<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/42276281/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/42276281_3b1ea8316d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);">
</a> <br> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/42276281/">Can you see the southern cross?
</a></span><br><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span></div></div>An ABC news report indicates that <a title="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1886427.htm" href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200703/s1886427.htm">
Sydney is turning off the lights</a>
for an hour one evening! This means that even in the city, they will be
able to see stars and constellations that are normally hidden from
view. Other cities should consider doing the same, a question I have shared with my students. <br><br>This week we posted our data onto the Internet for the <a href="http://www.globe.gov/GaN/">GLOBE at Night project</a>, using
<a href="http://earth.google.com/">Google Earth</a>
to work out the exact Latitude and Longitude for their observation then
posting the observation details into Moodle. Most students were only
able to observe magnitude 4 or 5 stars. We talked about how we could share, collect and analyse all the observational data we had collected.<br><br>On a Moodle class
discussion forum, many good suggestions were posted by students for
reduce our level of external lighting and greenhouse pollution. I will
pass them onto our school administration and school council to consider.<br><br>In all, it was an ICT rich, year 9 Information Technology lesson with many cool connections to other VELS topics :-)<br><br>Regards Roland<br clear="all">
<br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br><a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead