Mockvitational Tournament

2 ways to try this – 

anyone can go to www.nearpod.com and enter the code: IHYF9

This will allow students to see the 3 kinds of questions that can be asked.  This version is student-paced, but the real test will have a timer running in the corner and will move on whether they are ready or not, just like a real station event.

 

If you want the real experience, sign up for a free nearpod.com account and use this link to add the deck to your library: https://share.nearpod.com/e/Y0D1RhVWWbb

(log on to your account and then open a second tab and paste this link in it, it will ask you if you want to add this to your library).

 

add it to your library (kids can do this too) and click “Live Participation” then share that link with whoever wants to try it.  Then you must click through the test as each section ends.

 

 

I have had lots and lots of questions today and there are currently 83 people looking at the Invitational spreadsheet, so I wanted to share a few notes.

 

1.  Nearpod – All the volunteers are using free nearpod accounts tomorrow, which max out at 40 people.  We will be fine as long as only 1 of your students logs in to take the test.  They need to screen share with their partner, they both can’t log in.  We do not provide any sort of room or hangout for that, use whatever your kids are used to.  Students do not need to provide their names, we need school and team – Ex: Heritage Varsity.

 

2.  Codes may change.  The volunteers are getting used to this software and if they edit anything, it changes the code.  Have everyone keep the spreadsheet handy, I will update it with any changes, which may occur right at the start of the event.

 

3.  Google forms – both teammates can access those and then just turn one of them in.  They will go live at the start of the block they are in.

 

4.  Fast Facts – the directions are the next thing on my list.  The competitors will see a url in those directions, they go there to play the game and each student on the Fast Facts team will log in with their first name and choose the teams that we have preloaded.  If they choose the wrong team, I don’t think they can fix it.  Then the questions will be timed on the screen and each partner has to submit an answer, their overall score is an average of all the partners speed and accuracy.  They can talk to each other while they play.

 

Headquarters – Just like a real tournament, you can find staff here all day.  Please do not share this with students or parents.  Students need to come to you and you need to come to us if there is a problem. (coaches, email Kim if you need this link)

 

Just like a real tournament, I love to see all of you and check in, so feel free to stop by and say hi!

 

Here are the zoom links (coaches, email Kim for these if you didn’t get them) for camera-on events tomorrow.  Please only share these with the individual students who need them, we are trying to avoid a zoom bombing or any unauthorized people in our events.  I highly recommend that you join with your students for these events.  When do you ever get to see behind the curtain?  The event supervisors know to expect you.  Silent parents are also encouraged to be nearby and an adult is required for Mission Possible to help with camera angles as needed.  Students do not need personalized zoom accounts, they are welcome to use parent accounts.

 

The Invitational spreadsheet is the best source of up to date information for you and the students.  All the missing links and codes will be filled in by tomorrow morning. I will keep this up to date if there are any last minute code or link changes, so if something doesn’t seem to be working, check there first.

 

Many of you have asked for changes to the self-schedule blocks.  Avogadro is being difficult.  Just like in a real tournament, we will make sure everyone gets a chance to compete, have the team show up when they think they are supposed to be there and if necessary, we’ll have them come back.

 

If you haven’t submitted and ASL (Mission) or Logbook (SOM), please get them in on the form today or email them to Kim.

 

The only MUST is a consent form for each student – please check on those today and let me know if you need help.

 

The Awards Ceremony time has moved to 3pm on Sunday.  It will stream on all our social media platforms as well as our youtube channel.

 

Please remind everyone involved that this is a large scale experiment.  Things are going to go wrong.  In an attempt to make this as much like a real tournament as possible, we have undoubtedly complicated things.  We feel like we owe it to you and your students to do more than just plop a boring test in front of them, so that’s why there are so many different platforms and instructions.  If the consensus is that people don’t like it, we’ll go back to the drawing board. 

 

I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

 

Quick checklist for this week.  Because this is really a practice run on all fronts, please bear with us as we figure it out.  

 

I am trying to link everything out on the tournament page, with very specific directions for events in the event spreadsheet.  All codes and links will be posted here.  Students can click on them now, they will take them to closed forms, which we will open at the start of the correct hour.  This should save you from the last minute scramble of communicating with students, they can all open this page.

 

1.  We need parent consent forms for each participating student.  These were shared with you via Google Forms.  Let me know if you need help with them.  

 

2.  Mission Possible & Sounds of Music have early submissions this week for log and ETLs.  Links are in the spreadsheet.

 

3.  Codebusters – Your students will not be able to participate in this event if we do not have their emails entered in this form by 5pm on Wednesday.

 

4.  Avogadro & self-scheduling –  lots of you have not picked slots for the self-scheduled events.  We need you to do that by 5pm on Wed.  Enter your students into the system as well.  Remember – we don’t need their emails, you can use yours.

 

5.  Digital Structures – if you do not have an email about your SkyCiv account, or are having trouble with it, email me.  Change to the original schedule:  Div B – your metrics are already listed in the spreadsheet, Div C, I will release yours Thursday morning.  You can practice building as much as you want, but once you toggle to “competition mode” it will block most of your information and make you build from scratch.  You will only have 48 hours once you move to Competition Mode to submit your structure.  These must be submitted by 8:50am on Saturday morning.  The tutorials will help you get started, I am not an expert on how the software works, but we hope to get a training document after our event leaders see this in action.