A CD-ROM study package on current forest issues for use in secondary school science classes

With the proliferation of personal computers and CD-ROM devices in secondary school classrooms there is the opportunity to make available scientific study packages of current environmental issues using CD-ROM media. The Aspen Global Change Institute and scientists from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center are developing an integrated package of selected Landsat satellite data sets emphasizing tropical forests, publicly available image analysis software for PCs, ancillary information such as photographs, and specific lesson plans, all on a CD-ROM titled "The Changing Forest", for use in secondary school science classes. Emphasis will be placed on simplicity and ease of use, coupled to specific lesson plans developed around environmental issues and concepts for which satellite data provide a unique information source. Themes are introduced that include the extent, rate, fragmentation and edge effect associated with deforestation and remote sensing technologies in land cover assessment. Selected CD-ROM content and interactive strategies to engage the student user are discussed.