COVID-19 Resources – NCF-Envirothon

COVID-19: Resources, Tips & Support

Online Learning Tools & Resources

Online Testing

Looking for a way to host your state/provincial competition online? Below are some suggestions for virtual testing platforms:

EasyLMS
Subscription service with affordable options
Variety of question types - multiple choice, multiple select multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer/essay
Questions are graded automatically, except for short answer/essay
Short answer/essay questions must be graded by hand, and final grade must be calculated by hand to include short answer questions in point total
Ability to upload training content, though training videos must first be uploaded to another hosting platform, such as YouTube
Does not have the capability for students to upload files
Recommendation: Good platform for state/provincial Envirothon tests and training

Google Classroom
Free (for teachers) and paid versions
Google Meet for online learning (training and/or oral presentations)
Exams can be scheduled, timed, and scored automatically
Students/advisors can be provided with a code to access the test
Recommended by the NY Envirothon

Class Marker
Free (with limited features) and subscription versions
Variety of question types, with some short answer/essay capability
Partial credit allowed
Does not have capability for file uploads
Recommendation: Fair platform for state/provincial Envirothon tests

Exam Builder
Subscription service - different pricing options depending on number of users and storage requirements
Question types available (with automatic grading) - Multiple choice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, matching, multiple select multiple choice
Does NOT allow short answer or essay questions
Workaround for short answer/essay questions: Have students email answers to short answer/essay questions directly to test grader
NOT recommended for tests with many short answer questions
No partial credit allowed with their scoring system
Recommendation: Decent platform for multiple choice questions, but limited capacity for short answer questions

Moodle
Free and subscription versions available
Ability to upload training videos to the site
Testing/Quiz features are limited
Recommendation: Good for training portions of Envirothon competitions, but testing features lack essential elements

TAO
Community version of software available for free
To use the Community version, you need to be able to host the test on your own servers
Many testing features
Paid version is expensive
Recommendation: Good testing application if you have an IT department and server capacity, otherwise not feasible

Oral Presentations

Can students give an oral presentation while social distancing? Yes! Here’s how:

Zoom
Video/audio conferencing and presentation application
Free and paid versions available
Screen sharing options
Ability to share powerpoint while giving presentation
Care must be taken to ensure that all group members are heard on audio if all are in the same room
Specific meeting ID can be generated
No account requirements for attendees - only whomever sets up the meeting
One administrator must be present to start the meeting
Q&A portion of Oral Presentation possible
Speaker view or Gallery view for attendees
Requires stable internet connection
Recommendation: Good option for oral presentation if teams and judges all have sufficient internet bandwidth

Google Hangouts
Free with a Google Account, but all participants must have a Google Account
Potential for problems with anonymity since email addresses are used
Only speaker view available
Video calls for up to 10 people (basic Gmail) or 25 people (Education or Business Accounts)
Allows for Q&A from judges
Requires stable internet connection
Recommendation: Not the best application for presentations, but will work with modifications if teams and judges all have sufficient internet bandwidth

YouTube
Teams can upload a video to YouTube, mark it as private, and share it with judges via email
Videos would be pre-recorded, so no built in Q&A
Judges could grade presentations whenever convenient - not locked into a meeting time like with live conferencing
Internet connectivity not as much of an issue as with live conferencing
Recommendation: Good option for pre-recorded presentations

Education Resources

Are you looking for educational resources to keep your Envirothon teams engaged during the quarantine? Check out these educational resources developed by some Envirothon programs and some general environmental science resources, tools and contests to keep your teams engaged, educated and ready for the 2021 competition season!

Envirothon Specific Resources

The Massachusetts Envirothon has developed an excellent activity based on this year’s current issue to continue to engage students while distance learning: https://massenvirothon.org/about/the-competition/2020-competition/
The North Carolina Envirothon has some training videos and podcasts that can be found here: https://sites.google.com/site/envirothonnc/study-resources/videos
The Pennsylvania Envirothon has some training videos for Wildlife and Soils, found under the "Learning Enhancements" tab:
https://www.envirothonpa.org/station/wildlife/
https://www.envirothonpa.org/station/soils-and-land-use/
The Manitoba Envirothon, Manitoba Forestry Association, and their partner the Frontier School Division have some resources and training videos for the different natural resource topics here: https://www.thinktrees.org/what-we-do/manitoba-envirothon/
The Connecticut Envirothon has some interactive resources for the natural resource areas: http://ctenvirothon.org/study-guides/
Forests Ontario has some Envirothon-specific training videos: https://www.forestsontario.ca/education/programs/ontario-envirothon/study/envirothon-webinars
Ontario Envirothon is hosting a Virtual Lab with training videos and activities on the five subject areas of Envirothon. Check out their resources here: https://www.forestsontario.ca/blog/2020/05/11/welcome-to-the-ontario-envirothon-virtual-lab/

General Environmental Science Resources

The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) has a Conservation Education Hub with a variety of resources. Some resources are listed for grades K-8, but can be adapted for high school students: https://www.nacdnet.org/conservation-education-hub/
The North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE) has compiled lists of environmental resources: https://naaee.org/our-work/programs/covid-19-resources-tips-and-support
Project Learning Tree has resources available focusing on plants and forests: https://www.plt.org/
Project WET has some lesson plans and resources available for Aquatic Ecology and other water-related topics: https://www.projectwet.org/resources
Project WILD has some guidelines for field activities: https://www.fishwildlife.org/projectwild/remote-wild
The North Carolina Office of Environmental Education and Public Affairs has several links on their resources page as well as a searchable online resource database: https://www.eenorthcarolina.org/educator-resources/curriculum-and-lesson-plans
The National Science Teaching Association has many resources available, and is currently offering a free 30-day membership: https://www.nsta.org/
The US EPA has some activities available: https://www.epa.gov/new-bedford-harbor/environmental-education-resources-teachers-and-students
National Environmental Education Foundation has some home-based learning resources and some educator toolkits: https://www.neefusa.org/education
Ashoka and General Motors “Our Planet, Our Purpose: STEM for Changemaking” Challenge: https://stem.ashoka.org/