Jan Wee (jwee@mail.arc.nasa.gov) PTK Education Outreach Coordinator, has
provided detailed information on the program. She requests that anyone having
further questions e-mail her directly--MOD
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PASSPORT TO KNOWLEDGE (electronic field trips to scientific frontiers funded by
NSF, NASA, and PBS K-12 Learning Services)
PTK projects are targeted at the middle school level but are easily adapted for
use in elementary and high school level classrooms, science centers, museums,
and other educational settings. All PTK projects consist of multi-media,
integrated resources consisting of a series of live telecasts, extensive online
resources (with opportunities to collaborate with other educators and students),
and print curriculum materials.
PTK projects are accessible to all via live telecasts carried by NASA-TV and PBS
main satellite, and many local PBS stations around the country (check with your
local PBS station for program coverage). Teachers are encouraged to register
participation via the Live From... web site. Educators may tape and reuse the
telecasts for one year from broadcast date. The Live From... web sites are
accessible to all.
Teacher's Guides are available online in PDF format as well as via web pages.
Many educators prefer to access a print copy of the teacher's pack or multimedia
kit. See ordering information below.
The 1997-98 projects include Live From Mars and Live From the Rainforest. Live
From Mars teacher's pack and kit are available for ordering now. Availability
of the Live From the Rainforest teacher's pack and kit will be announced in late
fall.
Contact Information, Web URL's, Guides, Kits, Tapes, etc.
1. Information Hotline: 1-800-626-LIVE
2. PTK Office Address and Phone:
Passport to Knowledge
P.O. Box 1502 Summit
New Jersey 07902-1502
voice: 908-273-4108 fax: 908-277-9590
School Purchase orders may be faxed to this
number for teacher's packs and multimedia kits.
Project Director: Geoff Haines-Stiles
Executive-in-Charge of Production: Erna Akuginow
Education Outreach Coordinator: Jan Wee, 608-786-2767
3. Passport to Knowledge Web Site Addresses
All PTK projects can be accessed from the NASA QUEST K-12 Internet Initiative
web site located at:
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/interactive
Live From Antarctica (Dec '94-Jan'95)
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/antarctica
Live From the Stratosphere (Oct-Nov'95)
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/lfs/lfsnew.html
Live From the Hubble Space Telescope (Nov'95-April '96)
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/hst/index.html
Live From Antarctica 2 (Jan-Mar'97)
http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/antarctica2
Live From Mars (Nov'96-Dec'97) http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars
Live From the Rainforest (winter-spring '98/ four live telecasts in April of '98) URL to be announced!
4. Teacher's Packs and Multimedia Kits
Teacher's Guide Packs for all five past PTK modules are available for $20.00 each (includes hands-on discovery activities, student worksheets, and other NSF/NASA materials).
Multimedia Kits are available for $99.00 each for the Live From Mars and Live From Antarctica 2 project (includes guide pack plus blackline masters/student worksheets and other handouts, Teacher Resource video (LFM), poster(s), map, and
other NSF and NASA resources. LFM includes Mars Navigator CD-ROM and Mars slide set.
School purchase orders, money order or checks accepted No credit cards. Make out check/money order/school purchase order to: Passport to Knowledge Indicate the module name and quantity, kit or guide pack ordered, grade level, number of students participating, and mailing address information.
*Prices include shipping and handling.
5. Videotapes
All PTK live telecasts are carried on NASA-TV and PBS's main satellite, Telstar 402 R. Satellite coordinates are indicated below in section 6. PTK project live telecasts are available on tape for a minimal charge for those who do not have access via NASA-TV and PBS. Live From Antarctica (4 programs/one hour each) $19.95 per tape or $70.00 for all four)
Live From the Stratosphere (30-60 min) $50.00 for all 3/ Program 1 $14.95; Programs 2 & 3 19.95.
Live From the Hubble Space Telescope (30-60 minutes) $50.00 for all 3; Program 1
$14.95; Programs 2 & 3 $19.95.
Live From Antarctica 2 (all one hour) $19.95 per video; $55.00 for all three.
Live From Mars Program 1 and 2 (one hour): $19.95; Program 3A and 3B: $35.00
per program (two hours each)
For more details about the content of the live telecasts, please visit the web
site addresses give above and select the Live Video icon on the home page.
6. Accessing the Live From... telecasts
Schools need to have access to a C Band or Ku Band satellite dish OR contact their local PBS Station for program coverage. (Local stations may choose to
carry the Live From... programs live, via tape delay, or not at all.)
* NASA-TV: GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarity, with a frequency of 3880 MHz, and Audio 6.8 MHz.
* PBS: Telstar 402 R, 7 Lower, 89 degrees West, Frequency 11895 Vertical, 6.2 &6.8 Audio.
Live From Mars Programs (fall of 1997)
Program 4 October 30, 1997 13:00-14:00 Eastern.
Destination Mars 1 hour long compilation tape reintroduces the Mars Missions and updates students and
teachers on Why Explore Mars, the character and purposes of NASA's two Missions, Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor. and the men and women who design and fly the missions.
Program 5 November 13, 1997 13:00-14:00 Eastern Today on Mars 1 hour long live telecast with the first images and data from the Mars Global Surveyor and ground
truth from the Pathfinder lander. This video provides a weathercast from the alien planet that in many ways is most like Earth.
See http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/video/index.html for more details!
Live From the Rainforest (four telecasts in April '98; materials and web site availability to be announced)
Passport to Knowledge and the American Museum of Natural History (New York) once again join forces to present Live From the Rainforest, sixth in the continuing series of "electronic field trips" to scientific frontiers. Four hour-long programs take students to visit rainforests on four continents via live TV and the Internet. As with all PTK projects, a Teacher's Guide Pack and Teacher's Kit (suggesting hands-on discovery science activities related the cutting edge research seen on-camera and online) as well as an interactive web site, fully underwritten by NASA, will be available.
4 live telecasts scheduled for April 7, April 14, April 21, and April 28 all
airing at 13:00-14:00 Eastern. Check local listings -- contact your local PBS
station.
7. Highlights of the Live From... web sites
Online Teacher's Guide
* Image Gallery and Background Text files
* Student's at Work and Student's Work Gallery
* Scheduled Web Chats with experts, scientists, researchers
* Online Collaborative Events
* Mars Team Field Journals and Biographies
* Researcher Q and A -- Students send their questions to the experts
* Discussion forum for educators
* Online update newsletters
* Details about the live broadcasts
* Ordering information for Teacher's Guide/Kit/Tapes
