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<DIV><STRONG>"Essential Astronomy" Outreach Workshop</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG></STRONG> </DIV>
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Greetings to the astronet email list<BR>As
mentioned before we are preparing for a set of training workshops for
<BR>astronomy education and outreach during June 2008.<BR>Please find below the
first call that has also been published on <BR><A
href="">www.astronomy2009.org.za</A><BR>Places for this workshop will be
allocated on a first come first served <BR>basis.<BR>All details below.<BR>We
hope to see many of you there.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Spread the word.<BR>Regards<BR>Kevin</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>
<DIV><BR>*"Essential Astronomy" Outreach Workshop*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The sky remains our biggest and most accessible teaching resource so
<BR>there is always a need to increase the number of people who are able to
<BR>use it effectively.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>With this in mind, we launch the first *"Essential Astronomy" Outreach
<BR>Workshop* aimed at training and sharing experiences related to astronomy
<BR>outreach. This will take the form of a packed 2 day experience which
<BR>should leave all participants (a) fascinated by astronomy, and (b)
<BR>better able to convey this fascination to others using the many tools
<BR>and techniques that will be provided</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There will be two such workshops held in June 2008 - one in *Cape Town
<BR>(19-20 June at the SAAO)* and one in *Johannesburg (26-27 June at the
<BR>Jhb Observatory)*.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Workshop Objective*: build the pool of people able to do astronomy
outreach</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Target audience*: EPO (education and public outreach) staff from
<BR>national facilities; science centre staff; Department of Education
<BR>officials; university physics students; both professional and amateur
<BR>astronomers; science journalists; astronomy enthusiasts from the public;
<BR>basically anyone keen to be able to promote astronomy.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A special appeal is made to those who have a lot of astronomy outreach
<BR>experience to come share it with the attendees of the workshop and
<BR>provide input into the contents presented.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Cape Town Workshop: *</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Date: 19th - 20th June 2008</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Venue: South African Astronomical Observatory, Observatory, Cape Town</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Johannesburg Workshop:*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Date: 26th and 27th June 2008</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Venue: Johannesburg Observatory, Observatory, Johannesburg</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Programme*:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Day 1:*<BR>8:30 Arrival, registration and tea<BR>9:00 Welcome and
Introductions / Ice breaker / Purpose / Relevance / <BR>Audience knowledge of
astronomy<BR>9:30 The International Year of Astronomy: Global and local scenes
<BR>(presentation and discussion - to be continued on last day)<BR>10:00
Astronomy in a nutshell: What everyone should know about astronomy<BR>11:00
Tea<BR>11:30 Useful Astronomy Software (participants will get CDs of the
software)<BR>12:00 South African Astronomy Resources (from the consolidation
efforts <BR>on <A href="">www.astronomy2009.org.za</A>)<BR>13:00 Lunch<BR>14:00
Continue previous session<BR>15:00 Relevant International Programmes and
Resources (UNAWE, GHOU, <BR>NASA, ASP, etc)<BR>16:00 tea<BR>16:30 Round up
discussions and preparations for night viewing<BR>17:00
Break/supper/socialise<BR>19:00 The night sky: telescope, binocular and naked
eye observing (what <BR>to teach with what you have)<BR>21:00 sleep at
will</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Day 2:*<BR>9:30 arrival and tea (late start for the late risers)<BR>10:00
Outdoor exhibits/activities and daytime astronomy<BR>11:00 Tea<BR>11:30
Indigenous astronomy<BR>12:00 Astronomy and the media (press release, phone
call, radio <BR>interview, tv interview, print story, PHOTOGRAPHS, YouTube,
Flickr, <BR>Wikipedia, Facebook, positive stories)<BR>12:30 Lunch<BR>13:30 The
"Essential Astronomy Quick Reference Guide to Outreach" (a <BR>pocket resource
for astronomy education and outreach)<BR>14:30 Planning for IYA and astronomy
outreach: Open session<BR>16:00 Closure</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Call for contributions*: Patricipants are requested to contribute to
<BR>the resource database and the various items on the programme by sending
<BR>in astronomy materials that they are willing to share with the
<BR>community. Suggestions to improve the impact of this workshop are most
<BR>welcome. (With great appreciation to all those who have already
<BR>contributed)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Registration:*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>To register please send the following details to <BR><A
href="">info@astronomy2009.org.za</A> <<A
href="">mailto:info@astronomy2009.org.za</A>></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>/In the subject line/ type the word “Register” followed by the city of
<BR>the workshop you would like to attend (Cape Town or Johannesburg)
<BR>followed by your surname e.g. “Register Cape Town Govender”</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>/In the body/ include the following:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> * Full name<BR> * Employer /
affiliation<BR> * Email address<BR> * Postal
address<BR> * Telephone (land line and cellphone)<BR> *
Which days you will be attending (everyone's advised to attend
both)<BR> * Will you be attending the night sky session? (highly
recommended)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Once you register you will be given a reference number. If you do not
<BR>have a reference number at the workshop, you may miss out on the food
<BR>and materials!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Registration Deadline*: 31 May 2008 (register soon as space is limited)*
*</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Cost*: There will be no registration fees as we would like to encourage
<BR>as many people as possible to attend. Transport and accommodation will
<BR>of course be at your own expense. Sponsors of lunches and resource kits
<BR>will be announced at the workshop.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*Side Events*: Depending on the interest expressed, the weekends
<BR>immediately after the workshop can be used for a trip to nearby
<BR>astronomical or tourist sites (at own cost). After the Cape Town
<BR>workshop we could organise a special trip to the observatory Sutherland
<BR>(home to the Southern African Large Telescope) and after the
<BR>Johannesburg workshop we could organise a trip to Hartebeesthoek Radio
<BR>Observatory. This will depend on the interest expressed in these side
<BR>events. Costs for such trips will be kept as low as possible and will
<BR>depend on the number of people.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>*If you would like any more information regarding
<BR>travel/accommodation/logistics/side events or if you would like a letter
<BR>of invitation please contact kg(at)saao.ac.za <BR></DIV>
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