A major H2O partnership will involve HRI, CGEE, and ICF in developing a world-class Gulf of Mexico teaching and education unit, fully integrated with online resources and use of technology. Educational content for teachers and students will be based on a proven educational model pioneered by CGEE in order to meet standards-based STEM content for middle school students while enhancing environmental literacy and nurturing environmental stewardship. CGEE will develop customized, interactive multi-media learning resources, a companion teacher’s guide, technology-enhanced field experiences (all linked to Texas science and social studies standards), plus high-quality professional development experiences for teachers. The approach will give students a rich and lasting relationship with Gulf of Mexico bays and estuaries, including ecosystem issues such as insufficient freshwater flows and solutions. Programs will build around three “characters” — cranes, redfish and oysters — all indicators of coastal health.
About CGEE
Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education is an integral part of the School of Education at Minnesota’s oldest university. Internationally acclaimed as an environmental education pioneer with K-12 and public audiences, CGEE specializes in creating and implementing learning and outreach initiatives that combine interactive multimedia technologies, hands-on learning and stewardship, and professional development for educators. The Center’s STEM-based professional development programs have impacted thousands of educators and received national recognition. Its Waters to the Sea: Trinity River program has been adapted as required curriculum in the Fort Worth and Grand Prairie school districts.
http://www.hamline.edu/education/environmental/cgee/index.html
See an example interactive education simulation here:
http://cgee.hamline.edu/waters2thesea/Demo/WetlandReuse_English
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H2O (Headwaters to Ocean) is a cooperative project sponsored by the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University and funding partner, the Ewing Halsell Foundation which supports the project H2O. H2O is an experiential, technology-enhanced education program focused on water, from headwaters to the ocean (https://water-texas.org)