Association of Zoos and Aquariums Announces Partnership with Howtosmile.org
Nov 17, 2010
Silver
Spring, MD—The Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA) today announced a partnership with howtosmile.org, an online collection of thousands of hands-on
interactive science and math activities dedicated to making learning exciting
and engaging for everyone.
AZA and its member zoos and aquariums,
alongside other national partners and collaborators, are providing scores of
vetted, highly-regarded science, mathematics, engineering, and technology
(STEM) activities to howtosmile.org. All activities at howtosmile.org are freely accessible, and never require a
registration or subscription.
Howtosmile.org,
a web portal created by UC-Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) and funded
by the National Science Foundation as part of the National Science Digital
Library (NSDL), brings together a consortium of science museums, aquaria,
planetariums, zoos, and technology centers across the country to empower STEM
educators working with school-aged children.
Howtosmile.org
provides a digital infrastructure to allow informal science institutions to
broaden their reach to informal educators across the United States.
“The
major innovation of howtosmile.org is the variety of ways to search and discover
STEM activities across the Web, including popular characteristics like age
level, subject, materials costs, and preparation time, to name just a few of
the search options,” said Darrell Porcello, the Director of the Center for
Technology Innovation at LHS and Project Director of howtosmile.org.
“Our goal is a one-stop shop for educators searching the web for excellent
hands-on science and math activities.”
Howtosmile.org spotlights hands-on and interactive
activities, both physical and virtual, that involve doing and learning. Activities take many forms, from downloadable
lesson plans, to field trip activities, how-to videos and online interactive
games. For example, AZA is contributing educational activities and games at
varying difficulty levels that raise awareness about amphibian declines and
engage the public in conservation efforts. For example, students can
participate in the Frog Olympics, learn how climate change
is impacting amphibian populations, or create a Toad
Abode for amphibians in their own backyard.
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums
in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Look for the
AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are
supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a
great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. AZA is a
leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in
their native habitats.
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