The goal of the workshop was to provide teachers and educators working with students of different ages with the opportunity to explore the European Atlas of the Seas as a user-friendly, fun and dynamic educational resource. With over 270 map layers available in 24 languages, the Atlas offers extensive possibilities to teach about marine sciences, climate change, biodiversity, the blue economy (e.g. fishing, aquaculture, energy, tourism) and more.
Workshop Highlights
- Diverse participation: Teachers from kindergarten, primary and secondary schools - including general and vocational education - as well as higher education and non-formal education professionals joined the event, highlighting the Atlas’ broad appeal and adaptability across different teaching levels.
- Interactive learning: The workshop introduced participants to the ‘My Maps’ and ‘My Locations’ tools, emphasising how these features can help teachers and educators customise maps and make learning more interactive and relatable for students. These two tools, along with the ‘Measures’ tool, enable teachers and educators to develop dedicated educational activities that address specific knowledge and competences. Another tool will be added soon… We will keep you updated on the website.
- Practical guidance: Participants had the opportunity to participate in a hands-on exercise. This practical session helped them gain first-hand experience with the Atlas’ tools and resources and enabled them to ask questions to the Atlas team in real time while creating their first map with the ‘My Locations’ tool.
The ‘My Locations’ tool can be used to create maps showing a wide diversity of data including, for example, results of citizen science projects, partnerships in educational projects and field trips. These maps can be saved in personal working spaces created in the Atlas.
Teachers and educators can now integrate the Atlas in their classroom activities. As they do so, the Atlas team remains available for questions via the feedback form in the Atlas. Comments and remarks are also welcome to further improve the Atlas’ tools in the future. The Atlas team would also be thrilled to receive messages via the feedback form with information on how the ‘My Locations’ tool has been used in the classroom and what maps have been created!
Available resources from the workshop
Did you miss the workshop or do you wish to revisit its content? Have a look at the workshop presentation published in the workshop section of the Teachers’ Corner.
Do you wish to print the Atlas infographic to add it to your poster gallery on the classroom’s wall? Download it below!
Looking for further information? Explore the list of links below!
Atlas resources
- The European Atlas of the Seas
- Ocean Literacy and Education: New ‘My Locations’ Atlas Tool
- Atlas Maps of the Week
- European Atlas of the Seas Tutorial: My Maps tool
- European Atlas of the Seas Tutorial: Measure Tool
- Atlas quizzes & games
Additional Educational Resources
- Network of European Blue Schools
- “Letters to the Sea” global initiative part of the Ocean Decade Project 'Somos OceanoS'
Thank you to all participants in the workshop for their active and enthusiastic participation! Do not hesitate to share these resources with your colleagues!
And stay tuned for more exciting updates and surprises in the coming months!
For any questions about the workshop or the Atlas, please contact the European Atlas of the Seas team at nathalie [dot] van [dot] isacker
emodnet [dot] eu (nathalie[dot]van[dot]isacker[at]emodnet[dot]eu).