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fterwards eight professors from many parts of the world met worried with education-learning of the Meteorology through computer uses and made decision of creating, in 1993, the Committee on Computer-aided Learning and Distance Learning in Meteorology (CALMet), sponsored by the Standing Conference of the Heads of Training Institutions of

National Meteorological Services (SCHOTI), a non-governmental structure that advise the World Meteorological Organization ( WMO) on issues of education and training, appeared thus the future on education and training in Meteorology. Therefore, this issue especially brings all facets of this importance conquers for all those that make Meteorology in Brazil and world-wide.

BACKGROUND

Computer-aided Learning (CAL) and Distance Learning in Meteorology (CALMet) appeared in 1993 for initiative and endeavor of eight teachers’ several parts of the world, concerned on education-learning through computer uses. The pioneering members were: Brian Heckman (COMET/USA) Chair, Ian Bell (BOM/Australia), Gunnar Bergh (SMHI/Sweden), Charles Duncan (University of Edinburgh/United Kingdom), Joel Hoffman (ENM/France) and Michel Houde (AES/Canada), besides John Mottram (BOM/Australia), Chairman of the CO-COM/SCHOTI, and Geoffrey Rudder (ETR/WMO).

In that sense, the term "Computer-

Aided-Learning" (CAL) is applied, in agreement with its inclusion and visualization modality, to scientific and interactive procedures, as link of direct information and of support to students, meteorologists and other professionals.

The CALMet Internet activities (e-mail list, FTP site and WWW server) have been in existence since 1992. The activities are guided by the CAL Working Group on Computer-Aided Learning in Meteorology (CALWG) of SCHOTI (Standing Conference of Heads of Training Institutes), collaborating on education training for the WMO, which also organizes the CALMet series of international conferences.

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Usually every two years, CALMet/SCHOTI has been accomplishing a series of conferences with international dimension, which involve a mixture of papers, workshops, software demonstrations and panel discussion in the use of computers or networks in meteorology, hydrology and areas correlates on education and training.

CALMet has as politics of performance to accomplish conferences in different countries, so much as soon as occurred in Boulder, Colorado, USA (1993), Toulouse, FRANCE (1995), Melbourne, AUSTRALIA (1997), Helsinki, FINLAND (1999), Recife, BRAZIL (2001), Boulder, Colorado, USA (2004) and Beijing, CHINA (2007). The themes approached in those editions turned around "Getting it Right” (1993); "Dreams and Real Expectations in Distance Learning" (1995); "Earth, Ocean and Atmosphere: Forces for Change" (1997); "Is CAL now Fully Integrated into Instruction? If Not, Why Not?” (1999); "On-line Instruction: Sharing Learning Resources World-Wide"" (2001); "Creating Activities for Learning" (2004); and "Creating Activities for Learning Meteorology" (2007).

It is clear the concern in proposing themes that wake up the participants' reflection in relation to behavior their in the teaching-learning process.

COMPUTER-AIDED LEARNING WORKING GROUP - CALWG

CALWG is a sub-committee of the Coordinating Committee of Heads of Training Institutions of National Meteorological Services (CO-COM), and has as main objective to guide SCHOTI to the promotion of learning use technologies in Meteorology and Hydrology, as well as to organize the CALMet series of international conferences.

The first meeting of CALWG was in the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne in May 1992.

The main goal of CALWG is to promote the use of current and emerging technologies in the learning process by:

a) Recommending standards and practices. b) Fostering communications among users. c) Identifying projects which can benefit

users. d) Facilitating, coordinating, and participating

in appropriate activities. It is exactly 15 years since SCHOTI

established its Computer-Aided-Learning (CAL) Working Group and much has changed during that time. The technology has changed enormously. One of the first acts of the CAL Working Group was to recommend several configurations which defined a multimedia PC. This was rapidly superseded as all PCs became “multimedia”. The original CAL Working Group anticipated the growth of the Internet but the developments of the World Wide Web (WWW) and its wide adoption in many facets of education and training was as underestimated as it was rapid.

Since then the Group has met in person at each of the CALMet conferences in Boulder in 1993, Toulouse in 1995, Melbourne in 1997, Helsinki in 1999, Recife in 2001, Boulder again in 2004, and Beijing in 2007. Between meetings the Group communicates by email and others media.

Below the CALWG chair names are presented at moment: Brian Heckman (COMET/USA), 1992-1995. Charles Duncan (University of

Edinburgh/UK), 1995-2001. Joseph Lamos (COMET, USA), 2001-2007.

