teaching - Earth Science Teachers' Association

TEACHING EARTH SCIENCES ● Volume 26 ● Number 3, 2001
Jurassic Coast Makes a Splash on the World Wide Web
A new and exciting website about
the internationally important
geology and fossils of the Dorset
and East Devon coast is now
accessible on the World Wide Web.
The web site aims to promote
new forms of special interest and
out of season tourism through
sections exploring interests such as
fossil collecting, Portland Stone,
dinosaur footprints, geology in the
landscape and how the use of local
stone has created the different
character of the coastal towns and
villages. Much of the content is
based on the current nomination
of this coastline for World
Heritage Site status centred on the
case that has been made to
UNESCO. A further section
provides educational resources for
schools and colleges, based on the
difficult issues of coast protection.
‘We hope that the site will help
people who already come to the coast to
enjoy it further. However, many of these
interests, by their very nature, are best
explored outside of the main season and
therefore we hope to promote visits in
the spring, autumn and even winter.’
Dorset and Devon County
Councils and the Dorset Coast
Forum have developed the web
site. The funding partners reflect
the multiple aims of the site: the
Countryside Agency wish to
promote awareness of the coast,
the South West Grid for Learning
are developing local educational
resources and SCOPAC, (the
Standing Conference On
Problems Associated with the
Coast) wish to explain the difficult
issues that coastal engineers face
when seeking to manage the coast.
The Okehampton based company
‘Image Makers’ has provided the
technical expertise.
Richard Edmonds said:
‘In order to appreciate the problems facing
the coastal engineers it is important to
understand the geology and coastal
processes acting along this coast. That is
why we are developing a series of animations
to illustrate the last 125 thousand
years of history along this coast, including
the latest theories on the formation of
Chesil Beach.’
‘And this is just the start as the site
offers the potential to link with other
internationally important fossil and
geology sites around the world in order
to promote a network of the top
geological sites, again promoting special
interest tourism.’
The web site can be accessed at:
www.jurassiccoast.com
The World Heritage Site
nomination has been put
together by Dorset and Devon
County Councils and the Dorset
Coast Forum.
For further information,
contact:
Richard Edmonds,
Geological Co-Ordinator,
Environmental Services Directorate,
Dorset County Council,
County Hall,
Dorchester DT1 1XJ
Tel 01305 224477
or
Sally King,
Visitor Management Officer
at the same address,
Tel 01305 225091
Editor’s Note:
As we go to press we have the
wonderful news that the
“Jurassic Coast” has been
granted World Heritage Site
Status. More Later.
An Important New British Geological Survey
Project to boost school Earth science education
Are you frustrated by a lack of good, imaginative
teaching resources? Then you might like what the
British Geological Survey is planning!
We have just launched a new project - a
programme of market research aimed at UK
teachers of Earth Science, Geography and
Geology to find out what they require in the way
of teaching resources and materials; to identify
any gaps in the spectrum of available teaching
resources for those subjects, and to attempt to
discover what those teachers would ideally like in
terms of teaching resources.
The purpose of this market research will be
to determine if the BGS can produce teaching
materials and resources to meet teachers’
requirements. We are not only considering
books as teaching resources - we shall be
looking at resources across all media; printed
text, web pages and downloadable information,
CD-ROMs, slide sets and other photographic
resources, sets of rock and mineral samples...let
us know your needs! If new BGS products and
publications prove to be feasible, they will be
developed in tandem with those teachers
willing to help the BGS with this aspect of the
market research.
The market research programme will initially
take the form of a questionnaire, and will be
backed up by face-to-face meetings with teachers,
to discuss specific resource needs in detail. We are
keen to get in touch with as many teachers as
possible, and we would like as wide a range of
input as we can gather.
The questionnaire may be found on the BGS
website: www.bgs.ac.uk/education/home.html
This will take you to the BGS Education
home page; there is a link on that page called
‘Teachers’ Questionnaire’, where the
questionnaire can either be downloaded or
completed online. If you do download the
questionnaire, please return it to:
Elaine Johnston
British Geological Survey
Keyworth
Nottingham NG12 5GG
Tel 0115 936 3325 (direct)
Fax 0115 936 3488
email elj@bgs.ac.uk
Your response is vital - we need your feedback!
EJ
www.esta-uk.org
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