Historical & Museum Commission, Pennsylvania

Purpose: Expanding Educational Services The State Museum of Pennsylvania will create a distance-learning program that will provide science professional development to upper elementary and middle school teachers in central Pennsylvania. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Capital Area Intermediate Unit, a regional educational service agency. This program will use the museum's vast zoological and botany collections and staff expertise to strengthen teachers' current knowledge and classroom instruction in the method of scientific inquiry. Program goals include: " Provide area science teachers access to the museum's curators and collections through special online courses " Revitalize the museum's distance-learning program through state-of-the-art Internet technology " Extend the museum's outreach, particularly during the museum's closure for renovation (2004 to 2006) " Provide planning for future outreach and exhibitions.