During the last Conference (CALMET VII), CALWG met in July 6, 2007 in the Xin Jiulong Chuancaixiu Restaurant, in Beijing/China. All members were in attendance except Ian Mills (United Kingdom) and Joseph Lamos (CALWG chair), who could not travel to Beijing, China.

Ian Bell chaired the meeting for Joseph Lamos, while Jeffrey Wilson (Australia) attended as CO-COM Chairman. Other prior members included: Vesa Nietosvaara (Finland), Pat Parrish (USA), Emmanuel Kploguede (Benin), Roger Deslandes (Australia), Fan Hong (China), Ednaldo Oliveira dos Santos (Brazil), Vilma Castro (Costa Rica), and Laurent Borrell (France).

In the meeting it was informed all that Ian Mills (UK Met Office) has recently resigned of CALWG due to other obligations. One of the decisions taken during this meeting was the inclusion of new members that have agreed to join the committee:

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Liesl Dyson (University of Pretoria, South Africa),

Vibeke Kristensen (Norwegian Meteorological Service), and

Andrey Belotserkovsky (Russian State Hydrometeorological University).

So, the full list of current CAL Working Group members from 2007 to 2009 included:

Andrey Belotserkovsky, Ednaldo Oliveira dos Santos, Emmanuel Kploguede, Fan Hong, Ian Bell, Laurent Borrell, Liesl Dyson, Pat Parrish, Roger Deslandes, Vesa Nietosvaara, Vibeke Kristensen, Vilma Castro.

The meeting focused much of the time on a review of CALMet VII and suggestions for improvements to the future conferences. Major concerns included how to make the conference more interactive and how to offer more opportunities for discussion and workshop time.

Besides, everyone felt the Conference was a great success, and that the Local Organizing Committee, led by Fan Hong, especially had done a tremendous job. In the interest of continuing improvement, however, the group offered and discussed many suggestions for potential revisions to the conference. These are listed below. • More fully address learning theory,

evaluation, and management aspects of Met training, and put a little less emphasis on technology.

• Do a better job us at demonstrating good instructional principles in the presentations. Set a good role model.

Some difficulties in achieving this: It can be difficult to demonstrate good

instruction in 20 minute talks. Perhaps not all presentations can be

considered instructional. Conference structure makes it difficult

to achieve. Provide all presenters guidelines for

making good presentations in advance. Explicit ask participants to offer creative ideas for sessions.

Realizing that this will fall much to the WG itself to initiate, we should work to create some other innovative sessions, such as:

Organize some special sessions of one hour and have 3 speakers work together to put together a more substantial treatment on a selected topic. Perhaps something akin to a mini-workshop.

Organize a small group conversation session on a predetermined topic. (Like the Roundtable sessions not used during this conference.) These might attract a broader audience.

Schedule and/or organize sessions so that there is a lot of time for discussion.

Find ways to avoid using PowerPoint to break the pattern.

The issue of simultaneous translation was discussed that:

It is helpful for some, but can really slow down the pace.

It may be good for participants to push themselves and their English skills.

Some workshops may be too short to be effective:

Offer workshops of varying lengths, up to a half-day or longer.

Networking is a critical aspect of CALMet. How can it be fostered during and after the event? The most important thing is getting together.

Make sure to structure the conference to allow for lots of social interaction and collaboration

Use more panel discussions and roundtable sessions.

Move beyond informational presentations. Use telecommunications technologies to

interact and expand the conference. Pay increased attention to the importance

of instructional design. Invite other professionals. Bring cognitive

science, technology, visualization, and education experts to the conference.

Look for how we can contribute to other communities.

Evaluation is a particularly difficult task. Focus more on that aspect of training.

Work on bridging the expanding gap between developed and developing countries.

Keep CALMet independent from other governing groups.

Survey feedback done during to CALMet VII on facilities and events will be useful for CMA and RSHU and other future conferences.

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Consequently, survey feedback on the impact of the content will be useful for planners. For instance, we should ask, “Has anything changed for you about how you will approach your job?”

CALMET CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES

When CALMet started, its focus was very much on introducing Computer Aided Learning to the international training and education community within the field of meteorology and atmospheric science.

Now that CAL with the growth of the Web and the availability of CD-ROMs has become somewhat ubiquitous, the focus of CALMet 2004 was on creating learning environments via technology versus a focus on computer-aided learning per se.

