[ draft version comments appreciated] Catherine Kavassalis Return to Contents Return to BioMuncie
last revision: 10/04/2006
Carol decided to join the local Sierra Club and help support local environmentalists in their efforts to protect the environment. She was almost immediately asked to chair their anti-sprawl committee and began looking at the state of urban and agricultural growth in the Muncie area. At about the same time, I began taking a course in Internet Education. An early course assignment required the creation of an online educational resource collection. Not one for mere academic exercises, I wanted to find a customer for such a site. During an initial Sierra Club meeting, members expressed interest in the creation of an environmental web site; Carol wondered whether this might be an appropriate application for me. Although adult environmental education was outside my area of expertise, I thought it would be a good learning experience and if it was useful to someone so much the better.
The resource collection needed a focus, general environmental issues seemed too broad and vague. The little turtle provided the seed. The loss of turtles and their habitats was an indicator that biodiversity was on the decline in Muncie. Thus the idea for a site on biodiversity in Muncie or BioMuncie germinated.
As I began to chat about creating the site, someone commented, "So you're an environmentalist." To my surprise, I felt insulted.
“I am not an environmentalist, I’m a scientist.”
Suddenly, I was confronted with the truth. I was not uncomfortable building a website, I was uncomfortable with being identified as an environmentalist. What was it about environmentalism that made me uncomfortable and why was it so important for me to be identified with science? By sharing my reasons, I will expose some of the underlying biases in the site's creation and areas in which I personally needed to learn and grow.
Skulking in the back of my mind, was this image of environmentalists as left wing radicals who had turned Nature into a religion and who saw science and technology as an evil endeavor. That I see this image as a negative stereotype exposes my biases. For one, although politically liberal, I am the product of a capitalist society and am not particularly comfortable with socialism. Second, I do not see Nature with a capital N. Third, I do not see science and technology as inherently evil. In fact, I hold science in high regard.
As a young girl growing up in the seventies, believe it or not, I idolized Star Trek's Spock - the epitome of the mythical, rational, objective, emotionless scientist. I aspired to be a Spock. In university, I majored in physical chemistry and was overjoyed to attend MIT for graduate work. Although concerned about the growing number of environmental disasters reported in the media, I felt that science could offer solutions. For me, the environmental decimation of the planet had little to do with the evils of science but rather the "highly illogical" use of technology.
Even as a more enlightened adult, recognizing the limitations of science and observation (Kavassalis, 2001), I still believe that science provides essential knowledge about the world. I resonate with the view of science expressed by the National Council on Science and Technology Education in the "Introduction" to Science for All Americans:
| Science, energetically
pursued, can provide humanity with the knowledge of the biophysical
environment and of social behavior needed to develop effective solutions
to its global and local problems; without that knowledge, progress toward
a safe world will be unnecessarily handicapped.
By emphasizing and explaining the dependency of living things on each other and on the physical environment, science fosters the kind of intelligent respect for nature that should inform decisions on the uses of technology; without that respect, we are in danger of recklessly destroying our life-support system. Scientific habits of mind can help people in every walk of life to deal sensibly with problems that often involve evidence, quantitative considerations, logical arguments, and uncertainty; without the ability to think critically and independently, citizens are easy prey to dogmatists, flimflam artists, and purveyors of simple solutions to complex problems. Technological principles relating to such topics as the nature of systems, the importance of feedback and control, the cost-benefit-risk relationship, and the inevitability of side effects give people a sound basis for assessing the use of new technologies and their implications for the environment and culture; without an understanding of those principles, people are unlikely to move beyond consideration of their own immediate self-interest. Although many pressing global and local problems have technological origins, technology provides the tools for dealing with such problems, and the instruments for generating, through science, crucial new knowledge. Without the continuous development and creative use of new technologies, society may limit its capacity for survival and for working toward a world in which the human species is at peace with itself and its environment. The life-enhancing potential of science and technology cannot be realized unless the public in general comes to understand science, mathematics, and technology and to acquire scientific habits of mind. Without a science-literate population, the outlook for a better world is not promising. |
Critics of environmental education have complained about misinformation and lack of scientific credibility. I too experienced these concerns. BioMuncie reflects my belief that a scientific approach towards environmental education is essential and that environmental literacy and science literacy must go hand-in-hand.
Where environmental education and traditional science education differ and where I have had to wrestle with my traditional boundaries is in the area of advocacy and social action. The heuristics for using online EE resources provided some guidance for content inclusion in BioMuncie, but I felt uncomfortable recommending social action. My sister needed to help me recognize that social action is a logical extension of science education. One of the goals of science education is to develop a scientifically literate public able to make responsible decisions and take appropriate action, thus providing suggestions for possible action was both appropriate and responsible behavior for an educator. The tension that I have felt is reflective of the tension within the science education community as the science-technology-society-environment movement (which has been particularly influential in Canada) press to extend the science curriculum base to include environmental education. Although initially reluctant to embrace this inclusion, I have come to recognize its necessity and the necessity for inclusion of social action in science education..
