Navigation through the Ages
SpaceAwareness
Welcome to the MOOC Navigation through the Ages
On this page
Since early times, the observation of the sky has been a key cultural element and has played an important role in the way we live. In the Navigation through the Ages MOOC, we will explore the rich history of navigation, and journey together from ancient Greece, the fifteenth century European explorers and their missions of global discovery, to the importance of Europe's Galileo programme for the current needs of citizens (mobile devices, increased mobility, safety, security etc.).
This course aims to prepare you on how to successfully teach your subject by using the navigation theme, in the context of space and astronomy, as a vehicle and as an inspiration for your students.
On the course we will be reflecting, discussing and sharing with each other about these topics. You will find a community of like-minded professionals on the course who can support each other in improving their classroom practices. We will be using a variety of online tools and social media to communicate with each other and engage in some peer review activities as part of the course.
Note: The subject of this course will use as pedagogical pillars the aspects learned during the first Space Awareness MOOC, Teaching with Space and Astronomy, such as inquiry-based science education teaching practices, ICT tools, managing diversity in the classroom, maintaining gender balance in the classroom and thematic space careers. Although not mandatory, we strongly encourage you to review and familiarise yourself with the content of this first course if you haven’t done so already.
Join us in the Space Awareness MOOCs' Facebook group and share your ideas about the topic on Twitter using #spaceMOOC.
Topics
- Foundation ideas and topics of navigation through the ages
- The history of navigation
- Navigation through the ages: tools and terms
- The Galileo European Satellite System
Prerequisites
The course is targeted at primary and secondary school teachers from Europe and beyond. However, representatives of organisations in the space/astronomy field who engage with children with the purpose of career counselling/orientation/exposure (e.g. museums, observatories, etc.) can equally benefit from the course materials and activities.
Modules
- Module 1: Introduction to Navigation through the Ages
- Module 2: The History of Navigation
- Module 3: Navigation Tools and Terms
- Module 4: The European Global Navigation Satellite System
Certification
You will receive digital module badges for every completed module of the course as well as a course badge and a course certificate upon completion of the full course.
Note to teachers from Portugal: You can get your successful participation in a European Schoolnet Academy course formally recognised as valid continuous professional development, and thereby acquire the relevant number of training hours, by sending your certificate to the Conselho Científico e Pedagógico de Formação Contínua (CCPFC) at Rua do Forno, nº 30, 1º andar - apartado 2168, 4700 - 429 Braga, Portugal. For more information, please contact the CCPFC.
Course Staff
Disclaimer & Copyright
Space Awareness is an international project targeting children and teenagers all over Europe, providing them with information on space-related subjects. The project strives to educate children and young adults on the numerous career opportunities offered by the space industry and show them that space science can be fun and engaging. Space Awareness offers free high-quality resources for educators and children easily adaptable to different disciplines and countries.
The Navigation through the Ages course is produced by the team of the Space Awareness project. In particular, there have been two partner organizations of the project who have built the course: Núcleo Interactivo de Astronomia and European Schoolnet with full support from the partners and network of the project. The full partner list can be seen on the project website.
To stay informed about the latest events, publications and competitions from the project, visit the project’s News section and subscribe to our bi-monthly newsletter here (at the bottom of the page). To find space-related opportunities close to you, check out what the partners of Space Awareness are doing in your country.
This course was developed under the Space Awareness project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Programme under the grant agreement no. 638653.
All content on this course unless specified otherwise is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License