Thus, CALMet possesses activities aiming at to place the Meteorology while scientific, technique and operative activity that, together with Hydrology, it faces global subjects related to the sustainable development, how to protect the atmosphere, the water resources, the marine environment, to lessen the natural disasters, mainly in developing countries, among other.

Like this, the establishment of observation mechanisms, concentration, information process and the need to maintain the exchange of meteorological and hydrological data in real time, worldwide, it has been generating the production of specialized instruments, transfer of technologies and assembly of an international operative structure in each country.

Besides, technological, scientific and operative improvements of the Meteorology have been causing impacts and benefits in many sectors, such as: Transport and commercial aviation that it

uses the collection system of Aircraft to Satellite Data Relay (ASDAR) and real-time meteorological data, thus assuring flight safety.

Prevention of natural disasters with progresses based on advancing technology, to enhance the radar coverage, optimization satellite data to establish meteorological forecasts and to minimize damage in the port facilities, material goods and evacuation from areas affected.

Long-range weather forecast of seasonal rains, above all because, the agriculture of tropical regions is mainly dependent on rain, as well as to support National Meteorological

and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the preparation of crop calendar to avoid losses.

Water resources management due to the complexity of hydrometeorological data that requests the use of computers, logical supports, etc., to provide fastest data-processing and exchange of meteorological observation network consequently.

Environment management, once, although several countries have established juridical measures to control industries, industries that discharge pollutants can be dangerous to the atmosphere and environment, the available techniques don't have enough to assist the sector’s demand.

CALMet conferences follow methodological patterns in its programming, naturally adopting an appropriate technician-scientific focus to the general theme and other themes to be developed. They are globally known as practical and active events that facilitate the participants' learning.

So, they consist of scheduled activities such as conferences, mini-courses, videoconferences, examples of experiences accomplished at several countries, whose studies and applied experiments in Meteorology have been producing a knowledge and practice sets, products and softwares.

Usually the conference program is composed of the following modalities: Opening ceremony. Plenary sessions: Keynote presentations by national and international experts in Meteorology.

Poster: Presentation composed of more than a speaker on theme - discussion. The session will be coordinated by a mediator.

Workshops: Presentation of teaching-learning experiences computers-based, practical results in focused themes.

Technical sessions: paper presentation that submitted a proposal and/or attended in the Call for Proposals. Each technical session will have duration of 50 minutes, being 30 minutes for presentation and 20 for questions and discussion. Session's coordination will be led by a mediator.

Exhibition/Demonstration: Products and services in Meteorology and computer science, as well as other knowledge areas. For that 15 stands are made available for companies interested in the exhibition of their products.

Evaluation session. Closing remarks.

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Diversity in practices, product's availability, exchange experiences, conferences on special themes, software demonstration, participation of authorities and representatives of all sectors, agencies, public and private institutions on meteorological and environmental subjects, without a doubt, cause impacts that will contribute to improvement of the definition of sector's public policy, making possible new exchanges, to the time where, to give new feature to distance learning, mainly, in Meteorology.

CALMet is a international event started in USA (Boulder, Colorado) where is mainly offered applied mechanisms of “Education” in Meteorology and Hydrology, that allow the countries to give development jumps, reason for which the Conferences came if concentrating in developed countries, although to be more necessary to countries as Brazil, with enormous lacks and unbalances.

TARGET AUDIENCE

CALMet being of international amplitude, normally have the professionals' participation as meteorologists, researchers, teachers and students proceeding from many countries.

Due to the event's profile, participant linked of some scientific areas (atmospheric, environmental, astronomy, oceanography, geology, geography, and hydrology) and one of technical support, as computation science, beyond those of educational area. As each CALMET possess characteristic specifies, the number of participants will be able to vary between 50 and 100 people.

ACCOMPLISHED CONFERENCES

At the moment seven CALMet conferences were accomplished, including 5 continents (North America, Europe, Oceania, South America and Asia). Thus, of now in ahead we will go to make a historical trip inside CALMet spaceship.

CALMET I/1993, Boulder, Colorado, UNITED STATES

First International Conference CALMet (CALMet I) was held July 5-9, 1993, Boulder, Colorado, USA. The organization was hosted by Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) and sponsored by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the American Meteorological Society (AMS).

This Conference was Co-chairpersons

by Dr. Charles Duncan (Professor of Meteorology, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) and Brian Heckman (Manager of COMET, UCAR, USA).

