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Ecological Literacy Programming for Digital Planetariums and Beyond

Ka Chun Yu, Healy Hamilton, Rachel Connolly, David McConville, Ned Gardiner · Poster, 2011

This is the web version of the poster (PDF, one page, 1.4 MB), for screen readers and small screens. The text is as printed; charts and pictures are described in words.

Figure. Description: The Worldviews Network logo, a teal and white swirl of curved petals beside the words "WORLDVIEWS NETWORK", with the web address printed below.

www.worldviews.net

A nationwide collaboration of scientists, artists, and educators developing best practices for using immersive virtual environments to increase ecological literacy using live presentations, interactive scientific visualizations, and community sustainability dialogues

  • Ka Chun Yu, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, kcyu@dmns.org
  • Healy Hamilton, California Academy of Sciences, hhamilton@cas.org
  • Rachel Connolly, NOVA/WGBH, rachel_connolly@wgbh.org
  • David McConville, The Elumenati, id@elumenati.com
  • Ned Gardiner, NOAA Climate Program Office, ned.gardiner@noaa.gov

Figure. Description: The NOAA logo (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce) sits above the funding line.

The Worldviews Network is funded by NOAA NA10SEC0080011 and NA10SEC0080017

Learn more at worldviews.net

Seeing

View visualizations about Earth and space systems science that tie large-scale processes to regional environmental issues and show the complexity of global changes.

1. Background

  • Human-driven global change is occurring faster than ever.
  • Technologies for delivering bio- and geospatial information is also advancing rapidly.
  • Information deficit models for educating the public about global change have not been successful.
  • The Worldviews Network uses an alternate approach.

Figure. A Worldviews Network presentation showing a Ptolemaic Earth-centered cosmography, before the shift to a Copernican one. The project aims to shift visitor perspectives about the role and impact of humans on Earth at both regional and global levels. (Picture credit: Mike Pohl) Description: A photograph inside a planetarium dome. An audience sits in silhouette below a projection of a blue Earth at the centre of nested rings and spheres, the old model of the cosmos with Earth in the middle.

2. Goals

  • Develop a unique approach to ecological literacy that integrates:
    • Seeing : The power of Visual Thinking
    • Knowing : The depth of Systems Thinking
    • Doing : The practicality of Design Thinking
  • Help audiences to visualize, comprehend, and address complex issues from a whole systems perspective.
  • Train planetarium professionals in Earth systems science and the Seeing-Knowing-Doing approach to ecological literacy education.
  • Renew the role of informal science institutions (ISIs) to inspire communities in engaging in and understanding global change issues.
  • Empower ISI audiences with processes that lead to informed decisions.

3. Education Guiding Principles

  • Climate literacy principles3
  • Earth systems science education recommendations2,4
  • Informal science education recommendations1
  • Planetary boundaries: identifying the “safe operating space for humanity” for different Earth systems5
  • Bioregional perspectives that connect participants cognitively and affectively with global issues

Figure. Description: The planetary boundaries diagram (reference 5), drawn over a globe, with no values printed. A green ring marks the safe operating space, and red wedges show the estimated state of each system named around the edge: climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, nitrogen cycle and phosphorus cycle (together the biogeochemical flow boundary), global freshwater use, land system change, biodiversity loss, atmospheric aerosol loading (not yet quantified) and chemical pollution (not yet quantified). The wedges for biodiversity loss, the nitrogen cycle and climate change reach beyond the green ring, biodiversity loss by far the most.

Knowing

Comprehend the scientific understanding of Earth systems interactions and understand how they operate and influence each other using culturally relevant ways.

4. Technology

  • The Worldviews Network uses digital fulldome planetariums that are increasingly prevalent in informal science institutions (N>700 worldwide).
  • Portable GeoDomesTM are used for outreach and professional development.
  • The Uniview visualization platform is employed across our network for showing data at multiple spatial scales using Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards to share datasets.
  • “Domecast” technology is used to simulcast presentations to partners.

Figure. A map showing how domecasting technology allowed the DMNS water story to be shared live with partner sites across the country. Description: A satellite view of the United States with lines running from a box marked DMNS, in Denver, to labelled partner sites. In the west: California Academy of Sciences and NASA Ames. To the north and east: Journey Museum; Minnesota Planetarium Society; Exhibit Museum; WGBH/NOVA; AMNH; NASA Goddard; The Elumenati; NOAA CPO; RENCI / NEMAC. To the south: Noble Planetarium, Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History.

