The Jason Project

I had the privilege in attending a local luncheon in Charlottesville yesterday sponsored by the Public Education Fund of Charlottesville-Albemarle. The guest speaker of yesterday's event was Dr. Robert Ballard. A world-renowned scientist, explorer and author, Dr. Ballard has left a legacy through his oceanography experiences and numerous discoveries, most notably the Titanic. The heart of his presentation, other than the really cool descriptions of how and what he has discovered over the years, was his discussion of the Jason Project.

The following is posted on their web site describing their philosophy. "Using the cutting-edge research and researchers of its longtime partners--National Geographic, the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)--The JASON Project provides inspirational connections to great explorers and great events through core curriculum units and a global online community for students, teachers, and scientists.

The power of great explorers and great events to fire students' imaginations was the driving force behind JASON's founding by Dr. Robert D. Ballard, soon after his discovery of RMS Titanic. In the wake of that historic event, JASON pioneered educational telepresence to create a "being there" experience for students to work side by side with scientists and researchers on exciting, real-world missions. "

(telepresence is somewhat related to our previous blog posting on virtual worlds)

The exciting part about these initiatives is that it allows students to experience science in an interactive way without them having to leave the classroom. Science should be an interactive, integrated part of what we do in education. No longer should we live in isolation in our curricular areas. Integration, relevance, and engagement allow our students to grow academically and connect the dots while giving them ownership to their own education.

I encourage you to visit their site at www.jason.org to learn more.

What do you think? Feel free to post your thoughts and comments.