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Project Description

Crossing Boundaries grows out of GIT Ahead, an NSF-funded Advanced Technological Education project that helps secondary teachers teach core science concepts and environmental topics using geospatial technologies. We have found tremendous potential for students to view and analyze spatial data in ways that until recent years were accessible only to professionals. Based on our own experiences and other NSF-funded projects (e.g., Edelson, 2004; Kemp, Goodchild & Dodson, 1992; Lloyd, 2001; McClurg & Buss, 2007), GIT Ahead has developed a successful model for teacher professional development, a growing set of curricular resources and lesson plans, and web-based software that facilitates easy access to GIS data in a manner that supports local and regional environmental investigations (see http://fli.hws.edu/gitahead/).

Crossing Boundaries is developing curriculum modules that focus on biodiversity issues in two countries: rainforest conservation in the Brazilian Amazon and habitat restoration in Chiapas, Mexico. Teachers will adapt these units and implement them in conjunction with projects addressing biodiversity issues in their local communities. Students will gain first-hand experience in use of ICT to analyze resource issues, evaluate management options, collaborate with peers, and communicate with distant students and professionals.