Subjects taught: I have taught for 9 years. I have taught computer science, Tech Lab2000, and 8th grade science Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Always helpful, never leave me hanging Rate mini Challenge: 2 mini Challenge comment: Though I would have preferred more time in programming, I found the process a useful tool to know from both sides Rate Challenge discussion: 2 Challenge discussion comment: Keep on iterating Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Everyone work very hard at providing pathways and knowledge Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: Most will be used in my class this next year, not just for the challenge but in everyday class More questions: Not at this time but I am sure they will show up How vaulable: For me, the Java programming but enjoyed all the activities Frustrating: Probably the mini-challenge. Personally, as a workaholic, I would have preferred less lunch and more work. What to improve: nothing at the moment Suggestions: none Concerns: My availability of students with the fortitude to do this. Attend next year: Yes, I found I learned a great deal Find out about STI: Email from the computer fairy Other comments: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO ============================== Subjects taught: I have taught 10 years. The first 7 were language arts, the last 3 was special ed self contained. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Everyone in leadership is very well organized and keep the rest of us on track. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: Now that we have gone through one we can see how it should be done and that is the best teacher of all Rate Challenge discussion: 2 Challenge discussion comment: It is nice to hear the process but until one goes through it the synthesisation doesn't take place Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Ireen is the best!!!!! Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: The materials we were given will be very useful for us in the classroom and in the challenge. More questions: how will we ever survive next year? i am really looking forward to working with the organization and my students next year How vaulable: The learning of the programing code was extremely valuable and when i got it it was fun and exciting Frustrating: synthesising the information given each day. The information was wonderful and there was a lot of it!!!! What to improve: java and star logo need to be taught at different times so people who want to do both can or do saturday institutes in ABQ for those who can come to those for advanced learning Suggestions: i think it was perfect. The only thing I would do different is take more time with the things we need for next year and not spend time on things we don't. Concerns: Just getting the kids to stick with it Attend next year: In a heart beat. Find out about STI: Celia emailed me. I replied are you sure you want me? Other comments: I think this is a very valuable and rewarding experience for teachers. Knowing that you will be there to help during the year takes off a lot of the pressure and i was able to learn more than if i had been stressed over having to remember everything. ============================== Subjects taught: I have taught for 14 years, math and computer science Rate organization: 1 organization comment: It has really helped me with what is expected of the students. It has also helped me with the skills needed to help the students. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: It is very useful in the sense that we have experienced what is needed which helps us understand the process more and be more understanding of our students and their team work. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More questions: How vaulable: I enjoyed them all Frustrating: Team work What to improve: Suggestions: Time management Concerns: Getting more students and other teachers involved. Attend next year: Yes, if I have no conflicts Find out about STI: Challenge last year Other comments: Thanks for all your hard work and good eats. I also appreciate everyone giving more than their fair share. ============================== Subjects taught: I have been teaching for 15 years. Classes I've taught include: General Science, Earth Science, Biology, Astronomy, Geology, Environmental Science, Advanced Science Applications, Chemistry and Integrated Science Rate organization: 1 organization comment: The staff is always well prepared, organized and helpful in all aspects of the STI and Challenge program. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: I think the mini Challenge not only helps us better understand the stress and fears that our students may face, but also allows us to learn new skills in a practical way. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: Discussions are extremely helpful in helping each of us to evaluate our approach to implimenting the Challenge at our schools. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: The instructors are all great! Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More questions: I am always wondering what I can do to help my students be more successful and how to get them to work harder on their project. How vaulable: I especially enjoyed the Java class and learning more about resources such as iearn and Student Research Frustrating: The limited time What to improve: I don't know Suggestions: simple homework assignments Concerns: getting enough good kids to sign up Attend next year: YES! Find out about STI: already participated Other comments: Thanks for all of your hard work to make the STI happen and the accommodations so nice. ============================== Subjects taught: 1 year Rate organization: 1 organization comment: I don't like schedule changes Rate mini Challenge: 2 mini Challenge comment: too short a time Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: very good idea Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Best instructors in the world Rate materials: 2 Materials comment: We got a starlogo and java book, but we never used them More questions: How vaulable: Starlogo, challenge process, java lecture Frustrating: I did not like having to choose between java and starlogo What to improve: Use the total time, have working lunches. Collect money and send out for sandwiches Suggestions: Concerns: Getting students motivation, collecting money, getting parents involved. Attend next year: Of course, it was a very rewarding experience. Find out about STI: My principal told me. Other comments: VTIE - WHY? how about a better process ============================== Subjects taught: five months, sixth grade science and math at a Native American Pueblo (Santo Domingo). Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Fantastic two weeks, very insightful and meaningful, I look forward to many more years of joining in the summers. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: Great idea, I wanted to make it a real project!!!! Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: I had no iddea what it was or what it was about, until now!!! Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Great people and very helpful all the time!!! Rate materials: 2 Materials comment: Maybe something that explains the process thjat we can take back to show to admn. More questions: na How vaulable: the whole thing Frustrating: learning the programming. What to improve: na Suggestions: Just more stuff to take back to admin, I have to sell them on it. Concerns: The level of interest and gettign students in. Attend next year: Absolutley!!! Find out about STI: e-mail from school! Other comments: ============================== Subjects taught: I don't teach for I am a student, heh. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Organization was very good. The schedule was extremely flexible and allowed for modifications as necessary. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: The mini Challenge allowed the participants to experience what it is like to be in the Challenge. Rate Challenge discussion: 2 Challenge discussion comment: Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: The instructors were very knowledgable and passed a lot of that knowledge onto the teachers. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: The teaching materials were very useful. More questions: None. I don't think I have any at all. How vaulable: The mini Challenge was very enjoyable. Frustrating: The two week time constraint was quite frustrating. What to improve: Nothing really... We just need to work around that time constraint. Suggestions: Keep allowing us students to participate in STI. It was very rewarding working closely with teachers. Concerns: How Jesus and I are going to recruit female members to our team (as Celia and Betsy say we should, heh) Attend next year: Of course. In fact, I'm already looking forward to learning more and seeing everybody from this year's STI. Find out about STI: Mr. Simon and Jesus Lopez Other comments: ============================== Subjects taught: I have taught 4 years this time around. I teach Computer Applicatons - Keyboarding and 8th grade enriched Language Arts Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Two weeks is a good amount of time, although like anything else there is never enough time, to get your feet wet or pick up more tricks/information/education to help students. Sometimes it seemed like we were cramming things in but it will all even out after we leave. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: I really enjoyed the 'other side of the fence'. I gained a lot of insight and appreciated the push (gently) to get finished. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: The ability to ask any question and receive an answer from someone was VERY helpful. The Challenge will be difficult the first year until we get our feet under us but we are anxious to begin. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Wow! What an awesome group of people to be associated with! The organizers, the students, the returning Challenge Sponsors were very supportive and willing to help with any little thing. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More than I expected and truly appreciated. Many of the resources I have gained will help in regular classes as well. More questions: How often can we ask the same question? When is the soonest someone would be able to attend our meetings to talk to the students who are participating? How vaulable: Starlogo will be more fun. Thanks to Irene for being so patient. Frustrating: I wished we could have had Susan earlier in the program. I would have associated what she was trying to give us with the total project easier. Though I appreciated what she was doing I felt like I didn't understand until Thursday and even then I don't know if I could repeat what we did. I'm glad I have it saved! I really appreciated her patience. What to improve: For me, larger blocks of time during the day for Starlogo/Java (and in the morning please) and days when we did larger blocks of time of research, measurement and analysis, etc. I would just get to an 'aha' and we would stop and more to something else. Suggestions: I think the same thing I said above - loger blocks of time for Starlogo/Java in the mornings to carry through with the 'I got it!" and then do blocks of time for research, measurement and analysis, etc. Concerns: I am worried we won't have enough students to make a team, that our administration won't support us like we will need, that I will not be able to help as I should. Attend next year: Without question I would attend STI next year. Let me know where and when! Find out about STI: A fellow teacher received an email and asked me to come along. Other comments: This has been an amazing experience. This is the way professional development should be done and I feel blessed to have been included. I hope to do you proud. ============================== Subjects taught: I have taught 4 years this time around. I teach Computer Applicatons - Keyboarding and 8th grade enriched Language Arts Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Two weeks is a good amount of time, although like anything else there is never enough time, to get your feet wet or pick up more tricks/information/education to help students. Sometimes it seemed like we were cramming things in but it will all even out after we leave. