Workshops and Professional Development

Coral Reef Workshops for Educators
The Gulf of Mexico Foundation and ConocoPhillips proudly present the 15th annual Down Under, Out Yonder workshop for K-12 and college entry biology educators nationwide. Down Under, Out Yonder aka DUOY is a five-day teacher workshop from July 11-15, 2009 that includes three days of scuba diving in the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.

Rivers to Reefs Educators Workshop
The most damaging pollutants that affect offshore habitats originate on land and are delivered via watersheds. Participants in the Rivers to Reefs Educators Workshop follow the Altamaha River Watershed from its headwaters that begins as a trickle of a creek in Atlanta, Georgia throughout its 270-mile course past where its two major tributaries conjoin to become the mighty Altamaha. Participants are immersed in every part of the watershed, literally. The workshop culminates in an all day cruise aboard a research ship that sails 20 miles offshore to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary where participants see the reef in real-time through the use of remotely operated vehicles or ROV technology. Participants monitor the quality of the water at each link in the watershed through the Adopt-a-Stream water chemistry protocol. Ten professional learning units may be earned by completing this workshop.

Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Teacher Workshop
Looking to link technology with ocean exploration and research? Join the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and Georgia Aquarium for a ROV Teacher Workshop in Atlanta, Georgia. During this hands-on workshop, teachers build their own Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) from PVC pipe and other materials while learning about ROV technology and its use in research, monitoring and exploration of national marine sanctuaries.

Workshops in San Francisco
FMSA offers a series of professional development workshops throughout the year to teachers and educators in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Participate in LiMPETS rocky intertidal monitoring workshop on Feb. 21, 2009 from 10 am - 4 pm. You can also learn about thermal biology and responses to climate change on Mar. 21, 2009 from 10 am - 3 pm, then on May 2 from 10 am - 3 pm participate in the workshop titled "Life & Death, Love & Sex, Drama in the Intertidal Zone."

Excite your Students with Marine Technology and Maritime Heritage
The NOAA Monitor National Marine Sanctuary will hold underwater robot building workshops across the mid-Atlantic beginning in July 2009. The sanctuary will also host half-day and day-long summer teacher workshops on a variety of science and history topics in summer 2009.

Watershed Academy Workshop
The Watershed Academy Workshop will provide teachers and youth leaders with the tools, resources and support to integrate locally relevant, hands-on watershed and ocean science in public education and extended learning programs. This FREE workshop is for teachers and youth leaders interested in facilitating the Watershed Academy at their school site or youth centers.Read more about this innovative multicultural program, or contact sanctuary.education@noaa.gov for more information.

Channel Islands MERITO Academy
The MERITO Academy is a partnership between Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands Marine Resource Institute. The MERITO Academy's goal is to increase students' understanding of coastal and ocean issues through hands-on, in the field and in-class activities while exposing students to careers in science and building pride and stewardship towards their sanctuary and local environments.

Ocean Science Professional Development Workshop
The Ocean Science Teacher Workshops hosted by the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and the Seattle Aquarium will be held July 21-25, 2009 (location TBD) and August 4-7, 2009 at the Seattle Aquarium. These workshops are designed for Olympic Coast's 4th and 5th grade teachers to better prepare them to use inquiry-based marine science as a context for learning about ecosystems and ocean literacy principles. Participants will engage in activities that support inquiry-based, experiential learning in the classroom and at the beach. Teachers will learn how to design their own investigations in the field to help them to better understand real world marine science. Contact Jacqueline Laverdure for the July 21-25, 2009 course and Cherie Williams for the August 4-7, 2009 course.

Animals in Curriculum-based Ecosystem Studies (ACES) Program
Are you interested in tracking ocean animals live in your classroom? ACES is an important, necessary expansion of Signals of Spring, an award-winning, classroom based curriculum program in which students use Earth imagery to explain the movement of animals that are tracked by NOAA's operational satellites. Students will study aspects of the animal's life history, conservation status, food web, and connections to ocean processes and remote sensing data. Find out more about the ACES Program, by contacting Jenny Stock.

Dive into Education Marine Science Program
Dive into Education is a marine science education program aimed at providing teachers with resources and training to support ocean literacy in America’s classrooms.

Charting a Course for Maritime Heritage Education
This is a conference that brought together formal and informal educators to promote the sharing of maritime related education partnerships, programs and products.