Texas Accelerated Science Achievement (Texas ASAP) Program (UT Dana Center)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW
4empowerment’s award-winning Cyberways & Waterways® (CW) science program provides innovative online and field study learning activities that engage all student groups and reinforce science knowledge and concepts. Students take on the role of authentic scientist as they design their own research projects, collaborate with peers, collect and analyze data, and publish reports centered on the environment. By constructing their own learning, students from all backgrounds and grade levels discover that science is meaningful, relevant, and accessible.

Cyberways & Waterways® complements the goals of the Texas Accelerated Science Achievement Program (Texas ASAP), which aims to provide after school and summer school programs designed to increase student achievement as measured by the science portion of the TAKS tests. In addition, CW provides a unifying theme of activities that can be carried over from in-school lessons to after school programs to summer school classes.

THE OPPORTUNITY
The Cyberways & Waterways® program is designed to supplement, not supplant existing curriculum. The CW learning modules, instructional materials, and activities are standards-aligned and project-based, which allow for flexible integration of field and online components. The fully dynamic, established CW website further facilitates quick integration and implementation with no time needed to spend on developing a site for shared data and student work. CW provides a proven, established program providing readily available content, curricula, and an online community to permit a ‘quick start’.

AWARD-WINNING, PROVEN STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
Each hands-on activity in Cyberways & Waterways® is centered on the Environment as an Integrated Context (EIC)™ for learning . Learning based on the EIC Model™ is about using a school's surroundings and community as a framework within which students can construct their own learning, guided by teachers and administrators using proven educational practices.

The effectiveness of the Cyberways & Waterways® program has been recognized by national and state education journals and magazines, including the Texas Teachers Association’s Advocate magazine, which featured CW in its Spring 2002 issue for program innovation and effectiveness resulting in highly engaged students studying science in Presidio, Texas. Other awards and recognitions include: SXSW Outstanding Achievement in Education Award, Converge magazine article for innovative education technology, City of Austin Environmental Awareness Award in recognition of Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Protection, Texas Environmental Excellence Award by Governor of Texas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Gulf Guardian Award for Youth/Education.

FLEXIBLE INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY WITH CURRICULA
The underlying technological framework for the Cyberways & Waterways® online learning community is a web-based application, designed for easily intuitive creation of online database-centric websites and applications. The Cyberways & Waterways® website is fully compliant with the Children’s Internet Protection Act. All information related to the Texas ASAP grant is stored in database form, called up on demand by users by means of browser-independent, dynamically generated HTML webpages.

Logins and passwords are assigned for each teacher and student to ensure security. Students may enter scientific data into the master database. Upon teacher approval, entered data are then be accessible in many forms to all program participants, partners, and parents. Students and classes create their own virtual field trips, online poster sessions, and science fairs. Online discussion forums allow students and teachers to communicate safely with peers, mentors, and subject matter experts around the world. Parents are invited to participate in online discussions and other program events based on their schedules and technology access. A reporting feature built into the application allows teachers and administrators access to students’ work and to determine frequency of students’ visits to the website, permitting important feedback for current and future program direction.

The web-based nature of the CW website ensures easy connectivity with wide area networks. Students and teacher may access information concerning environmental issues by linking to the program’s science partners and to state and national organizations. Students learn real world, marketable, workplace skills as they interact with and use leading-edge web, database, and analysis tools.

The Texas ASAP / UT Dana Center Consortium

Texas School Districts/Charter Schools: A+ Academy, Aldine ISD, Alice ISD, Beaumont ISD, Beeville ISD, Bishop CISD, Bloomington ISD, Brooks County ISD, Carrizo Springs ISD, Castleberry ISD, Clear Creek ISD, Como-Pickton CISD, Connally ISD, Corsicana ISD, Crockett ISD, Del Valle ISD, Dublin ISD, El Paso Academy, Evolution Academy, Edcouch-Elsa ISD, Edgewood ISD, Freer ISD, Groesbeck ISD, Hempstead ISD, Hillsboro ISD, Hitchcock ISD, Italy ISD, Jacksonville ISD, Kenedy ISD, La Marque ISD, Lamar CISD, Lancaster ISD, Laredo ISD, Longview ISD, Louise ISD, Marlin ISD, Mathis ISD, Navasota ISD, North Forest ISD, Overton ISD, Pasadena ISD, Port Arthur ISD, Progreso ISD, Refugio ISD, Rio Grande City ISD, San Antonio ISD, Santa Rosa ISD, Sheldon ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Floydada ISD, Turkey-Quitaque ISD, Texas City ISD, Troup ISD, Uvalde ISD, Vidor ISD, Waco ISD, Walnut Springs ISD, Willis ISD, Wills Point ISD, West Oso ISD, Weslaco ISD

Partners:
4empowerment
Charles A. Dana Center, UT Austin

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