Ancient Skies, Modern Tools: Stellarium in the Classroom

Join the ASP's Shanil Virani, Cosmic Engagement Specialist, for a 3-workshop Educator Series - Ancient Skies, Modern Tools: Stellarium in the Classroom

A three workshop series for astronomy educators to learn to use the free astronomy visualization software Stellarium in the classroom. Experienced educators from the ASP will showcase Stellarium’s applicability for presenting and creating student-centered labs and activities to explore basic astronomical phenomena. Each workshop in the series builds on the previous one. Registration includes all three workshops, not sold separately.

• Workshop 1: *Introduction and Basics* will cover the basics of using Stellarium and how it can be used to visualize various astronomical ideas such as constellations, the celestial sphere, daily motion of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, eclipses, retrograde motion, and more. After the workshop participants will use and play with Stellarium on their own and work through an example lab to familiarize themselves with the software.
• Workshop 2: *Stellarium as a Teaching Tool* will highlight how Stellarium can be used to teach astronomical concepts rather than lecturing using slides. ASP staff will demonstrate how to generate data for students to then interpret so they can master basic astronomy ideas. After the workshop participants will brainstorm and then develop a Stellarium-based lab or activity they would like to use with their own students. July 30, same time
• Workshop 3: *Participant Showcase* will invite participants to share and discuss the ideas they have worked on since Workshop 2, getting feedback from their peers and ASP staff. The labs participants come up with will live in a shared repository for all to access, use, and modify. August 13, same time

Each workshop is 1.5 hours long. Participants should expect to spend around 2 hours between the workshops on relevant assignments.

Participants will gain the following through participation in the workshop:

Strategies we have found to successful at engaging learners of all ages
Access to astronomy experts who will facilitate the workshop.
A certificate of completion for participating in 8 clock hours of professional development.