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: I really enjoyed the 'other side of the fence'. I gained a lot of insight and appreciated the push (gently) to get finished. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: The ability to ask any question and receive an answer from someone was VERY helpful. The Challenge will be difficult the first year until we get our feet under us but we are anxious to begin. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Wow! What an awesome group of people to be associated with! The organizers, the students, the returning Challenge Sponsors were very supportive and willing to help with any little thing. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More than I expected and truly appreciated. Many of the resources I have gained will help in regular classes as well. More questions: How often can we ask the same question? When is the soonest someone would be able to attend our meetings to talk to the students who are participating? How vaulable: Starlogo will be more fun. Thanks to Irene for being so patient. Frustrating: I wished we could have had Susan earlier in the program. I would have associated what she was trying to give us with the total project easier. Though I appreciated what she was doing I felt like I didn't understand until Thursday and even then I don't know if I could repeat what we did. I'm glad I have it saved! I really appreciated her patience. What to improve: For me, larger blocks of time during the day for Starlogo/Java (a Suggestions: Concerns: Attend next year: Find out about STI: Other comments: ============================== Subjects taught: I have been teaching 9th grade science for three years. It has mostly consisted of basic chemistry and basic physics. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: The objectives for each day were clearly labeled. Flexibility was also incoorporated in everything we did. Well done!!! Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: Going through what our students would go through has been extremely helpful. Team dynamics, programming, researching and composing a final product puts into perspective what is required of our students to accomplish. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: This was very useful, because as supporters of a group we need to know the deadlines and schedule of the challenge. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: All the instructors were well informed and educated. Their knowledge of programming or the aspects of the challenge have been invaluable. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: Research book is excellent, I plan on sharing it with my science department. The starlogo book has lots of great activities that I can do with my students. I didn't really get a chance to look through the JAVA book, just because I was not programming in that language these two weeks. More questions: None for STI, but now I have lots of questions to approach my school with, students and administration alike. How vaulable: The mini-challenge was a major focus and thus received a large portion of my energy. It was challenging and rewarding. Frustrating: Group dynamics. Working as a team was challenging especially when every individual had their own thoughts and ideas about how the process should work. The Lunar crater project was a bit frustrating in that I was more concentrated on my mini-challenge that I didn't feel like putting in any effort into the crater project. What to improve: More time needed to be given to Susan to really complete the crater project. Perhaps introduce that into the first week of STI. Suggestions: All the resources you provided us with along with the teaching was very enriching. I felt like you provided a great academic experience. I also appreciated the more relaxed style. Concerns: Gathering a team of committed students who are interested in putting in time and effort into a project. Attend next year: Definitely, the people were great and the learning opportunity has been amazing. Find out about STI: Through Betsy at the StarLogo workshop last summer. Other comments: Thanks for putting on such a well-organized and fun workshop. ============================== Subjects taught: I have been teaching 9th grade science for three years. It has mostly consisted of basic chemistry and basic physics. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: The objectives for each day were clearly labeled. Flexibility was also incoorporated in everything we did. Well done!!! Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: Going through what our students would go through has been extremely helpful. Team dynamics, programming, researching and composing a final product puts into perspective what is required of our students to accomplish. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: This was very useful, because as supporters of a group we need to know the deadlines and schedule of the challenge. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: All the instructors were well informed and educated. Their knowledge of programming or the aspects of the challenge have been invaluable. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: Research book is excellent, I plan on sharing it with my science department. The starlogo book has lots of great activities that I can do with my students. I didn't really get a chance to look through the JAVA book, just because I was not programming in that language these two weeks. More questions: None for STI, but now I have lots of questions to approach my school with, students and administration alike. How vaulable: The mini-challenge was a major focus and thus received a large portion of my energy. It was challenging and rewarding. Frustrating: Group dynamics. Working as a team was challenging especially when every individual had their own thoughts and ideas about how the process should work. The Lunar crater project was a bit frustrating in that I was more concentrated on my mini-challenge that I didn't feel like putting in any effort into the crater project. What to improve: More time needed to be given to Susan to really complete the crater project. Perhaps intro Suggestions: Concerns: Attend next year: Find out about STI: Other comments: ============================== Subjects taught: I have taught biology, chemistry and physics for three years as a full time teacher. I had one team participate in AiS Challenge for one year. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: This was a very intense, good review of StarLogo, Java and the AiS Challenge. Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: The mini-Challenge provided a way of appreciately what students face when participating in AiS. Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: This was a good review of the steps need to be completed throughout the year. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Nick and Irene were very good for content and help in using the languages. Susan with her moon project was creative. Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More questions: ....exactly how many grains of sand are in White Sands National Park?.....What astronomical method may be used to calculate this number with precision?..... How vaulable: All aspects were well balanced. Frustrating: None were frustrating. What to improve: Perhaps the review of StarLogo and Java could be arranged so that a person could have a complete review of both, rather than choosing between one or the other during the STI session. However, this might mean adding a third week to the session or adding a session at another time. Suggestions: Concerns: My primary concern is having one or two student teams emerge and carry through for the complete year. Attend next year: Yes, I will want to attend in order to learn more about Java and refresh myself with new ideas. Find out about STI: I learned of STI as a part of participating in AiS. Other comments: Thank you for for well done STI. ============================== Subjects taught: EFL, MS Office, Desktop Publishing Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More questions: do connections exist AFTER judging? How vaulable: hands on stuff Frustrating: trying to learn java and starlogo at the same time What to improve: some sort of diagnostic or self-eval for taking time to learn one or the other programming languages Suggestions: provide pre-published activity sheets Concerns: worried about getting a team together! Attend next year: yes, with a capital Y Find out about STI: albert simon Other comments: no ============================== Subjects taught: 20 years. 6th grade, 7th life science Rate organization: 1 organization comment: STI is the best teacher program I have been part of. It is excellent Rate mini Challenge: 1 mini Challenge comment: It was awesome to go throught the challenge. I learned a lot from my high school partners Rate Challenge discussion: 1 Challenge discussion comment: The discussions had me thinking in a lot of different ways. Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: All instruction was very good. The instructor's were all excellent. I learned a lot Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: The materials I receive will not collect dust. More questions: None How vaulable: The challenge was both scary and exciting. Frustrating: I wanted to learn both starlogo and java at the same time. What to improve: Maybe just do Java one week and StarLogo the next. Suggestions: Concerns: Attend next year: Yes Find out about STI: Through e-mail Other comments: Keep it up. ============================== Subjects taught: 2 years. Computer software & hardware. Electronic newsletter. Rate organization: 1 organization comment: Rate mini Challenge: 2 mini Challenge comment: Rate Challenge discussion: 2 Challenge discussion comment: Rate instructors knowledge: 1 Instructors comment: Rate materials: 1 Materials comment: More questions: Still not sure how the SuperComputing Challenge all comes together. On-line tools will help. How vaulable: Java instruction. Everyone worked as a team both the instructors and students. Very friendly learning environment. Frustrating: None What to improve: Can't really think of anything. Everything is neatly laid out on WEB-CT. Suggestions: Concerns: Meeting the deadlines. Attend next year: I would consider attending another STI depending on where it is held. Find out about STI: Another teacher in our school - Albert Simon. Other comments: ============================== Responses subjects1: What subjects have you taught? Response: \' minichall2: What are the benefits? Response: \' contents3: How were the contents? Response: \' instructors4: How were the instructors? Response: \' materials5: How were the teaching materials? Response: \' valuable6: What was most valuable activity? Response: \' frustrating7: What was the most frustrating? Response: \' suggestions8: What suggestions would make STI better? Response: \' concerns9: What concerns you about Challenge year? Response: \' attend10: Will you attend again? Response: \' findout11: How did you find out about STI? Response: \' other12: Other comments? Response: \' --------------------------------------------------------------