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Space Technology Computer Summer Camp2000 |
Environmental Problem Solving Using Computer Applications
Activities |
| Day 1 Activity General presentation of the problem to be addressed through out the duration of the camp. Presentation of group responsibilities and daily camp activities and schedule. Designation of groups and selection of group names. Teachers do not form groups. Become familiar with Power Point and saving information on a diskette. Tools
Presentation Present group name and group members explain why your group will be a good group. Teachers skip presentation and work on developing computer skills. Rubrics Students will understand the general problem at hand and how
their
time will be spent at camp solving this problem. Students will be placed in a
situation
where they will formally meet other group members and make decisions as a group. |
| Day
2 Activity Become familiar with a word processor, presentation software and browser. Download images, text and data into MS Word, Power Point and Excel. Save information on a disk. Tools
Presentation Presentation on what each one of these tools can do. Teachers skip presentation and work on developing computer skills. Rubrics Students will get a general idea of what each software tool does. They will learn how to download and save information from the web to a floppy disk. They will learn how to save information, come back and retrieve the same information from a floppy disk to a PC. |
| Day
3 Activity Investigate the study area of the HMDC by looking up information on the WWW. Include the following information in a write-up using Word. This write-up must contain at least one image:
Tools
Presentation Present write-up with image. The title for the write up should be "Background about the Meadowlands District" Teachers write up should be 136 words including title. Rubrics Students will practice using software tools to produce a file containing text and images. Students will learn how to condense information into bullet points and small paragraphs. Students will learn about the HMDC, its problems and mission. |
| Day
4 Activity Download Excel file containing salinity measurements for each station. Determine which stations measure similar salinity values and which stations measure salinity values that are different from other stations. Graph salinity for all stations and determine the seven best sample locations to keep by using salinity and location as the selection criteria. Use the "station map" image to show the final seven stations you selected. Tools
Presentation Present the salinity graph and show the 7 stations you selected to keep out of the original 14. Explain. Teachers deliver a complete color coded graph with title, and legend on the axis and an image showing the location of the seven stations selected. . Rubrics Students will learn how to represent mathematical values by creating a bar graph and a pie chart using Excel. Students must decide if a bar graph or a pie chart is better to make decisions regarding what stations are similar and which ones are not. |
| Day
5 Activity Determine the distance of each station you selected to the main building using map coordinates and the Pythagoreum relationship. Confirm your calculations by using proportional equations and scale of the map. Finally, determine which stations can be plugged in and which ones will need solar panels to provide the power. Tools
Presentation Present an image showing the distances to the main building from each station. Rubrics Students will use coordinate geometry and the Pythagoreum relationship to find distances on a map. Students will learn how to solve a proportional equation using a scaled map and ruler measurements. |
| Day
6 Activity Field trip (students) |
| Day
7 Activity Determine the proportion of the area that is effectively covered by a network of seven stations. Calculate this proportion by considering that the area of influence of each station is 300 meters. Tools
Presentation Image showing area of influence of each station and how you calculated the proportion of the area effectively covered by all stations. Rubrics Students will practice calculating the area of a circle and using proportional equations to determine proportions of areas. |
| Day
8 Activity Determine the optimal sampling interval for a station. Compare sets of data sampled at 5 and 60 minutes and four hours. Calculate dissolved oxygen daily means for each sampling interval. Plot the results. Tools
Presentation Present a graph of dissolved oxygen showing the three sampling intervals over time. Explain which sampling interval is most convenient. Rubrics Students will experiment calculating means and determining the best sampling intervals based on averages. |
| Day
9 Activity Using the three sampling intervals from yesterday, calculate the amount of cell phone time (and cost at \$0.50/min that will be required each day to download this data into a central computer. Based on the cost and resolution of the data, decide on the best sampling interval. Start working on the final presentation. Tools
Presentation Present all the power point slides in one presentation. Rubrics Students will learn about the binary code in terms of bits, bytes and alphanumeric characters. they will also learn how to calculate the size of digital files and how to calculate download times. Students will perfect their skills at building effective presentation slides using bullet points in power point slides. |
| Day
10 Activity Prepare a final presentation using power point that will show all the steps involved in planning the installation of the new monitoring stations. Add a conclusion and a acknowledgement slide. Tools
Presentation Final presentation - Students present by group. - Teachers present individually. Rubrics Students have the opportunity to address an audience in a formal setting and present ideas in an organized way. Students apply the public speaking skills aquired through out the camp. Certificate awards ceremony. End of Camp activities |