Main Room

[ Janet - 8 - 16:31:28 ]
That was fun. I presume now we just talk to folks the regular way--with our fingers?

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 9 - 16:32:34 ]
Hi Janet. I understand that we had about 50 people tuned in to our presentation. Are any of them here now?

[ Janet - 10 - 16:33:11 ]
What's the number 8 mean by my name?

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 11 - 16:33:27 ]
Janet. It is funny that you think that talking in the regular way is talking with our fingers. Most people would say a regualr talk is a bit different.

[ Mary - 12 - 16:33:58 ]
Thanks for letting all the homeschoolers on MSN know about the conference tonight, Janet!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 13 - 16:34:03 ]
The number 8 is just a way to successively track each comment that gets added. Notice the 9, 10, 11, 12

[ Janet - 14 - 16:34:11 ]
Wow! I didn't expect that many. I have a large family, though!

[ Mary - 15 - 16:34:41 ]
Since this is my first visit, I was unsure if we are supposed to wait and watch!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 16 - 16:34:46 ]
Hi Mary. Are you a home schooler? And have you done any collaborative activities yourself?

[ Janet - 17 - 16:35:31 ]
Hi Mary. Glad you could make it. Sorry i'm slow. I'm on an MSN chat, too.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 18 - 16:36:10 ]
Mary. I'm not sure what yopu man by wait and watch. We are experimenting with the format of these sessions. Until now, we've done about 30-40 minutes of presentation, followed by 10-30 minutes of chat.

[ Mary - 19 - 16:36:22 ]
Not yet, but Janet keeps us informed. My oldest is 8 1/2, and I think we can start venturing into some of the things she's been promoting. Janet has been a tremendous asset to the Homeschoolers in the Internet.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 20 - 16:36:42 ]
I have found that if we try to chat online while doing the presentation, it is way too distracting.

[ Janet - 21 - 16:36:56 ]
Mary is my friend from Placentia whom I've never met in person, just on-line. Next Christmas, though ('98) when we go there for family Christmas, we'll meet.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 22 - 16:37:31 ]
Janet, I didn't know you had a connection to home schoolers, yourself being a school teacher. WHat is your connection?

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 23 - 16:38:16 ]
Where is Placentia? How fun that you'll finally get to meet.

[ Mary - 24 - 16:38:44 ]
This is an odd chat program. Hard to follow, but I'll be nice! :-) Yes, I'm a homeschooler, a sysop on both compuserve and MSN for homeschooling. Science is very difficult for many homeschoolers. We have no problems here, since we LIVE science in our home!

[ Janet - 25 - 16:38:56 ]
Mary keeps our MSN Homeschoolers group organized and full of ideas.

[ Mary - 26 - 16:39:30 ]
Placentia is in Southern Cal...45 minutes from JPL.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 27 - 16:39:41 ]
Janet, do you hoem school your kids.

[ Janet - 28 - 16:41:15 ]
Yeah, we're spoiled on MSN with a fast chat. I HSed my two kids part time when I worked evenings at the high school. Actually, we did the last star count with the eclipse, at school during class.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 29 - 16:42:17 ]
Mary, it is true that our chat room is a bit clunky. But we designed it so that teachers wouldn't have to use a Java-equipped browser or install any plug-ins. Our experience is that many teachers don't have computers capable of Java or that the process of installing plug-ins throws them for a loop. So due to our requirement for a straight HTML browser, the interface is a bit odd. Essentially you need to keep clicking the submit button to see what others type

[ Mary - 30 - 16:42:42 ]
Are there other particpants (am I hogging the floor)? I guess I have to refresh the screen manually?

[ Janet - 31 - 16:42:45 ]
Now that I work days, my kids have to live at the school. They used to only go from 12:30 'til 3. Now they're there from 6:45-4:15. It was qute a culture shock.

[ Mary - 32 - 16:43:40 ]
OK Great...now that I understand, that's fine. Just slows it down! Janet, what age is the Cynthia San Francisco designed for?