This was the first conference of its kind and it looked to stimulate ongoing and future activities which would benefit the international meteorological, hydrologic, and oceanographic communities. Like this, the theme for this first conference was “Getting it Right”. The aim was to bring together meteorologists, educators, administrators, instructional technologists, and others who have an interest in the application of distance learning and computer-based learning technologies.

CALMet 1993 consisted consist of workshops, formal presentations, and displays of hardware and software by a variety of commercial vendors. In the total about 50 people made presents on this Conference.

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The first two days offered a series of workshops led by experts in their subject area. Workshops themes accomplished were: The Fundamentals of CAL and Multimedia; Using Effective Instructional Designs in

CAL; Taking the Myth out of Authoring Systems;

and Evaluating CAL Projects.

The remaining three days were devoted to the presentation of papers from invited speakers and submitted papers which included development and assessment techniques as well as examples of the use of computer technology in education and training.

Sessions were focuses on several themes: Steps needed to get into CAL; Educational strategies and learning

experiences appropriate for CAL; Using CAL in operational settings; Using CAL technologies in the traditional

classroom setting. In brief, CALMet in USA comprised

techniques most recent used in the development of CAL packages existent at the time with emphasizing on the development in materials that could be used in the National of Meteorology and Hydrology Services (NMHSs).

CALMET II/1995, Toulouse, FRANCE

Like its predecessors, this conference was also focused on the CAL theme. CALMet II was accomplished at the National School of Meteorology (ENM), located inside of Météo-France, Toulouse (France) from July 17th to 21st, 1995. "Dreams and Real Expectations in Distance Learning" was theme of this edition.

Same the first Conference, it had as co-chairmen Dr. Charles Duncan (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) and Brian Heckman (COMET, UCAR, USA) and Dra. Astrid Erdal (ENM) was Local Committee organizer. In the total around 75 people participated in the CALMet II conference.

CALMet 1995 was held jointly with World Meteorological Organization Symposium on New Perspectives of Education and Teaching in Meteorology and Hydrology (SYMET-VII), where the main theme was Education and Training Meteorological and Hydrological besides the Year 2000.

For opening and closing sessions and main conferences it was used a main theatre that possessed seating 280 participants, fully equipped with video projector, PC, access to the Internet, audio facility and lights.

Besides, two meeting rooms with seating 20 people were used for parallel sessions. While other two of them being equipped with 15 PCs for the workshops; all have video projection facilities and access the Internet.

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Wednesday was the conference social day, when a trip to the medieval city of Carcassonne and a visit of the "Château Comtal" were accomplished. At night, the gala diner was held at Hôtel d'Assézat.

The subjects discussed during the Conference were the ones that delt with pedagogy, strategy, implementation and evaluation CAL. Especially for the less experienced ones it is easy to make the mistake of focusing too much on technology and too little on the objectives with the program.

In summary, outcomes of the conference were: More confidence in the “technical” aspects

of producing CAL-modules; Reassured my own thoughts concerning

pedagogy, implementation and evaluation CAL;

Lots of valuable contacts all over the world.

CALMET III/1997, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA

Third International Conference CALMet (CALMet III) was accomplished from 1-9 July, 1997, at the Conventions Center of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. The main theme was "Earth, Ocean and Atmosphere: Forces for Change".

Chairman of CALMet 1997 was Dr. Charles Duncan (University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom) and Dr. Jeff Wilson (Dr. Jeff Wilson (Supervisor of Australian Bureau of Meteorology Training Centre - BMTC) was Local Committee organizer. It participated at CALMET III about 60 people.

Themes discussed during CALMet III were:

(a) Recommending standards and practices in Meteorology.

(b) Fostering communications among users in Meteorology.

(c) Identifying projects which can benefit users that use the Meteorology: The Images of Meteorology CD-ROM was produced as a direct result of discussions during the CALMet 93 conference in Boulder, USA. This CD-ROM is intended to provide copyright-free images to meteorology CAL developers so long as they are producing material for non-profit-making educational purposes

(d) Facilitating, coordinating, and participating in appropriate activities of CAL.

The debated, appraised and established activities by Working Group during this Conference included:

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The series of international CALMet conferences held every two years of which CALMet 97 is the third.

The creation of an FTP site where people can contribute CAL software and make it available to others around the world by anonymous FTP.

The creation of a Website dedicated to CALMet.

