I was quite intrigued at our recent meeting with the idea of a
training activity which could be begun at the workshop and
continued after the teachers leave.  This seems like an ideal way
to maintain the enthusiasm for GLOBE during that long dry spell
when schools are waiting on equipment, internet connections, etc.

After putting some thought into it, and brainstorming with Jerry,
I have come up with something that I think might work.  Here is an
outline of an activity.  Any input you have would be welcome.

EXPLORING THE EXPANDED TRAINING AREA

This activity is designed to encourage students to get out into the
area around their schools and start asking questions about their
environment.  It is a preliminary step to selecting their GLOBE
sites and actually beginning the protocols, although it can be
incorporated at a time when students are beginning the preprotocol
activities.  Further, it will help students build enthusiasm for
starting the actual GLOBE protocols when their equipment arrives. 
Finally, it will provide an activity which will allow them some
rudimentary analysis as well as contact and cooperation with other
GLOBE schools.

Teachers at the workshop will be given a list of twenty questions
that can be answered about a site without using official GLOBE
instruments or protocol procedures, although the information  can
be related to measurements they will take later.
For example:
     Record the temperature at your school for a month.  You may
use any thermometer or even look it up in the paper.  GOOD PRACTICE
IN THINKING CELCIUS.
     Have your students examine soil anywhere near your school. 
Record a color.  Students may match the color from magazines, paint
charts, color wheels, whatever.  Dig a hole.  Is the soil the same
color?
     Have students key out a common tree in your area.  Press
leaves from the tree to send to other schools.
     Have students record the dates on any days it rains.
     ETC. ETC.

Teachers will fill out the information first at and for the
workshop site.  They will then be given an empty form and self
addressed envelopes from every teacher at the workshop to take back
with them.  THIS COULD BE DONE ON THE WEB, BUT MAYBE THAT WOULD BE
DECIDED ACCORDING TO ACCESSIBILITY FOR EACH COHORT.  Once they
return to their school, they are to have their students fill out
the worksheet by exploring around their school.  On a certain date,
decided at the workshop, teachers will make copies of their site
info and send it anonymously to all the other schools.  Each class
will then have a set of data sheets from all sites.

Classes can use these sheets to do analysis at several levels. 
Teachers could print maps with the sites and have students try to
match the sites and information.  Older students could classify the
sites first, then test their classifications by looking up the
sites on the WEB, plotting them, etc.  You might even be able to
work an error matrix activity into this.  Once students have used
the data, they can contact the other schools with GLOBE mail to ask
questions, share analyses, etc.

Hopefully, by this time teachers and students will be prepared to
start actually selecting the official sites and teaching the
protocols, and students will be eagerly awaiting their chance to
begin actual scientific measures to discover more about their sites
and other areas.      


The emphasis, of course,
is on exploration, team building, and geographic analysis.  It
should be emphasized that this is not official GLOBE data taken at
official GLOBE sites, although if schools have real data that soon
they could certainly use it.