Social action requires political literacy. For adults can not take effective action if they do not understand the socio-political systems in place. How do you effect change? Whom do you contact? What organizations are working for or against a particular course of action? People need answers to these kinds of questions before they can responsibly participate in social action. As Derek Hodson noted in his book Teaching and Learning Science, "education for critical scientific literacy is inextricably linked with education for political literacy and with the ideology of education as social reconstruction." He goes on to quote W. Kyle, "'Education must be transformed from the passive, technical and apolitical orientation that is reflective of most students' school-based experiences to an active, critical, and politicized life-long endeavour that transcends the boundaries of classrooms and schools,'”(Hodson, 1998, p.22). Critics of the politicization of environmental education can fairly complain that BioMuncie is a political conduit. It is so by deliberate choice. As an educational resource, BioMuncie transcends the boundaries of classrooms and schools and the traditional boundaries of science education. BioMuncie accepts the premise that:
Education is not only a way to improve oneself, but also as a means for social change (Cranton, 1992; Dewey, 1960; Nesbit, 1998). As educators, we can apply this by motivating and empowering individuals to participate in ethical practices, in environmental improvement and in the protection of the earth (Hungerford, Peyton & Wilke, 1980; Orr, 1992; Schumacher, 1973). (Wright, 2000, “Step Two: Make a Decision,” ¶ 1)
This belief is foundational to the mission of BioMuncie and the educational platform broadly described on the About page of the site.
Environmental education is based on the fundamental belief that people need to learn about the way the environment works: the interrelatedness of ecosystems, the interdependence of living organisms and nonliving matter that make up the earth, and the role that people play within this complex system. The way we view our environment is learned. It is a cultural perception. For many centuries the earth was considered by many to be an endless resource at man's disposal. This view is changing through a recognition that the earth's resources are not endless and people are far more dependent on the health of the environment then they once thought. But patterns of behavior and belief are slow to change and it is only through education and learning how to think critically about the issues that we can hope to make positive choices for the future. In 1977, UNESCO sponsored the world's first intergovernmental conference on environmental education in Tbilisi in the Soviet Union. At this conference the Tbilisi Declaration was adopted. This declaration established the following three objectives for environmental education:
These objectives are foundational for our efforts and although BioMuncie.org has a more modest agenda, these objectives remain at its core. BioMuncie.org, has great hopes for the future. Its mission to promote biodiversity in Delaware County serves as the educational platform for the site's construction. The site's burgeoning resource collection is aimed at supporting this underlying goal by providing links to other sites that inform, and encourage thought and action. BioMuncie.org is a community resource intended to increase awareness about local issues, to encourage dialogue and to draw people together to find solutions for problems threatening the environmental health of the community. Working together, we can learn how to support a biologically diverse community. |
BioMuncie is an environmental education website rooted in science education. Merging these domains is my first step in 'coming out' as an environmentalist who is also a scientist.
My sister and I agreed that first and foremost, BioMuncie should provide reliable information. We did not wish to fear-monger, point fingers or make unsubstantiated claims. We wanted to be identified as a "quality" resource: to provide scope, to be accurate and authoritative, to be objective and current, and to do this in an organized manner. In addition, we wanted the site to be attractive.
The process of site inclusion is discussed in detail on the BioMuncie page entitled - Selecting Internet Resources. At first, the site had limited original text and essentially pointed to Web information regarding biodiversity, endangered species, sprawl, pollution, sustainable agricultural, and general environmental education resources. However, as we collected specific information about Delaware County, Carol and I decided to write summaries of this information. While much of the research was Web-based, however some sections such as the Natural History of Delaware County and the research on Pesticides were drawn primarily from books. In addition, local archival information on such things as abandoned landfill sites had to be accessed in hard copy and experts in particular areas were contacted for information, direction and insight.
The artistic content of the site was chosen to connect the technical content about the environment with the aesthetic importance of the environment. Carol, an artist and former art teacher, felt that Brian Gordy's works voiced "the new perceptions of the environmental movement within the context of modern art ... by expressing fundamental natural processes through the language of art.". With his permission, we decided to use his work to set the tone for the site. In a recent article on Science Aesthetics and Activism, Joanna and Nancy Meyers stress the importance of linking science and art. "There is a persistent disconnect between humans and their environment, and it has to do with how we use or ignore our aesthetic sense--and between what we know and what we do,” (2002,¶ 2). The authors suggest that people are healthier living in a beautiful environment and that to connecting people with the aesthetic quality of nature may help to empower them to actively work to restore and protect the environment. "What if we became more conscious and deliberate about aesthetics in environmental work? We might find the redemptive quality of our work increasing. Art--as an expression of, and vehicle for, beauty--reunites people with direct experience. It is an antidote to the self-administered anesthesia that keeps people from doing what they should, and must,"(“Knowing and Doing,” ¶ 9). The artwork and pictures included in BioMuncie are intended to support aesthetic connections with nature and to motivate and emotionally engage users. These visual supports promote learning and make the site more appealing.