The creation of an on-line inventory of CAL materials to which anyone can add entries. Outcomes originating from CALMet in

Melbourne (Australia) were: The CALMet Website (1997). The CALMet Website brings together all the

facilities offered by the Working Group. The site was created by Charles Duncan and made available at http://www.met.ed.ac.uk/calmet, besides a simplified version of the Website has been provided on this CD-ROM in this CALMet.

Use of CD-Rom was a new and first time that it was used in CALMet conference.

Using PowerPoint in presentations was quite new, what brought attractiveness and benefits to the Conference.

All experienced trainers were extremely helpful in introducing new techniques.

CALMET IV/1999, Helsinki, FINLAND

4th International Conference CALMet was held on 14-18 June, 1999, in the Helsinki Business Polytechnic in Helsinki city, Finland, and it was organized for Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). This Conference had as Chair Dr. Charles Duncan and Dra. Carola Sundius was Local Organizer's Coordinator. In the total about 70 people made presents in CALMet IV.

This Conference followed conferences well happened held previously in Boulder (1993), Toulouse (1995) and Melbourne (1997) and in a similar way it had plenty success and significant discussions about CAL.

The use of the Computer Aided Learning (CAL) in Meteorology would not be as distant as a new idea that someday could happen, so this moment was appropriated to discuss subjects that were inside of the conference theme: “Is CAL now fully integrated into instruction? If not, why not?”

CALMet IV was closed with a confraternization dinner sponsored by company of meteorological product Vaisala.

CALMET V/2001, Recife, BRAZIL

Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, hosted of

CALMet V, held from July 8th to 13th, 2001, at the Convention Center of Mar Hotel Recife. It was sponsored by SUDENE (Superintendence of the Northeast Development), State Government of Pernambuco, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and Institute of Technology in Computer Science and Information of Alagoas (ITEC/AL), and had main support of UNEMET and several public and private national institutions.

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CALMet V had as Chairman Dr. Charles Duncan and professor José of Lima was Brazilian Coordinator.

The most important aspect of the predecessor conferences went to show that reconnaissance in to share and to reuse multimedia resources is, without a doubt, a vital element for computers' use in education. Then the theme of CALMet was ON-LINE INSTRUCTION: SHARING LEARNING RESOURCES WORLD-WIDE.

The chosen this theme withdrawn a moment of reflection on challenges to implement an "on-line" education program in different specializations of Meteorology and similar areas.

This CALMet represented one more

significant mark in the series of held conferences, for reasons that proceed:

• While computer based learning technology has been updated thoroughly, the learning processes universally recognized have been creating new inter-operationally standards, allowing to the educators more concentration in the subjects of the pedagogy and less in technology. • For the first time, Hydrology is included formally in this Conference type and was demonstrated that Meteorology and Hydrology are benefited, widely, when it happens this synergy.

• This Conference returned to Southern Hemisphere, standing out once again, the width truly global of this event.

CALMet 2001 there were a total of 86

participants representing 15 different countries involved with computers’ use and/or networks on teaching-learning process in Meteorology or Hydrology, such as meteorologists, heads of education institutions (public and private), researchers, teachers and students.

This conference consisted of formal presentations, workshops, displays of hardware and software and round-tables. Besides of products and applied technological innovations exhibitions in Meteorology, Hydrology and Computer Science by a variety of institutions and commercial vendors.

CALMet V was very important under aspect of joining a pedagogic component that it uses CAL to the Meteorological learning. Nowadays, computational resources are important tools on education and teaching. The meteorological science is inserted in a modern way in the computational context needing for that, to implement new methodologies for the teaching facilities and research.

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The social events as city tour Olinda and Recife, visit to the Malakoff Tower, Opening Cocktail, "Brincantes de Pernambuco Ballet" presentation and Dinner went pleasant moments for all group, for providing a cordiality climate and friendship among conference participants.

CALMET VI/2004, Boulder, Colorado, UNITED STATES

In 2004, CALMet returned North America and United States. The Sixth Edition was held was held 12- 16 July 2004, Boulder, Colorado. The Corporate Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) was host of the conference.

The conference theme was “Creating Activities for Learning” which was a conscious effort to redefine the original acronym CAL (Computer-Aided-Learning) to represent a broader and more educationally inclusive orientation for the conference.

Registered attendance at the conference was 59 people from 15 different countries with an additional 6-8 local COMET and UCAR staff who participated sporadically during the conference.

Following the theme of the conference, there were four keynote speakers, one per day, along this week.

