TEA Orientation Workshop 15 to 19 March 2000 Parcticipants Mr. Fred Atwood, Flint Hill School, Oakton, Virginia Ms. Arlyn Bruccoli, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York Mr. Tim Buckley, Barrow High School, Barrow, Alaska Ms. Besse Dawson, Pearland High School, Pearland, Texas Dr. Karl Erb, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Dr. Kelly Falkner, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon Mr. David Friscic, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Mr. Marvin Giesting, Connersville High School, Connersville, Indiana Mr. Guy Guthridge, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Ms. Michelle Hauschulz, Waianae, Hawaii Mr. Todd Hindman, Anvil City Science Academy, Nome, Alaska Dr. Martin Jeffries, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska Mr. Richard Jones, Billings Senior High School, Billings, Montana Dr. Jane Butler Kahle, Director, Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education, NSF Ms. Susan Klinkhammer, Lincoln School, Corvallis, Oregon Ms. Catherine Koehler, Manchester High School, Manchester, Connecticut Ms. Sandra Kolb, Poulsbo, Washington Dr. Fae Korsmo, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Ms. Kolene Krysl, Millard Central Middle School, Omaha, Nebraska Mr. Kevin Lavigne, Hanover High School, Hanover, New Hampshire Arlington, Virginia Ms. Karina Leppik, Choate-Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut Dr. Debra Meese, Cold Regions Research & Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, New Hampshire Ms. Marian Moyher, Raytheon Polar Services, Englewood, Colorado Dr. Julie Palais, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Dr. Dennis Peacock, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Dr. Thomas Pyle, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Ms. Janice Rosenberg, Wellington School, Belmont, Massachusetts Mr. Jay Schauer, Wilsonville High School, Wilsonville, Oregon Mr. Robert Schlichting, Portland, Oregon Dr. Stephanie Shipp, Rice University, Houston, Texas Ms. Wendy Slijk, La Costa Canyon High School, Carlsbad, California Mr. Bruce Smith, Appleton North High School, Appleton, Wisconsin Ms. Maria Stenzel, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Dr. Simon Stephenson, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Mr. Steve Stevenoski, Lincoln High School, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Dr. Wayne Sukow, Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Mr. William Swanson, Montwood High School, El Paso, Texas Mr. Sean Topkok, Alaska Native Knowledge Network, Fairbanks, Alaska Mr. Rolf Tremblay, Goodman Middle School, Gig Harbor, Washington Ms. Betty Trummel, Husmann Elementary School, Crystal Lake, Illinois Dr. Ken Verosub, University of California, Davis, California Mr. Priit Vesilind, National Geographic Society, Washington, D.C. Ms. Mary Wallace, Montwood High School, El Paso, Texas Peter West, Office of Polar Programs, NSF, Arlington, Virginia Dr. Frank Willingham, Ilisagvik COLLEGE, Barrow, Alaska Dr. Clarice Yentsch, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York Day 1, Wednesday 15 March Welcome Orientation Objectives meet new and previous TEA parcticipants and researchers. meet representatives from TEA Program Management, the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Science Education (ESIE) and the Office of Polar Programs (OPP). discuss experiences of previous TEA teachers and plan for your future expedition. discuss program expectations and sign-off on responsibilities. plan ways to integrate the TEA experience into your classroom, school, and community. obtain polar resources provided by OPP and other TEA parcticipants. work with the TEA Web site (../) and become familiar with the software that will be available to you while you are in the field. Introduction to The United States Arctic and Antarctic Programs (Fae Korsmo, Karl Erb, Guy Guthridge) Arctic Sciences, Antarctic Sciences, and Polar Research Support are the three main sections of polar sciences at NSF. Arctic section breaks down into three subsections: Arctic Natural Sciences, Arctic System Sciences, and Arctic Social sciences. The Office of Polar Programs wants scientists to come to them with interesting questions. Scientists submit proposals to OPP. A great publication resource is Witness the Arctic put out by the Arctic Research consortium of the Unites States (ARCUS). Distinctions between the two regions. Arctic is an ocean surrounded by continents and the Antarctic is just the opposite. Like Arctic Program, Antarctic Program covers a wide range of sciences. Atmospheric, Astronomy, Geology, Paleontology, Glaciology are a few of the sciences carried out in the Antarctic. Impact of polar regions on global systems. Such as the Antarctic circumpolar current. Unlike the Arctic, all science projects in Antarctica must involve NSF. The nations of the International treaty are the environmental stewards of Antarctica. Most of the knowledge of Antarctica comes within our lifetime. United