Getting the Most Out of NSDL Science Literacy Maps
Digitized versions of the progression-of-understanding maps published in Project 2061’s Atlas of Science Literacy have become a popular feature for searching and accessing teaching resources in the various collections of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). Now, with a new grant from the National Science Foundation, Project 2061 will be working with various NSDL entities to help increase and improve the use of the NSDL Science Literacy Maps as tools for understanding how K-12 students make progress in their science learning and the implications for selecting and using NSDL resources.
Beginning in January 2011, the two-year $510,000 grant will enable Project 2061 to conduct face-to-face workshops at national and regional science education conferences to help NSDL users understand and take advantage of all of the features of the Science Literacy Maps. A set of just-in-time online learning tools will also be developed and embedded in the maps themselves and made accessible through the NSDL Pathways that serve as the major portals to collections of NSDL resources for K-12 science educators. Ultimately, the goal of this new effort is to help educators gain a better understanding of the K-12 conceptual and cognitive framework that is presented in the NSDL Science Literacy Maps and to help them make better selections and use of the digital resources that are linked to the maps.
In addition to the new grant, Project 2061 is also funded by the NSDL program to build the capacity of digital library developers to determine how well their resources address K-12 science content standards. See the August 2010 issue of Project 2061 Connections for an update on that work.
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For more information about Project 2061’s NSDL projects, please contact:
Principal Investigator: Dr. Francis Molina, (202) 326-7002