OssaBEST is preparing 90 teachers and 120 students from 7th through 10th grades over a period of three years to use advanced information technologies for guided electronic exploration of Ossabaw Island (Georgia's third largest barrier island). The project provides support for inquiry-based instruction using state-of-the-art information technologies. Students and teachers observe physical phenomena on the island via real-time transmission of data streams from sensors placed on the island, electronically document and present data collected, and create a web-based multimedia guide of the island. The project is a collaboration between Armstrong Atlantic State University, the Savannah Chatham-County Public School System, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, the Ossabaw Island Foundation, and the Coastal Business Education and Technology Alliance. Participants use information technologies in sophisticated ways and integrate them in the classroom setting. Teachers and students attend a summer institute each year that includes a three-day residential camp on Ossabaw. Lesson plans developed during the summer institute address the Georgia Performance Standards and are to be broadly disseminated. Both students and teachers are being familiarized with education pathways that lead to future IT-related careers. There is a minimum of 124 hours of professional development for each participating teacher, with substantial follow up for both teachers and students for implementation during the school year. The project benefits students and teachers from all middle and high schools in the Savannah-Chatham Public School System leading to continuing systemic capacity. Formative evaluation assesses the project impact on teachers and students and provides ongoing feedback to all stakeholders.