The lead-off Keynote was by Ian Bell, Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) and one of the founders of the CALMet conference. Ian’s talk was titled “The CAL Honeymoon is Over: What do we do now?” Ian spoke to the fact that CAL is progressing through the final stages of adoption moving from “Reality Sets In” through “Disillusionment” to finally, a “Mature Relationship".

The second keynote speaker was Dr. Brent Wilson, Professor of Education, University of Colorado at Denver, USA. Dr. Wilson’s talk was on Designing for the Whole Learner: Cognitive, Aesthetic, and Value Dimensions of e-Learning.” Dr. Wilson described that there should be four pillars for instructional design practice. These would be:

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Pillar 1: The Individual (Information, Cognition, and Content).

Pillar 2: The Outside Connection (Social, Cultural and Tool Context).

Pillar 3: The Value Context. Pillar 4: The Aesthetic

The third keynote was Dr. John Cahir, former Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education and Professor of Meteorology, Pennsylvania State University, USA. Dr. Cahir described the successful change process at Penn. State University to create 134 technology equipped classrooms to promote more active and collaborative learning.

The final keynote speaker was Dr. Tom Reeves, Professor of Education, University of Georgia, USA. His keynote talk was on “Online Learning: Getting Beyond ‘No Significant Differences”’. In his talk, Dr Reeves described the line of ineffective research that has tried to compare one form of instructional delivery (e.g., the classroom) with another (e.g., CAL) and the inconclusive results from such research.

The four keynote speakers established a focus for the conference that was carried through by most of the workshops and papers. So, CALMet 2004 participants could attend eight plenary sessions that covered 26 presented papers.

Besides, there were seven workshops where the conference participants learned abilities using tools and techniques for CAL.

The workshops in particular focused on how to use the computer to convey realistic weather events and to foster problem solving behavior (workshops by Bell and Deslandes). Other workshops showed specific computer tools that allow interactive engagement with students at a distant (Dr. Whittaker) and communication around projects-based learning (Dr. Muller). Finally, there were workshops that described how to create learning environments (workshops by Parrish and Yarger) and a workshop on how to access online resources (Dr. Weingroff).

Two social events were provided for conference participants. The first was a trip to Georgetown, an old silver mining town, and a ride on a restored narrow gauge steam railroad. The second was a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park to visit a dam break flood site followed by dinner at the historic Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. Both social events were well attended.

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The CALMet participants evaluated this conference as being more then they expected and indicated that all activities were attended adequately, similar the conferences already held.

VII CALMET/2007, Beijing, CHINA

CALMet conferences have served to build international working relationships that continue to have a large impact on meteorology education worldwide.

The Seventh International Conference on Creating Activities for Learning in Meteorology and Hydrology (CALMet VII) was held from 2-7 July, 2007, hosted by the China Meteorological Administration Training Centre (CMATC), located inside of the compound of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) in Beijing, China.

Although CALMet has been conceived originally to guide to the emerging uses of computers in education and training of Meteorology, this conference continued with its expanded theme, reflecting the evolution of Computer-Aided Learning from perplexing innovation to everyday tool.

The CALMet 2007 had 65, where 31 belonged to China and others representing 17 different countries and 5 continents. This was the first occasion in which the conference was hosted on the Asian continent. The conference was 1.5 years in planning. Conference Co-chairs were Vesa Nietosvaara (FMI) and Patrick Parrish (COMET), and the local organizer was Fan Hong (CMATC).

The theme was centered on how to use new tools and strategies to create effective and meaningful activities for learning Meteorology and Hydrology.

A gracious welcome and first day keynote was offered by Mr. Shen Xianong, General Director of CMA Department of Human Resources and Education and General Director of CMATC, on “CMATC Activities”.

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Soon afterwards, presentations on CMATC distance learning activities and site visits to CMATC facilities and CMA national operational centers co-located in the CMA compound were devoted.

The conference themes included

Managing Meteorology Education and Training Programs, Recent Experiences in Meteorology Education and Training Projects, Current and Emerging Technologies for Meteorology Education and Training, and Teaching and Learning Meteorology.

Keynote presentations were offered

that provided larger perspectives on providing education and training to professional meteorologists and hydrologists:

• Mr. Shen Xanong (CMA), CMATC Activities.

• Dr. Ion Draghici (WMO), Managing the Education and Training Program of the World Meteorological Organization.

• Mr. Ian Bell (BOM, What’s the Point of Training?

• Dr. Andrey Belotserkovsky (RSHU), Current and Emerging Technologies for Meteorological Education.

