The British poet William Butler Yeats once wrote that education was not the filling of the pail but rather the lighting of a fire. Although a database may resemble a pail (a receptacle for gathered materials), our educational approach necessitates the building and exploitation of this tool in a manner that will light a fire in our pupils' imaginations.

Educational Impact

What, on whom, by whom. The building, ongoing development of an ever-changing database, and its usage all relate in their own way to the issue of what educational impact affects which pupils, and by whom. An attempt will be made herein to briefly describe the rationale behind the site and its manifestation in the "product", but leaves the understanding and insight of the reader to add the necessary depth.

The educational value for the designers of the site spans a wide variety of areas: computer skills (including programming), graphic skills, designing a user-friendly website, confronting and solving pedagogic issues, understanding the subject matter (necessary for building a quality search engine), guiding students in its applications, learning the value of and skills involved in teamwork, building bridges of a fruitful and vital peace between Jordanian and Israeli students.

For the school as a whole, the educational impact was - and remains potentially - even greater. First and foremost, the individual academic gains of our pupils are ours as well. Those include the aforementioned designers as well as the student-users (described below). Beyond that, this project serves as an exemplary model for similar educational endeavors in other areas of study in the realms of: definingrationale, joint student-teacher program development, students teaching students, students teaching teachers, defining academic "traditions" for the school and more. The most immediate and exciting impacts of this project is most certainly the strengthening of ties between our school (its students and staff) and the Jordanian Bedouin schools of Rahme village. In addition to other joint programs between the schools, this project allows pupils and staff from both sides of the border to engage in scientificresearch as peers. This project fully embodies the integral link between science and society which is at the heart of environmental studies. For us as neighbors in the Middle East, truly sharing our common environment (which the international border can divide but not change), the value of this endeavor will leave a legacy of peace for the children participating.

As for the student-users, this project offers academic challenges in an atmosphere of a learning community. Needless to say, scientific inquiry generally "lights a fire". The students create the data in filed studies, and analyze them in the discovery of learning. The students enter their findings to the database, thus joining the "scientific community" at our school. They utilize data of their Eighth Grade peers, or of previous students. But they are also fully aware that their data may be used by Upperclassmen in Advanced Earth Studies in their term projects. The breaking down of age differences too serves to enhance a wider multi-age, multi-faceted learning community. We find that the pupil's recognition of the added value of his work increases interest and motivation.

The research projects of the upperclassmen required for graduation in the Earth Sciences too are included in the database. In addition to the projects of the eighth-graders and the eleventh-graders, the site includes research done by university faculty in the country. The exposure of our students to these materials further enhances the undercurrent that scientific research is a continuum. Recognition of this, and the understanding of its importance to the young students, is what encourages the contributions of the academicians who have agreed to publish through our site.

The multi-language feature, as well as its inclusion on the web, invites usage way beyond the confines of our local project. The continued development of the Arabic portions of our site (next year with the help of our students of Arabic language) will hopefully further the peaceful ties between students in a Middle East still in need of new avenues for cooperation. Joint scientific endeavor seems a most suitable manner to build ties of mutual respect and cooperation.

Linking the site to others involving salt flats worldwide enhances to universal approach outlined above. An invitation to others throughout the Middle East and further to contribute will hopefully provide additional stimulation - academic as well as furthering interest in the subject.

An earlier version, not currently on-line, was developed by Russian-speaking students. This work is being continued and will be added in the coming school year.

Students of the Arts contributed works displayed in the site. It certainly befits any educational site (multi-disciplinary approach), and particularly one concerning itself with the environment. Environmental studies for our students involves scientific issues, value-oriented issues, and strengthening their personal ties with their immediate natural surroundings. The artwork included in the website is but another expression of our approach.