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About Us | Overview
ECHO programs amplify educational benefits, foster
greater appreciation of local and national history
and the natural environment, and assist communities
in maximizing the social benefits of new
technologies. The ECHO Partners include the Alaska
Native Heritage Center and North Slope Borough in
Alaska; the Bishop Museum in Hawai`i; the New
Bedford ECHO Project including the New Bedford
Whaling Museum and the New Bedford Oceanarium
collaborating with the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth; the Peabody Essex Museum in
Massachusetts; and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw
Indians.
The educational programs shared though this
partnership embrace educational and cultural
exchanges between schools, museums, and communities
at many levels. The programs bring together
tradition bearers, elders, and young people in
shared learning experiences. Significant outcomes
include exhibits, collections access, teacher
professional education, the development of
curriculum materials, and distance learning through
the Internet, digital media, and videoconferencing.
Program planners have successfully balanced direct
human interaction with the most modern technologies.
New Bedford Oceanarium
The New Bedford Oceanarium is a non-profit
corporation dedicated to providing quality marine
science education, ocean experiences, and maritime
curriculum to the diverse population of SouthCoast
Massachusetts. The New Bedford Oceanarium's goals
are "to educate as we entertain, to foster
scientific research and awareness of our oceans, and
to generate employment opportunities and economic
development for Southeastern Massachusetts". The
Oceanarium delivers educational programs to teachers
and students through the WOW Mobile, Project
Oceanology's Enviro-Lab, and the Connecting Oceans
Academy. A new science learning center, the
Explorium at New Bedford Seaport, is being developed
for downtown New Bedford.
Whaling Museum
The New Bedford Whaling Museum is the world's
leading interpreter of the global whaling story. The
Museum relates this story on a broad canvas, tracing
the triumphs and tragedies of the whaling trade when
it was one of America's major industries and New
Bedford was the world's leading whaling port. The
New Bedford Whaling Museum invites visitors to
reflect on the complex issues—past and present—that
the whaling story unveils.
The Connecting Oceans
Academy
The learning opportunities offered by the
Connecting Oceans Academy staff are research-based,
practical, and intellectually exciting. These
opportunities include professional development
institutes for which teachers receive graduate
credit or professional development points. In
addition, COA Staff have created standards-based
curricula for elementary, middle, and high
school-curricula that teachers can download and use
in their classrooms "tomorrow."
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Learn More About The
Connecting Oceans Academy
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