December 18, 2018

Another year is coming to an end, which brings with it a time for reflection and looking ahead to the things that may come. It is times like this when I wish my crystal ball weren’t in the shop (still!) and I could foresee the future!

This January, it will be four years since I left the beaches of South Florida for the mountains of Colorado all in the name of marine science education. In this time, a lot has changed at Ocean First Education. People have come and gone and with them new experiences gained and perspectives learned and shared. My role with the company has expanded, along with my desire to see every student have access to marine science content, regardless of where they reside.

More notable changes over these four years include a redesigning of who we are, from Ocean Classrooms, to Ocean First Education; creating a new website, social media accounts, and a plethora of artwork that has helped us to put our mark on the world of online science education. With each new conference attended, I feel our reach ever-growing, expanding to administrators, teachers, and students around the globe. Not only has our name changed, we grew from offering online courses for middle and high school students to creating an entire suite of marine science-themed content for K-5 students. From Explorer Series to 360 Lesson Plans and Virtual Field Trips to our online courses offered through SSI, we offer something for everyone from K-12 students to adults looking to brush up on their fish identification skills.

We’ve taken a new approach to marine science education. While all of our content is 100% accessed online, we’ve decided that putting the ocean in the hands of the student is the most direct route to motivating and empowering tomorrow’s ocean stewards. How you ask? Have you seen one of our 360 videos?

Take a dive in the crystal clear waters of Wakatobi, Indonesia and let me know what you think.

Loading the player...

Did you see the sea snake? Ever wonder how snakes survive in the ocean? Ponder why coral and reef fishes are so colorful? We’re creating learning opportunities around videos like this, tying state science standards to vibrant 360 videos to get students truly immersed in learning, no matter their distance from the sea.

While we can’t all take a day trip to Indonesia, we can bring our students there and show them what marine life is like on the other side of the planet. It’s a start. One we’re pretty proud of and hope to share more of as we continue to travel this planet, recording the sights and sounds above and below the waves to share with students everywhere.

As we continue to develop new online courses and 360 content, we’d like to know where you want us to go. Email me and let me know what underwater destinations you’d like to explore next. You never know!

You May Also Like

science, education, marine, ocean, conservation, boulder, colorado

How education has changed my perception of the environment

Alysia Prater, Ocean First Education Advocate

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Conserve. Compost. Be conscious. Protect.

ARisingTide, conservation, education, scuba, diving, students, marine science

A Whole New World

Andrew Patil, A Rising Tide Scholar

About 7 months ago, I was just a normal student in the land-locked state of Colorado with wild dreams.

ARisingTide, conservation, education, scuba, diving, students, marine science

The Next Chapter

Micaela Kimmett, A Rising Tide Scholar

Winner-winner, seafood dinner! Hi, I'm Mica and I'm one of the lucky TIDES 2 scholarship recipients!