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 33 - 16:44:07 ]
Janet, so now are your kids in a school or are you continuing to hime school.

[ Mary - 34 - 16:45:42 ]
Mark, are you at JPL? Do they offer tours to school groups? Most homeschoolers belong to support groups, so getting a group together wouldn't be a problem. I doubt if I'd do it this year, but I'm curious if that's a possibility.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 35 - 16:45:49 ]
Mary, it doesn't appear that there are others here. I am sure that a sizable part of the 50 folks who observed the session were leftovers from NASA-TV coverage of the space shuttle mission. Must have been quite a surprise when their signal changed from Mission Control to Janet from Colorado!

[ Janet - 36 - 16:45:59 ]
Yeah, we're spoiled on MSN with a fast chat. I HSed my two kids part time when I worked evenings at the high school. Actually, we did the last star count with the eclipse, at school during class.

[ Mary - 37 - 16:46:42 ]
Mark, are you at JPL? Do they offer tours to school groups? Most homeschoolers belong to support groups, so getting a group together wouldn't be a problem. I doubt if I'd do it this year, but I'm curious if that's a possibility.

[ Janet - 38 - 16:47:19 ]
That must have been different. The video is weird, too. It's blurry on my scrren and when you moved it would smear.

[ Mary - 39 - 16:48:27 ]
I come from a family of amateur radio operators, and we listen regularly to the fly-bys, and my father has even contacted some of the astronaut-amateur operators. So listening to mission control sort of runs in my blood!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 40 - 16:48:34 ]
Mary, I am not at JPL. I am at Ames Research Center which is in Northern California (in Silicon Valley). But I'm sure that JPL does offer tours if you pore-arranged.

[ Janet - 41 - 16:48:46 ]
Cynthia San Francisco is middle school, but very doable by other ages. It's starting in a two weeks, Dec. 1st, I think. My kids liked it. Well, I've go tto run. My daughter's swim lesson is in ten minutes and my husband forgot to pick her up!

[ Mary - 42 - 16:49:24 ]
I was hoping to "see" you Janet, but I doubt I would recognize Mark in person from that screen! We just have to be patient for technology!

[ Janet - 43 - 16:49:57 ]
Thanks so much Marc. This was fun. Let me know if you need more input for the class in the winter. Talk to you on the boards, Mary! Thanks for joining in.

[ Mary - 44 - 16:50:26 ]
Ok..thanks again Mark and Janet. I enjoyed myself much! Can't you offer refreshments next time? Great job! Mary

[ Janet - 45 - 16:50:40 ]
Oh she's cancelling the lesson, so I don't have to leave!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 46 - 16:50:42 ]
Another great thing you could take advantage of is the TEacher Resource Center. There you can get oodles of posters, pictures, videos, slides, etc. Almost all of the stuff is free fro the taking. The posters and pictures would almost all have lesson plans and teaching activities on the back. That is at an old school in Pasadena.

[ Janet - 47 - 16:51:19 ]
That's a good idea. Popcorn-a-la-internet

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 48 - 16:51:23 ]
Good bye Janet. Thanks for doing this. I learned stuff from yoru presentation. Have a great night.

[ Mary - 49 - 16:51:32 ]
Janet, can you post that info on MSN?

[ Janet - 50 - 16:51:56 ]
Is that the NASA core place for SO CAL?

[ Janet - 51 - 16:52:23 ]
I keep forgetting to push the stupid button! On our's, you just hit enter.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 52 - 16:52:48 ]
I'm interested in your impressions of the technology.. I gather the video was pretty blurry. How was the sound quality?

[ Janet - 53 - 16:52:48 ]
You want me to post my slides? Is that ok, Marc?

[ Mary - 54 - 16:52:49 ]
I didn't know about that place in an old school. Janet, if you can post that info, I'd sure appreciate it. Or e-mail it and I'll post it for you.

[ Mary - 55 - 16:53:31 ]
The Net was so slow I wasn't able to view the slides while you gave your talks. Nice that I can go back and check it out later!

