2014 Smithsonian Online Education Conference Series Presents “Urban Waterways”
Conference Will Encourage Students to Become Environmental Stewards
The Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access is hosting a free online education conference for teachers and students April 9. An expert from the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum will discuss the “Citizen Science: A Watershed Study” program, in which Washington, D.C., high school students explore the Anacostia Watershed. As a project-based educational immersion experience, this Citizen Science program guides students’ understanding of the definition and features of a watershed, the importance of rivers, the effects of pollution on water quality and the impact water quality has on the health of the community.
Tony Thomas, education program coordinator at the Anacostia Community Museum, will present “Urban Waterways: Thinking about Environmental Stewardship,” Wednesday, April 9, at 4 p.m. EDT. Thomas will encourage students to take an active role in environmental stewardship and environmental justice issues. Students who participated in the summer 2013 exploration of the Anacostia Watershed are scheduled to share their experiences and present their findings. Educators and students will be inspired to embrace responsibility for the waterways in their regions and learn about ways to take action in their own communities.
The conference is part of the monthly 2014 Smithsonian Online Education Conference Series, which provides an online space for teachers and students to engage with Smithsonian experts and make connections from textbooks to today’s world. Each online conference features a live Q&A, and includes free digital-learning resources and teaching strategies that educators can use to explore cross-curricular lessons with their students.
The “Urban Waterways” session also will introduce the “Waterways Watcher” badge. This is the newest digital badging opportunity available to students through Smithsonian Quests, a program that invites anywhere, anytime exploration in support of self-directed, project-based learning.
About Smithsonian Institution
Founded in 1846, the Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, consisting of 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park and nine research facilities. There are 6,300 Smithsonian employees and 6,500 volunteers. Approximately 30 million people from around the world visited the Smithsonian in 2013. The total number of objects, works of art and specimens at the Smithsonian is estimated at 137 million.
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