New Zealand Science Teacher

A new home for space educational resources

18/07/2014

A new database established by the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand aims to help teachers share science resources.

There’s a new online portal for space science educational resources.

The Education Group of the Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand has developed an online home called Resources for Education in Astronomy and Space Science Database (READ).

This database went public during a presentation at the SciCon conference in Dunedin this year.

READ can be accessed from the Education Group’s website, and science teachers are invited to participate in building the storehouse of materials for their fellow teachers.

Erik Vermaat, from the Royal Astronomical Association of New Zealand, says the emphasis is on creating quality educational resources to the benefit of all who are active in astronomy and space science education.

“Anyone can search the database, but teachers who are registered in READ can upload resources and write reviews on resources already in the database,” he says.

The Royal Astronomical Society’s Education Group is a team of astronomy enthusiasts encompassing teachers, planetarium operators and professional astronomers.

The website of the Education Group itself already contains a wealth of supporting information and material for anyone involved in teaching or studying various aspects of astronomy and space science.