Korean Educators Take on e-Mission with Help from Student Interpreters
Mon Jan 7 2008
A group of 42 educators from South Korea experienced the thrill of a Challenger Learning Center® e-Mission™ today as they attended an online workshop at St. John's University in New York City.
Taking part in two distance learning scenarios offered through the Challenger Learning Center, located in the Center for Educational Technologies®, the New York teachers were assisted by two Korean high school students from The Linsly School in Wheeling, WV. Sophomore David Cho and junior Peter Lee of Linsly acted as interpreters.
Coordinating the e-Missions were Lead Flight Director Lori Flynn, who was in New York City for the missions, and e-Mission Program Assistant Director Kathleen Frank, who remained at the Wheeling facility.
In the first scenario, "Moon, Mars, and Beyond," the teachers played the role of astronauts aboard a ship bound from the moon to a base on Mars in the year 2080. They used their math skills to locate a ship lost for five days in the farthest reaches of the solar system. In the second mission, "Operation Montserrat," they had to decide how to save the residents of the small Caribbean island of Montserrat as a volcano erupted and a hurricane approached.
"This is a wonderful example of how Wheeling Jesuit University plays a small part in the global effort of science to transcend geographic boundaries and languages," Frank said. She said Challenger Learning Center e-Missions are open to anybody with videoconferencing ability and computers. They provide a unique window to the world as they enhance teamwork and critical thinking for all ages and diverse groups.
The Challenger Learning Center is one of 51 centers worldwide established by the Challenger Center for Space Science in memory of the space shuttle Challenger. More than 40,000 students fly missions each year either at the Wheeling facility or through distance learning. The Challenger Learning Center has been honored nine years for having served the most children of all the centers.