Eight separate workshops were offered during the week. These focused on basic skills and knowledge useful for professional educators and trainers in the field, including several focused on emerging technologies:

• Eduard Podgayskiy (RSHU), Learning and Teaching on the Move.

• Ian Bell (BOM), Setting Authentic Objectives and Competencies.

• Jaakko Karppanen (FMI), Making eLearning Effective: Understanding the Importance of Theory and Importance of Instruction in Computer Assisted Distance Learning.

• Jeff Wilson (BOM), Using and Running a VISITview Session.

• Roger Deslandes (BOM), Simulating Severe Thunderstorm Scenarios at Australian BOM.

• Patrick Parrish (COMET), A Hitchhiker’s Guide to Learning Theory.

• Bruce Muller (COMET), Moodle: A Hands-on Overview of the Open-source Course Management System.

• Jeff Wilson (BOM), Creating and Editing a VISITview Session.

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Forty-three individual papers and presentations were offered by participants. This large number of interesting sessions meant that only a portion were offered in Plenary session, while the rest were offered in concurrent sessions.

In addition to these presentations and

papers, a poster session hosted ten individual posters and demos, while a final day technology demonstration session hosted an additional six demonstrations.

It was a very full week of activities,

information sharing, and learning opportunities.

During the conference week, CMATC

also arranged a Welcome Reception, and Conference Banquet, and a group excursion to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs. These additional social events were highly successful and appreciated by all as a way to better get to know one another.

An online evaluation done after the

CALMet 2007 with the participants showed that 93% gave the conference an overall rating of above average or excellent and 89% intend to attend CALMet VIII in St. Petersburg, Russia. HISTORY OF THE BRAZIL PARTICIPATION IN THE CALMET CONFERENCES

For the first time in 1995 Brazil participated in a CALMet conference, in Toulouse, France, through two professors of the Meteorology Department of the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL), José de Lima Filho and Ricardo Sarmento Tenório.

However, it was only in June of 1999, in elapsing of the CALMet IV Conference in Helsinki,, that had the participation of the professor José de Lima Filho (UFAL), where it was made the challenge to hold CALMet conference in South America, considered initiative of great salience for the Education of Meteorologists and similar areas, mainly, for the current progress of the distance learning.

It was starting from such interests that Brazil was made to act in the IV Conference held in Helsinki (Finland), looking for the participants' adhesion in the choice of Brazil as host of CALMet V to be accomplished in 2001.

In 2001, this dream became reality because SUDENE (Superintendence of the Northeast Development), UNEMET and several national institutions held Five International Conference CALMet (CALMet V), from 8 - 13 July, 2001, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil.

The challenge in accomplishing an event of such magnitude, demanded scientists' contribution, Brazilian meteorologists and professional of similar areas, and commitment of government institutions, with objective of doing scientific-technological exchange essential for distance learning progress in Brazil.

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CALMet 2001 was very successful, had 120 people's participation (being 86 registered and 26 from companies of exhibition products in parallel activities) from 5 continents, and being until today the conference with larger number of participants, inside of the size ideal of the established for CALWG in the CALMet conferences that should be among 80-100 participants.

Seen on the optics of the contributions to the knowledge area, this conferences happened with great participation, so much in the context of the discussions and generation of solution proposals for specific aspects, for instance: definition of symbology; standardization of terminologies; representation of meteorological phenomena; information inclusion and its fixation for users, when in the global context, as: conflicts among updated methodologies CAL of different groups of competences in several countries

About the glance of the State of the Art in Brazil and Latin America, CALMet 2001 was constituted in a referential high quality and produced enormous increments in the education questions, under different aspects of the human knowledge and, in matter, in Meteorology, Hydrology and Information Technology, reducing distance of the countries more developed.

In brief, this Conference represented a mark in the history of the Meteorology in Brazil, because for the first time became possible to base this event in Latin America. The interest and decision of SCHOTI team in promoting with full success this event was, without a doubt, a referential of willpower and determination of the ones that believe in the possibilities and improvement of the meteorologists' education in Brazil.

The width of the presentations and workshop sessions allowed to the participants to take knowledge of the varied experiences, above all in Northern Hemisphere countries, and also in Australia. Prominent papers in environmental education shown by Brazilian educators denoted the beginning and effort in using the instrumental possibilities of the computer. So, the series of activities discriminated in the scientific programming, evaluations and own social events indicated the determination in accomplishing a conference of such magnitude in Meteorology.