Domecasting is made possible by Uniview’s Octopus feature, which gives remote audiences the same visuals on their domes as the local audience.

In addition to simulcasting public events, this virtual network is also used for professional development training and connecting participants and public audiences in real-time, thereby reducing the project’s carbon footprint.

5. Quarterly Bioregional Community Dialogues (BCDs)

  • Each partner ISI works with researchers, the private sector, governmental / non-governmental organizations, and community based organizations to develop their own BCD.
  • Each ISI develops strategies with their local partners for engaging local audiences with bioregionally relevant narratives.
  • Public audiences can attend the local BCD or remotely via domecasting technology.

Figure. A presentation given in a GeoDome by The Elumenati during the COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference with 350.org in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Worldviews Network BCDs have evolved out of the experience of this and other similar presentations by the PIs. (Photo Credit: Jack Lenk) Description: A photograph inside a dark portable dome. The curved edge of the Earth, seen from space, glows blue across the dome above the audience.

Doing

Address global change issues from a whole systems perspective by engaging local organizations that can help facilitate ongoing dialogues to identify appropriate regional solutions.

Figure. Landsat 7 imagery loaded into Uniview showing Lake Powell in May 2000 at the beginning of a prolonged drought (left) and six years later (right). The first BCD took place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science on May 24, 2011. It covered global water challenges - specifically water issues in the western United States. By introducing a topic that has direct impact on Colorado residents, climate change and its effect on precipitation patterns were made more relevant for audience members. (Credit: Landsat imagery courtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and U.S. Geological Survey.) Description: Two oblique satellite views of Lake Powell side by side, its dark blue arms winding through red desert canyons. In the later image on the right the arms are clearly thinner and shorter.

6. Professional Development

We adopt the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework in all Worldviews Network training activities, which will target these areas:

  • Technological Knowledge: using real-time immersive visualizations and “domecasting” capability for presentations.
  • Pedagogical Knowledge: increasing presentation skills of planetarium educators to effectively teach ecological literacy concepts using immersive visualizations.
  • Content Knowledge: increasing understanding of the Planetary Boundaries framework, climate and ecological literacy, and content knowledge underlying multi-scalar visualizations.

Figure. Description: The TPACK diagram: three overlapping circles labelled Technological Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) and Content Knowledge (CK), inside a larger circle labelled Contexts. The paired overlaps are labelled Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TPK), Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) and Pedagogical Content Knowledge, and the centre where all three meet is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK).

Other products: roadmaps for producing BCDs, instructions for initiating collaborations with CBOs and NGOs, and guidance for incorporating multi-cultural perspectives into presentations.

7. Evaluation

We anticipate cognitive, attitudinal, and behavioral outcomes from this project, that correspond to NRC Strands 2, 5, and 6 for informal science learning goals1. We are working with the Institute for Learning Innovation to evaluate audiences who attend BCDs as well as our professional network that engages in CBO partnerships.

8. Future Steps

Engage audiences with design tools to develop strategies for mitigating and adatpting to regional environmental challenges.

9. References

  1. Bell, P., Lewenstein, B. V., Shouse, A. W., and Feder, M. A. (Eds.) (2009). Learning Science in Informal Environments: People, Places, and Pursuits. Board on Science Education, Center for Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies Press.
  2. Hoffman, M., & Barstow, D. (2007). Revolutionizing Earth System Science Education for the 21st Century, Report and Recommendations from a 50-State Analysis of Earth Science Education Standards. Cambridge, MA: TERC.
  3. NOAA (2009a). Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences (Second Version). Washington, D.C.: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration. http://downloads.climatescience.gov/Literacy/Climate%20Literacy%20Booklet%20Hi-Res.pdf (PDF)
  4. NOAA (2009b). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Education Strategic Plan 2009-2029. Washington, D.C. http://www.education.noaa.gov/plan/09_NOAA_Educ_Strategic_Plan_Color.pdf (PDF)
  5. Rockstrom, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, A., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E. F., Lenton, T. M., et al. (2009). "A safe operating space for humanity." Nature. 461(7263), 472-475.

Figure. Description: Partner logos along the bottom of the poster: NOAA; Denver Museum of Nature & Science; California Academy of Sciences; NOVA; The Elumenati; RENCI at UNC Asheville; UNC Asheville NEMAC (National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center); American Museum of Natural History; The Journey Museum; NASA; The Minnesota Planetarium Society; Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; Exhibit Museum of Natural History Planetarium, University of Michigan; ILI; Buckminster Fuller Institute.