Stephen Downes

Vicky Davis links to this site, described as "a fantastic website to find citizen science projects." I really like the concept and execution. The idea is that scientists contribute project ideas, when are then distributed to science teachers in blog or email format. Projects include things like EyeWire (participants "reconstruct the tree-like shapes of the neurons in the retina [to] help the computer develop 3-D reconstructions of the neurons"), WaterIsotopes ("a call for assistance in collecting samples of precipitation (both rain and snow) associated with the passage" of Hurricane Sandy), and Citizen Weather Watcher Observer Program, which I actually described (without knowing it actually existed) during my talk yesterday. What's key about these projects is that they are connective and immersive - they don't try to teach people content, rather, they engage them in real scientific communities.