August 22, 2001
VERMILLION – Marie Steckelberg, assistant professor of science education at The University of South Dakota, has been working with many South Dakota’s schools to improve the state’s lakes and rivers.
Steckelberg is the co-coordinator of the Joining Across Miles Environmental Systems (JAMES) River Project, a telecollaborative research project that involves K-12 schools and students, along with the Division of Curriculum and Instruction and the Division of Technology for Training and Development (TTD) within USD’s School of Education. The project started in 1999 when Steckelberg began working with Patty Martin of Aberdeen Roncalli High School, and Gene Bormann, then of Yankton High School, now at Newcastle, Neb., to find a way to use technology to link their schools in a research project.
Working with TTD, the three were able to set up a web site that would allow the schools to communicate on the project. During the first year, the two high schools tested the James River on the same day every three weeks until the river froze over. The different location results showed clear differences. Using the web site generated for the project, students in Steckelberg’s Secondary Science Methods class provided high school students with a question of the week and started an electronic discussion on the site’s bulletin board.
Adding six more high schools to the project after the first year, the JAMES River Project has grown to include 10 high schools as it enters its third year. In addition to the school year project, the JAMES River 2001 Summer Institute was held Aug. 6-10 at USD, with hands-on experience for teachers and one or two students from each high school involved in the project.
The Summer Institute gave high school students the opportunity to collect and record data and use scientific processes to investigate problems. Students analyzed the data and created a report of their findings. Students were then able to put their information on the project’s web page.
USD education students assisted in the teaching process of the Institute. The Institute gave them teaching experience in hands-on learning and it allowed them to follow standard teaching guidelines to develop science lesson plans.
“This is important because it is a hands-on, minds-on, inquiry based science project,” Steckelberg said. “It gives these students a real life experience, while meeting state and national standards in science and technology. In addition to that, students are learning the scientific process, but are also coming to realize the impact they have on the environment.”
Steckelberg said the project has also expanded with an additional 10 middle and high schools testing about seven different bodies of water close to them. Also new to the coming school year, Steckelberg said the project will use Palm handheld computers this fall. The devices will be used in collecting, recording and transferring data from the testing sites to the web page.
“Without the TTD, this project would not be possible. This provides the means for secondary science students from USD to truly apply technology,” she said. “They use e-mail, digital cameras, and they have to develop a portfolio that contains a budget, necessary supplies and lesson plans – everything they would need if they were a real teacher. It’s a real experience.”
The following teachers and students attended the JAMES River 2001 Summer Institute Aug. 6-10:
-Aberdeen: Patty Martin, teacher, Aberdeen Roncalli High School; and Carole Weigel, Aberdeen Public Alternative Learning Center
-Alcester: Karlene Stabe, teacher, Heather Anderson and Andrea Lykken, students, Alcester-Hudson High School
-Hansen: Steve Posiask, teacher, and Rosanna Dewald, Hansen High School
-Huron: Tom Barket, teacher, and Jason Borah, student, Huron High School; and Mark Knight, teacher, James Valley Christian High School
-Lake Andes: Deanna Daum and Keith Stirling, teachers, and Jared A. Stirling, student, Andes Central High School
-Mellette: Denise Clemens, teacher, and Kris Sparling and Tessa Mayer, students, Northwestern High School
-Menno: Cyndee Evenson and Jim Sattler, teachers, Menno High School
-Mitchell: Julie Olson, teacher, Mitchell High School
-Redfield: Stephanie Hansen, teacher, and Alanda Van Vleet, student, Redfield High School
-Webster: David Trefz, teacher, and Maryann Trefz, student, Webster High School
-Yankton: Randy Gross, teacher, and Leslie Farnham, student, Yankton High School; and Jama Mathison and Tom Merrill, teachers, Yankton Middle School
-Newcastle, Neb.: Gene Bormann, teacher, Newcastle High School
The following USD students participated in the JAMES River 2001 Summer Institute:
- Jodi Klemme of Vermillion, S.D., daughter of Glen Klemme
- Valerie Schultz of Rapid City, S.D., daughter of Peggy Neilson
For more information contact Marie Steckelberg, USD School of Education, at (605) 677-5805.