[ Janet - 56 - 16:53:36 ]
I didn't have the sounds on so you wouldn't get feedback. How was your sound, Mary?

[ Mary - 57 - 16:53:49 ]
I'd like info on the TEacher Resource center.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 58 - 16:53:53 ]
Janet, In addition to NASA CORE, there is a whole string of Teacher Resource Centers around the country. Please standby and I'll tell you what is available in Colorado

[ Janet - 59 - 16:54:27 ]
Do you have the TRC address, Marc?

[ Mary - 60 - 16:54:51 ]
The sound was a bit odd at times, and about 10 times it stopped altogether to regroup, or whatever it was called. I have a feeling that your voice isn't as deep as it sounded on the audio. But hey, I'm not complaining!

[ Janet - 61 - 16:55:09 ]
I know we have one in the Springs. Do you have the one for SoCal?

[ Janet - 62 - 16:56:04 ]
My voice or Marc's? I sing tenor.

[ Mary - 63 - 16:57:11 ]
Janet's...it was most likely lower than your true voice, but very clear. Too bad no video on Janet! But then again, we should be looking at the outline and corresponding pages anyway!

[ Janet - 64 - 16:57:48 ]
I wish they had automatic update on this. Anyway to set it up so it updates everytime someone posts or is that what needs the plugins?

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 65 - 16:58:10 ]
Oh yes, the places are now called Educator Resource Centers to better include those who arent teachers....home schoolers for example. In CO, the ERC is indeed in Colorado Springs. Is that anywhere near Englewood?

[ Mary - 66 - 16:58:36 ]
Definitely a dark ages chat program!

[ Janet - 67 - 16:58:47 ]
Yeah, I don't have one of those fancy videocams that plugs into your computer. Maybe in a future life when I make more than a teacher!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 68 - 16:59:36 ]
In SoCal, the address I have seems to be wrong. It is listing the address for JPL, but I know for a fact it is off lab. I'll look for a more up-to-date brochure. The phone number of JPL's seems to be (818) 354-6916

[ Mary - 69 - 16:59:51 ]
Do you have an info on the one in Pasadena? Address/phone...guess I'll need to crank up the printer and make myself a handy-dandy teacher ID card!

[ Janet - 70 - 17:00:20 ]
That center's about an hour south of here, but it is very fun to plunder! Marc, just realized I didnt' get your package at school today. Sigh. I'll call and see if it comes in in the morning and if it does, I'll run down and get it. My schools not that far frfom the Denver convention center.

[ Janet - 71 - 17:01:27 ]
They don't ask for an ID at ours. Just walk in and gather. They also have a jillion videotapes you can copy for free.

[ Janet - 72 - 17:02:36 ]
Well, I'd begtter go see what's going on upstairs. THe heater has never turned off, so I have a feeling my five year old still has the door open and it's about 35 degrees outside.

[ Janet - 73 - 17:03:06 ]
Thanks so much for all this, Marc. It was great. Talk to you both soon. Bye for real this time!

[ Mary - 74 - 17:03:11 ]
OK, I'll call and find out from them. Thank you Marc, Thank you Janet (Barb Page says hi via ICQ). Janet, thanks again for letting us know about this!

[ Janet - 75 - 17:03:49 ]
Hi Barb!

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 76 - 17:06:04 ]
I'm still looking for info about the JPL ERC. But in the nmeanwhile, here is info about JPL tours:http://learn.jpl.nasa.gov/visitor.htm

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 77 - 17:08:27 ]
Yeah. I found it. The JPL TRC is at 4747 New York Ave. (Pennsylvania exit). It's open M-F 8-5. As Janet says, no need for an idea. Just walk in and plunder. They are now supposed to actively serve home schoolers, so you are welcome there.

[ MarcNASACalifornia - 78 - 17:09:06 ]
I'm going to skate off also. Goodbye Janet and Mary. Nice to work with you Janet, and to meet you Mary.