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Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Learning and Growing Together
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By NASA
Explore This Section Science Science Activation Take a Tour of the Cosmos with… Overview Learning Resources Science Activation Teams SME Map Opportunities More Science Activation Stories Citizen Science 4 min read
Take a Tour of the Cosmos with New Interactives from NASA’s Universe of Learning
Ready for a tour of the cosmos? NASA’s Universe of Learning has released a new, dynamic way for lifelong learners to explore NASA’s breathtaking images of the universe—ViewSpace interactive Image Tours. ViewSpace has an established track record of providing museums, science centers, libraries, and other informal learning environments with free, web-based videos and digital interactives—like its interactive Image Sliders. These new Image Tours are another unique experience from NASA’s Universe of Learning, created through a collaboration between scientists that operate NASA telescopes and experts well-versed in the most modern methods of learning. Hands-on, self-directed learning resources like these have long been valued by informal learning sites as effective means for engaging and intriguing users with the latest discoveries from NASA’s space telescope missions—while encouraging lifelong learners to continue their passionate exploration of the stars, galaxies, and distant worlds.
With these new ViewSpace Image Tours, visitors can take breathtaking journeys through space images that contain many exciting stories. The “Center of the Milky Way Galaxy” Tour, for example, uses breathtaking images from NASA’s Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra X-ray telescopes and includes eleven Tour Stops, where users can interact with areas like “the Brick”—a dense, dark cloud of hydrogen molecules imaged by Spitzer. Another Tour Stop zooms toward the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, offering a dramatic visual journey to the galaxy’s core.
In other tours, like the “Herbig-Haro 46/47” Tour, learners can navigate through points of interest in an observation from a single telescope mission. In this case, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope provides the backdrop where lifelong learners can explore superheated jets of gas and dust being ejected at tremendous speeds from a pair of young, forming stars. The power of Webb turns up unexpected details in the background, like a noteworthy distant galaxy famous for its uncanny resemblance to a question mark. Each Interactive Image Tour allows people to examine unique features through videos, images, or graphical overlays to identify how those features have formed in ways that static images alone can’t convey.
These tours, which include detailed visual descriptions for each Tour Stop, illuminate the science behind the beauty, allowing learners of all ages to develop a greater understanding of and excitement for space science, deepening their engagement with astronomy, regardless of their prior experience. Check out the About the Interactives page on the ViewSpace website for a detailed overview of how to use the Image Tours.
ViewSpace currently offers three Image Tours, and the collection will continue growing:
Center of the Milky Way Galaxy:
Peer through cosmic dust and uncover areas of intense activity near the Milky Way’s core, featuring imagery from the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Herbig-Haro 46/47:
Witness how a tightly bound pair of young stars shapes their nebula through ejections of gas and dust in an image from the James Webb Space Telescope.
The Whirlpool Galaxy:
Explore the iconic swirling arms and glowing core of a stunning spiral galaxy, with insights into star formation, galaxy structure, and more in a Hubble Space Telescope image.
“The Image Tours are beautiful, dramatic, informational, and easy to use,” explained Sari Custer, Chief of Science and Curiosity at Arizona Science Center. “I’m excited to implement them in my museum not only because of the incredible images and user-friendly features, but also for the opportunity to excite and ignite the public’s curiosity about space.”
NASA’s Universe of Learning is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
Select views from various Image Tours. Clockwise from top left: The Whirlpool Galaxy, Center of the Milky Way Galaxy, Herbig-Haro 46/47, detail view in the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy. Share
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Connected Learning Ecosystems: Educators Gather to Empower Learners and Themselves
Many educators would agree that despite working and communicating with dozens, even hundreds, of people each year, the role can feel isolating. Learners come and go, leaving educators to question: Was anything retained? Will they take this knowledge home? Will they share it at their after-school activities? How will it ultimately impact their lives and perspectives? What some educators may not fully realize is that they are not alone in their efforts. Their classroom or alternate education space is but one step along a learning pathway that winds through an entire network of educators. Learning pathways take many forms, but are most effective when each stop along the path builds upon what a learner has experienced during previous stops. These networks of educators, known as Connected Learning Ecosystems (CLEs), exist wherever learning takes place. Simply put, CLEs are made up of all the people involved at any point in a youth’s learning journey.
With this in mind, the NASA Science Activation Program’s Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) project has been working to connect and support the regional networks found throughout Maine and the Northeastern United States, with a shared focus on Science, Technology, Education, and Mathematics (STEM) education. This inspiring community includes classroom teachers, librarians, 4-H staff, and land trust educators, to name a few, all collaborating to advance education about our changing planet and improve data literacy across a variety of learning environments.
In support of these regional networks, LENE hosts a Connected Learning Ecosystems Gathering twice each year, a multi-day event designed to unite educators who have these shared STEM education goals. These gatherings provide opportunities to reflect on past successes and plan future projects, ultimately benefiting not just the educators, but every learner they reach. They also help strengthen and amplify the lasting and positive impact these educators have on the lives of the youth they support.
This year’s Gathering took place in late February in Orono, ME at the University of Maine (a LENE project partner). The event featured hands-on science activities adaptable to various learning spaces, dedicated reflection time for educators, and collaborative planning sessions to design cross-context learning opportunities for local youth. Participants engaged with NASA’s Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, supported by Jen Bourgeault (GLOBE US Country Coordinator) and Haley Wicklein (GLOBE Assistant US Country Coordinator), who facilitated field data collection and program exploration. NASA Subject Matter Expert Shawn Laatsch from UMaine’s Versant Planetarium led an immersive evening show on the molecular world inside the human body and also previewed other potential field trip shows for students. One highlight of the Gathering was a presentation on climate science and ice core collection by experts Sean Birkel and Daniel Dixon from UMaine’s Climate Change Institute. Educators also participated in a hands-on activity using model ice cores designed by project partner UMaine 4-H. Rounding out the two-day event were deep-dive sessions into various connected learning projects, where educators shared their insights, from idea formation to project execution and reflection.
One educator shared about their experience: “I just want the leadership team to know how grateful I am to be part of this community. As a veteran teacher of 28 years, this is by far the BEST workshop I have ever attended. The passion for evidence-based science among this group is incredible. I feel seen and connected in ways that other workshops have never made possible. I will definitely be a lifelong member and will be bringing more people to CLE workshops. Thank you for making this meaningful and valuable.”
Another educator shared, “During the gathering, I had the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships and make new connections within [my region]. I engaged in insightful conversations with several individuals, discussing shared interests in environmental education, science literacy, and place-based learning…. From these connections, I hope to foster new collaborations that enhance environmental literacy opportunities for students and communities. By working together, I believe we can create interdisciplinary programs that bridge science, sustainability, and civic engagement in meaningful ways.”
Despite the support of regional groups, feelings of isolation persist, particularly in rural areas. These biannual gatherings serve as powerful reminders that this work is happening statewide, and that Connected Learning Ecosystems help establish and strengthen a network to bridge the distance between educators.
These Gatherings are part of ongoing programming organized by Learning Ecosystems Northeast, based at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, that fosters peer communities across the Northeast through which teachers, librarians, and out-of-school educators can collaborate to expand opportunities for youth to engage in data-driven climate investigations and integrate in- and out-of-school learning.
The Learning Ecosystems Northeast project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AB94A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about Learning Ecosystems Northeast: https://www.learningecosystemsnortheast.org/
The whole group discussing their findings after a GLOBE fieldwork activity. Share
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