Presented by Karrie Berglund, Director of Education, Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc.; and Dave Cuomo, Education Specialist, Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc.
Moderated by Jim McVety, Managing Partner, First Step Advisors

Sponsored by Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc.

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Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.
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Astronomy is the perfect “gateway” science. People of all ages love thinking about space, so it is easy to motivate students to learn about it. Plus, you can approach astronomy from so many different angles that there really is something for everyone. This flexibility and intrinsic motivation to learn about it make space science an excellent foundation for interdisciplinary learning.

However, despite these advantages, astronomy is underrepresented in schools. How can you justify spending time on astronomy in the classroom? One method is to tie space science to other subjects that are commonly taught.

In this edWebinar, the presenters discuss:

• What interdisciplinary learning is
• Some benefits of interdisciplinary learning (as opposed to the more typical single-subject instruction)
• Three reasons why astronomy, in particular, is such a good foundation for interdisciplinary learning

Viewers will:

• Gain insight into how astronomy is connected to human history
• Explore ideas for connecting astronomy to more commonly taught subjects such as language arts, history, biology, social studies, and more
• Learn some astronomy facts in a relaxed and creative environment

This recorded edWebinar will be of interest to elementary through high school teachers and school and district leaders, and science department heads for K-12 schools. 

About the Presenters

Karrie Berglund is a co-founder of Digitalis. She is passionate about science education and its power to encourage critical thinking and engage the imagination. Prior to Digitalis (founded in January 2003), Karrie held numerous positions at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. She supervised the on-site Willard Smith Planetarium and live stage science programs; traveled to K-8 schools with the Science On Wheels outreach program; and planned and led science-based summer camps.

As Director of Education for Digitalis, Karrie helps customers use Digitalis’s tools to their fullest extent. She develops curricula for Digitalis’s Digitarium planetarium systems, ensuring that lessons are aligned with learning standards. She is also the primary contact for marketing and sales at Digitalis. Karrie founded and acts as Chief Instigator for the Live Interactive Planetarium Symposium (LIPS), a movement dedicated to professional development for presenters of live planetarium programs, regardless of what tools they use or where they live.

Dave Cuomo started working as an informal science educator in 2003 at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Since that time, he has dissected hundreds of sheep hearts, conducted vacuum chamber experiments on numerous marshmallow astronauts, and inspired curiosity in thousands of people of all ages. Before joining Digitalis Education Solutions as Education Specialist, Dave worked as the Supervisor of the Willard Smith Planetarium at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, Washington, and as Coordinator of the Space Odyssey exhibit hall at DMNS.

About the Moderator

Jim McVety is Managing Partner of First Step Advisors and Senior Advisor to Digitalis Education. A lifelong advocate for innovation in education, Jim brings 20+ years of research and analysis experience to this discussion on the importance of astronomy across disciplines. Jim has hosted numerous webinars, expert panels, and keynote presentations during his career, and his focus is on building the capacity of service organizations to better support educators and students.

Closed captioning will be added to the recording within 2 weeks of the live presentation.

Join the Teaching Next Generation Scientists community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.

Digitalis staff are science education experts and technologists. We develop our own simulation and interface software, and all of our sales staff have taught in planetariums. We understand science educator needs, and we use our own products to present programs to ensure they will meet your requirements.