Energy Resources, PLED 574

    About this Course:
    Every person and each society makes important decisions regarding how homes, businesses and technology are powered. Whether the energy comes from wind, the sun, fossil fuels, or other sources a society's use of energy has impacts on many parts of the Earth system. In particular, the past several years have brought a growing awareness of the relationships among energy resources and elements of Earth's climate. This class will prepare teachers to explore the variety of energy resources that people use, the negative and positive impacts of the use of those resources and the trends in what energy resources may become more or less prominent in the future. Emphasis will be placed on the full range of decision-making, including those that govern actions from a personal to an international perspective.
    Currently Scheduled

    Enrollment Deadline: October 4, 2010

    Prerequisites:
    None

    Who Should Attend:
    This course is specifically designed to address the needs of middle school science teachers. Other K-12 teachers are also welcome to take part in the course. Please let the instructor know your specific professional motivations for taking the course so those can be accommodated to the extent possible.

    Expected Outcomes:
    Participants will be familiarized with:

    • Basic principles of thermodynamics related to conversion of energy from one form to another so energy resources can be used to do work.
    • Fundamental principles of ecology and Earth system science that provide a foundation for understanding human impact due to energy choices.
    • Online and print resources for teaching Earth science in general and concepts related to Energy Resources in particular using an inquiry-based approach.
    • Pedagogical approaches that promote student engagement, relevance and inquiry-based instruction.
    • Methods for using current online tools, with an emphasis on user-generated content, in science instruction.
    • Elements of the nature of science (e.g., reliance on evidence and an inductive approach to reasoning), especially as they apply to the topics in course.

    Course Outline:
    The Four Tasks are outlined as

    Task 1 Energy Resource and Earth System Interactions Webquest(Due middle of week 2)
    Task 2 More Than A Footprint: Measuring Your Carbon Trackway (Due end of week 3)
    Task 3 Energy Alternatives Classroom Media Project(Due end of week 4)
    Task 4 Energizing Conversions: Hands-on Inquiry of Energy Resources (Due middle of week 6)
    Culminating Final Project Proposal due end of week 5: Project due end of week 7

    Credit:
    3.0 graduate credits

    Instructor:
    Dr. Edward Robeck, Dr. Norman Lederman