One of the educational programs BioMuncie shares is a site entitled A World Community of Old Trees. I was fascinated by this site for two reasons. First it makes explicit how people make connections with nature through art. Second, it was a dissertation project for June Julian intended to examine "the potential of the Web as a medium for communication and exchange for ecology art education,” (Julian, 2000, “Invitation,” ¶ 2). Julian went on to remark how successful the Web experiment was in demonstrating "the power of the Web to join people and ideas." We can only hope that BioMuncie, which is a similar initiative, is as successful."Although information is an essential element of any educational effort, environmental information is not, by itself, environmental education,” (Purdue Research Foundation,1997, ¶ 6). By such a definition, BioMuncie is not ‘environmental education’; it is an educational resource like a textbook. Site users/ learners must critically read the information, interpret it, connect it to prior knowledge and construct their own understanding, while I as the developer have the responsibility to ensure that it supports learning.
N.G. Mankiw a professor of economics at Harvard made the following remark regarding writing textbooks, "...teaching and textbook writing ... allow you to mold the minds of students. Economics is not a straightforward discipline like Newtonian mechanics or Euclidean geometry. Whenever you teach economics, you have wide latitude in choosing what material to include and how to present it. In making these choices, you give your own "spin" to the subject and help determine the views of your students. Although classroom teachers and textbook writers share this responsibility, textbook writers reach a larger audience. For those who want to bequeath their view of economics to the next generation, textbooks are the most efficient medium,” (1996, p.14). The Web may be an even more efficient medium for reaching a large audience and educational Websites offer the same opportunity to "spin" the subject. This is a great concern for me. In deciding what information to include, how to introduce it, what words to use, I am spinning the information contained in BioMuncie. It is of great importance to me that the information provided is accurate, that scientific information is based on sound research and that the target audience can use the site to build their knowledge about Biodiversity.
Of course, as we developed the site's content, we had a target audience in mind. The environment has not been a critical issue in Muncie, Indiana. Although most people in Muncie feel the government should protect the environment but there is no sense of immediacy. When asked in 1989 to identify the three most pressing problems facing Muncie and Delaware County, only 9% indicated Environment/Pollution (Middletown Area Studies). We imagined that this small group might include environmentalists, educators and students. This group of individuals would probably be the most receptive to an environmental education Website and thus was our target audience. But would they use BioMuncie?
A Website is a passive structure. People have to actively seek it out. Those who would use BioMuncie are intentional learners. According to Scardamalia and Bereiter, intentional learners are people who actively try to build knowledge (1994). They suggest that computer technology and the Internet can serve as a tremendous support to these learners. Unlike children whose learning experiences are often unintentional, adult learners tend to be more self-directed and to choose to learn something "in order meet more immediate needs in their lives (Webster, Zachariah, McFaury, & McMullin, 2001, ¶ 1). BioMuncie was conceived as a resource for these self-directed learners who perceive the need to address environmental concerns. BioMuncie was intended to be used as a tool, like any reference book. Unlike a reference book, however, a website can provide access to interactive sites and sites that provide information in more visual and auditory forms. BioMuncie sought to provide such sites. In addition, Internet sites can be interactive. The Contact Us page was developed to allow users to ask questions and provide site feedback. An Internet site can grow and evolve to meet users' needs. From its inception, BioMuncie was intended to be an evolutionary site responsive to the needs of the community and, in particular, the needs of intentional learners.
People will only use a site if they know of its existence. Once a working site was established it was posted to search engines: Google, Excite, Yahoo, etc. It was also posted to environmental directories such as E.E. Link. To let people know about the site in the Muncie area, an advertisement was placed in the local Muncie paper and the site was publicized in the Five Rivers Sierra Club quarterly newsletter. In addition business cards and BioMuncie letterhead were created and distributed.
These actions along with public outreach conducted by Carol, brought the newly conceived BioMuncie to the attention of the public. It began to grow and have an impact on the community. How Carol and others used BioMuncie and how the site began to evolve will be described in the chapter entitled Reaching Out. The next chapter provides a brief site summary and a print-out of the site, made June 1, 2002, is provided in the Appendix.
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