The CSWGCIN region has numerous resources for educators and students. Resources are categorized into Biodiversity Teacher Workshop Series, Government Resources (Federal Agencies and State Agencies), Curriculum Development, Teacher Education and Development, The Citizen Science Program, and Wildlife and Conservation Resources.

An education project with the Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH) at the University of Houston-Clear Lake used reviews and discussions by the educational experts at EIH to maximize use of the CSWGCIN website by K-12 educators. Educators were introduced during this grant period to the CSWGCIN NBII website through a series of workshops and conferences held in Houston, Texas. Workshops focused on biodiversity themes and provided teachers with information on local habitats, national biodiversity programs, and information and materials for use in teaching students labeled as Gifted and Talented (GT).

The workshops began in the fall of 2005 and ended in March 2006. On October 8, 2005, a "Let's Get WILD with a GT Focus" workshop was conducted at the Houston Zoo and was attended by fourteen area teachers. On February 11, 2006, the same workshop was held at EIH and 29 teachers attended. On March 4, 2006, 32 teachers attended a workshop on "Biodiversity Basics" conducted at the Houston Zoo. An additional "Biodiversity Basics" workshop was scheduled but due to Hurricane Rita, it was canceled. However, other educators have expressed interest and additional workshops were scheduled for the Summer of 2006.

At the workshops, teachers were given a flyer describing the NBII and CSWGCIN website. A detailed discussion of information that was available for teachers followed. A computer tour of the CSWGCIN website was given with time allotted for the teachers to explore between activities.

The website was promoted at the following conferences: the Texas Association of Environmental Educators - Fall Conference at the Prude Ranch in West, Texas; Conference for the Advancement of Science Teachers (CAST - state science teachers) in Houston, Texas; and the Educators Open House at the Houston Zoo (which was rescheduled due to Hurricane Rita). One Houston ISD teacher that attended the March 4th workshop presented the site at the National Science Teacher Association's Conference in April.

Since the initial work with the NBII and the CSWGCIN websites, approximately 120 educators have received some form of training or orientation related to the websites. With this in mind, EIH conducted an on-line survey with past participants. SurveyMonkey.com was the tool used to survey these past participants. The survey consisted of 10 questions which were grouped into three categories: background/demographics, using the website, and website evaluation and comments. The survey was loaded on the SurveyMonkey.com site and an email was sent to the participants asking them to complete the survey. The participants represented nine school districts, most teaching early childhood through grade 4 and grades 5 through 8, with an average of 15 years of teaching experience. The estimated number of students being reached by participating teachers was 1,185 total for the year.

The survey provided information regarding the type of technology available to the teacher and/or the students, frequency of technology use in the classroom, if the participant was aware of the NBII CSWGCIN website, interest in attending additional workshops, future use of the NBII CSWGCIN website, use of the NBII CSWGCIN websites as a resource (past or future), and rating of specific characteristics of the NBII CSWGCIN website.

Of those responding,

• 100% have a desktop computer and Internet access;
• 52.9% have interactive white boards;
• 88.2% have access to a printer;
• 38.9% use technology five or more hours per month to teach or enhance a lesson;
• 100% had never heard of the NBII CSWGCIN website before they took a workshop;
• 100% would attend another workshop sponsored by NBII CSWGCIN;
• 44.4% have used the NBII CSWGCIN website for student activities (after hearing of it in a previous workshop);
• 77.8% plan on using the NBII CSWGCIN website in the future for student activities and;
• 83.3% plan on using the website for resource materials, background information, or lessons in the future.

In addition to the EIH-sponsored teacher workshops, the CSWGCIN NBII website is promoted and used in the College of the Mainland, Secondary and Middle School Science Methods courses and at the University of Houston-Clear Lake, Secondary and Middle School Science Methods courses.