eMission+–+Operation+Montserrat+–+Interactive+Video+Conference

Come participate in an interactive videoconference - Operation Montserrat! The information below is from the Operation Montserrat website.

=** Introduction **= The Giant Awakens. The giant awakens and the skies darken as ash and soot rain down on a remote tropical island. The volcano—now a ticking time bomb—has come to life once again and the residents of Montserrat worry about their fate. As flaming pebbles and lava begin to devastate the countryside, emergency response teams learn a hurricane is approaching. Fortunately, the Space Shuttle is dispatched and makes repairs on a satellite to transmit real-time data about the hurricane and volcano. With this medley of disasters looming, CLC scrambles to assemble a team of specialists to assist the island residents. Operation Montserrat is an electronic mission that challenges students to apply their science and math skills to an authentic crisis situation. During the two-hour e-Mission, student specialists serve as members of a team: volcano, hurricane, evacuation, or communication. =A Real-Life Crisis Brought into Your Classroom= Shifting to digital learning is critical to the success of education in America. Operation Montserrat creates an opportunity for teachers to apply various technologies and provides necessary digital content lacking in so many computer classrooms. The interactive distance learning nature of the program also gives students the chance to experience learning through simulations no matter how remote the school. Operation Montserrat is a complete curricular package of classroom content which connects a flight director at the Challenger Learning Center with a classroom anywhere in the world. With the help of computers, the Internet and a small video camera, students interact with the flight director to track the hurricane, predict volcanic activity and consider evacuation options. =The Curriculum= The program meets important science and math standards in grades 6 -12 and has applications to language arts and social studies. Through pre-mission and mission day activities, Operation Montserrat builds students’ enthusiasm for science and math, improves students’ problem solving and critical thinking skills and teaches students the importance of teamwork and communication. Prior to the mission, teacher orientation includes all the support materials necessary to run the program effectively: daily lesson plans, standards, assessment, and technology tips. The mission package also includes technology support to help educators prepare their classrooms for mission day. Professional Development Today’s teachers are learning the professional skills it takes to integrate technology with high-quality content in the classroom. In addition to running the e-Mission program for your students, you may want to consider hosting one of our professional development workshops. This experience emphasizes how to use the standards and technology for effective student activities and assessment.
 * Will the hurricane make landfall?
 * Will the volcano explode?
 * Will the residents need to be evacuated?

Website for [|Operation Montserrat]