Apply to Sampling the Sea
Click here to fill out the application to participate in Sampling the Sea.
Sampling the Sea FAQs
What is DigitalOcean: Sampling the Sea?
Which state and/or national science teaching standards is the curriculum linked to?
What resources will be provided?
In what kinds of activities will my students be engaged?
What permissions do teachers need to secure from parents for students to participate?
What is DigitalOcean: Sampling the Sea?
One-fifth of the protein humans consume comes from the sea. This critical ecosystem is at risk. Global seafood catch has declined for two decades while human populations grow exponentially. The pending global crisis dwarfs other food issues, yet oceans garner little attention. Most people are too removed from the sea in their daily lives to understand that crises exist; hence, the demand for sustainable solutions is limited. DigitalOcean: Sampling the Sea will build a foundation for solutions using online collaborative technologies to create awareness among students about the need to preserve ocean resources. A multi-disciplinary team from UC Santa Barbara, partnering with Google Ocean, NASA GLOBE, and ePals, will reach 200 classrooms, involving 3,500 students from multiple countries, in the first year. By integrating social networks of students/teachers collecting data, images, and stories about seafood in their local communities with interactive, animated displays of scientific content about trends in fisheries and ocean species in Google Ocean, students will learn about sustainable seafood choices and effects of human actions on the ocean. By "Sampling the Sea," students will actively participate in research, contribute knowledge, and foster a global discussion of how the oceans are changing, how choices drive those changes, and possible solutions.
Any middle or high school classroom and you don't need to live near an ocean!
The curriculum materials will be online in January 2010 and the pilot launch will be March to May 2010.
There is no cost to participate.
Do my students need any special equipment?
Students will need computer access to the ePals system (participating teachers will receive instructions on how to register with the program) to upload content into the Sampling the Sea database. They will also need access to digital cameras (cell phone cameras are fine).
Which state and/or national science teaching standards is the curriculum linked to?
The curriculum is currently being developed and its activities will be correlated with state and national science education standards.
What resources will be provided?
We will provide an online educator's guide and curriculum activity modules to support both short and long term class projects, in small and large classes, at varying levels.
In what kinds of activities will my students be engaged?
We are currently developing the participatory learning curriculum, which will be flexibly administered and includes a range of activities to engage students in critical thinking about seafood sustainability:
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Students will collect and analyze data on seafood at local markets, restaurants, docks, and fish markets to discover local patterns of consumption.
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Students will post and link data through an online database in Google Ocean.
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Students will create and share digital stories about personal and local seafood consumption and fishing practices around the world using blogs, photo sharing, and interviews with consumers, scientists, fishers, and chefs, in ePals secure online network.
What permissions do teachers need to secure from parents for students to participate?
Parents may need to give permission for students to participate. We will be using the ePals permission process; for more information visit: http://www.epals.com/groups/about/pages/privacy-policy.aspx#consent