We emphasized that CALMet V only had this enormous success thanks to people as professor Lindoya Martins Correia, where this issue would be in honor to her "in memory".

Due to the great success of this conference, UNEMET was invited to participate in CALMet 2004, held in 2004, Boulder, USA. Besides, UNEMET turned CALMET authorized agent in South America and CALWG member, being an enormous victory to Brazil.

In July 2007 was held 7th edition of CALMet and one more time represented Brazil, and was the only participant institution of the South American continent. At this conference had CAL Working Group Meeting and was resolved that up to 2009 UNEMET will continue being only institution of South America in this committee.

FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Next CALMET, eighth edition, will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, 29 June-4 July, 2009 hosted by the Russian State Hydrometeorological University (RSHU).

CALMet VIII will continue with its expanded theme, reflecting the evolution of the CAL from perplexing innovation in using tools of this type in the daily. The theme will center on how to use new tools and strategies to create effective and meaningful activities for learning Meteorology.

As in past conferences, papers and workshop proposals will be sought on the topics of technology for training delivery, creating learning activities, methods of sharing educational resources, competency-based training, metadata and data format standards, learning object development, and social aspects of encouraging learning.

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CALMET VIII PLANNING

Conference chairs will again be Vesa Nietosvaara (Finland) and Patrick Parrish (USA), with the addition of Vibeke Liesl (South Africa) and Fan Hong (China) will contribute advice and also help in the organization of the next Conference.

Local chair will be Andrey Belotserkovsky, with the assistance of his staff of the RSHU.

Besides, will look into more broad advertisement of the conference, including presenting a paper or poster at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Meteorology (AMS) in 2008, as well should advertise more widely to include more National Meteorological Services (NMSs), Universities and researchers, but won't necessarily worry about broadening beyond the current focus of CALMet.

CALMET IX PLANNING

• South Africa (University of Pretoria) has been asked to consider submitting a proposal to host the Nine Conference. So, Vibeke Liesl will investigate the possibility. Besides, Jeffrey Wilson (COCOM Chairman) and Patrick Parrish (CALWG Co-Chair) will provide information about past proposals to help in the elaboration of the same.

• Meteo-France has also expressed interest in hosting CALMet in the future.

• CALWG Co-Chairs (Vesa Nietosvaara and Patrick Parrish), in February, 2008, we will call for expressions of interest in hosing CALMet IX, 2011.

CALWG has as goal to make the decision about CALMet IX before July 2008 so that the hosting organization has plenty of time to decide upon sending representatives to the 2009 conference.

Had contributed with this Session:

• Carola Sandius, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland;

• Patrick Parrish, COMET/UCAR, USA.

To Know More: DUNCAN, C. Bringing It All Together.

WMO Symposium on New Perspectives of Education and Training in Meteorology and Hydrology, Madrid 21-25 April 2003, 136-145 p.

LAMOS, J.; SPANGLER, T.C. Increasing the Use of Distance Learning. WMO Symposium on New Perspectives of Education and Training in Meteorology and Hydrology, Madrid 21-25 April 2003, 185-192 p.

SANDIUS, C. CALMET: Past, Present, and in the Future. 7th CALMET, 2-7 July 2007, CMATC, Beijing, China.

SANTOS, E.O. Educação sem Distância: O Novo Tempo da Meteorologia. Revista Cirrus, UNEMET, Ano II, Número 6, Março – Maio, 2006, 20-29 p.

WILSON, J.; FRANCIS, R.; PURDON, J.; HINSMAN, D. The WMO Virtual Laboratory for Education and Training in Satellite Meteorology: Current Status and Future Directions. WMO Symposium on New Perspectives of Education and Training in Meteorology and Hydrology, Madrid 21-25 April 2003, 180-183 p.

Important Websites:

CALMET: http://calmet.comet.ucar.edu World Meteorological Organization – WMO: http://www.wmo.ch/web/etr/ Australian Bureau of Meteorology - BOM: http://www.bom.gov.au/ National School of Meteorology of France – ENM: http://www.enm.meteo.fr/ Russian State Hydrometeorological University - RSHU: http://www.rshu.ru/eng/ Finnish Meteorological Institute – FMI: http://www.fmi.fi/en/index.html EUMETCAL: http://www.eumetcal.org Site Sharing Resources of Earth Observation - eoPortal: http://www.eoportal.org/ Committee of Technology Standards of Learning – IEEE: http://ltsc.iee.org