PeachStar Classroom is Georgia Public Broadcasting's initiative to deliver credit-bearing courses to Georgia students in subject areas where many systems lack staff with specialized certification. High school chemistry and physics courses are currently available, providing video content lessons and classroom materials to help teachers provide their students with high-quality science instruction.
The primary method of course delivery is through 30-minute video streaming broadcasts featuring teachers presenting the material to students, demonstrations of principles and techniques, students asking questions and interacting with the teacher, and short assessments of the material. A certified teacher serving as an onsite facilitator for the class interacts with the students, sets up labs, and administers assignments and assessments for the course.
Available classroom activities range from interactive worksheets and videos to online labs and quizzes. The discussion boards enable students and facilitators to post questions and receive answers from PeachStar Classroom's certified content specialists.
It's still not too late to register for physics and chemistry for the 2003-2004 school year. Many schools have found that their chemistry or physics teachers would like some assistance in the face of a challenging teaching schedule. Other schools have expressed interest in using the materials in the event of a long-term substitute, or a teacher absence. Some are interested in using the courses during second semester to provide remedial materials for first-semester chemistry or physics.
New to our program this year are schools in Banks, Cherokee, Cobb, and Gwinnett counties as well as the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf, who join Dodge, Ben Hill Taliferro and Calhoun counties who participated last year. McIntosh County will be joining us with physics when spring semester begins.
