiful images that help tell a story about the universe (June 12, for students and educators) and “Do-It-Yourself Astrophotography: Application for the Classroom and Beyond,” an educators’ session highlighting ways to facilitate powerful STEM learning for your students alongside the Smithsonian through project-based learning that engages students in creating their own public Astrophotography exhibitions, to authentic investigations of moon phases, light and color, or size and scale in the universe. (July 10). Students can also complete “Smithsonian Quests” based on the conferences and earn digital badges, such as the Astrophotographer badge, where you can try your own hand at capturing an image of Solar System objects, stars, nebulas, and galaxies using the MicroObservatory online telescope, as well as enhancing the image, comparing the image to a professional’s and interpreting what the image shows.
Understanding Astrophotography: Where Science and Art Meet
- Wednesday, June 12th, 2013, 1PM, EST
- Wednesday, July 10th, 2013, 4pm, EST
About the Presenters
Learn about the Smithsonian Online Education Series presenters on the Presenters page.
Earn a Digital Badge:
Motivate and reward your students as they explore their interests! With Smithsonian Quests, students earn digital badges as they discover all the Smithsonian has to offer, from art to zoology, from underwater to outer space, from current problems to future solutions. The interdisciplinary content aligns with many Common Core standards, including the use of digital media in learning.
Participants in the Smithsonian Online Education Series can earn digital badges for their involvement. The more you elect to participate the more you can earn.
Discussions:
Keep the dialogue going — or start it! Join in on any discussion, or start a new topic. You can also start a discussion related to any presentation by clicking the “Discuss” button on that session’s page. We’ll see you there!
Tech Check:
Test your computer’s readiness for the live online sessions. This special configuration area checks your connection to the virtual classroom platform used for the real-time events — and it helps you test your audio. Try it now!
Recordings:
We will be posting all online series recordings for you to tune in at any time to revisit the archives.
