AMMAN, Jordan—Here in Jordan's capital city, it's not uncommon for temperatures to push into the mid-90s (35 degrees Celsius). Getting students to understand the science behind the weather is the challenge that Mohammad Abed Al Razzaq Al-Jdou is tackling with technology at a high school called Oqba Ben Nafeaa.

To generate more interest in meteorology, Al-Jdou uses computers to transform textbook lessons into more engaging learning activities. His tenth grade students, who are typically 16 years old, have surprised him with their curiosity in the subject. "I imagined there would not be a big number of students, but I found enormous numbers participating," he says. "Students are more attracted to computers than to a book."

The teacher uses atmospheric maps, available on the Internet, to help students understand high and low pressure, air fronts, fog, and other atmospheric conditions. Weather is a natural subject to explore online, because information is constantly being updated as conditions shift. Students can "see" conditions change on weather maps, then make local observations with their own eyes. They also learn about the relationship between meteorological phenomena on the surface of the Earth and phenomena occurring in the upper air layers.

In the school technology lab, equipped with 20 computers, students practice locating elements on atmospheric maps. The teacher uses a variety of online resources, including an illustrated meteorological glossary available through a professor at the University of Oregon (http://zebu.uoregon.edu/~js/glossary/coriolis
_effect.html*).

Al-Jdou also uses an electronic presentation to teach students the importance and technology of weather probes. He explains: "This is a balloon filled with hydrogen, with instruments attached. It has a wireless transmission device which transmits the information to a meteorological station on Earth. If a balloon reaches a specific height, it explodes and its instruments fall by parachute to Earth."

Students learn about the importance of weather satellites and aircraft equipped with meteorological instruments. Al-Jdou also highlights the importance of international cooperation. "It is impossible to form a weather chart without exchanging information between countries," he explains.

Al-Jdou's school serves about 1,200 students in an urban campus. Most students also have computers at home. Although the teacher has made his popular meteorology project available only at his school so far, he adds, "I hope later my project will satisfy other schools."