States role in the Antarctic is active and long term. Objectives and Viewpoints of EHR and OPP (Thomas Pyle, Dennis Peacock, Wayne Sukow) TEA is a Program to help teachers teach better science and help students (ultimately) have research experiences. The TEA Community is asked to please communicate this experience widely to colleagues and the public. TEAs are a privileged group of teachers who have opportunities beyond the opportunities of most teachers. TEAs are part of an alumni group; in the future new TEAs will return to share their experiences as experts. Antarctica is the highest, driest, windiest, coldest place - and it is also one of the most dangerous. This goes for the Arctic as well. Take training to heart. Be part of the "buddy system." Every year there are accidents. Be careful, follow the rules, be thoughtful in every activity you undertake. Be a presence, get involved in station and camp activities, welcome inquiries about the TEA Program. Make the most of the visit. In the Arctic the formalized logistical support is just developing. The Arctic, parcticularly, is totally international. It has a richness in the indigenous people. If we can help, we will - after all, we are the Federal Government. Discussions: Living & Working at the Poles Robert Schlicting - Glacial meltwater outburst floods on Kennicott Glacier Mimi Wallace - Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research Bruce Smith - Antarctic field work: Cape Roberts Project I felt fortunate to be part of TEA life. Be positive. Be functional. Ask questions. You had to focus on one thing - all else was taken care of. The sun did not impact me - I was able to have a normal routine. It was dry - I brought a humidifier. My slides did not come out well, but the digital images did. Take every opportunity to be involved. Michele Hauschulz - Arctic field work: Monitoring Populations of Stellar's Eiders I did not know about birds -- I learned in the field. There are adjustments you have to take; the sun does not set. At 3 am you still want to work. You are over-stimulated. Be careful with photographs -- there may be sensitivities about taking them. Ask. I was able to return to the Arctic later that summer with a student because I asked. Arctic Indigenous Cultures (Sean Topkok) The Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) is a communication line between educators and researchers and the communities. The ANKN Web site offers links to guidelines for respecting cultural knowledge. http://ankn.uaf.edu ARCUS - the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States - has helped with these connections in communication. What you observe of indigenous people is like an iceberg; you see only the top and not the 9/10's that is under the water line. Share and learn from indigenous people. With summer field seasons, you may not have much contact because the indigenous communities will be at fish camp. You will not have access to all of the knowledge, much will stay within the culture. The elders are the key to the past and the key to the culture. Be careful of sharing mis-information about who you are and why you are there. This can lead to deep cultural misunderstandings and mistrust. Speak to many people to gather information and view points - be careful of spreading misinformation. You are in a powerful position to do so because you are posting your experiences on the Web. There may be individuals who hesitate in sharing with you; this is because of past experiences where misinformation was communicated, or knowledge and experiences were not respected. Respect the native knowledge; with time researchers are realizing the value of this knowledge in designing their experiments and gathering data. Native communities have a strong interest in science education. Their environment is their livelihood. Do your homework! Learn about the history and culture of the location where you will be. Greenland is now under home rule and no longer Danish. Place names are being changed to the original names. The original languages are coming back. Experience all aspects. Sample the food. Learn some aspects of the language. Inuit = people Innuk = person Inupiaq - real person Eskimo does NOT mean raw meat eaters Be respectful when taking photographs. Do not be judgmental. Antarctic Safety and Logistics (Marian Moyher) There are many different locations and projects. It is difficult to make opportunities to move from place to place and project to project. Remember that getting you to a different project for a few days involves efforts by many people, not just you. We will try to accommodate your desires (as long as they also are the desires of your PI). But please BE FLEXIBLE. If things do not work out, remember that YOU ARE IN ANTARCTICA - and be happy where you are! Always remember that you are a member of a field team. This provides you access to resources. The best way to get supplies and equipment is to go through your PI. Raytheon will provide assistance with accessing computers, parcticipating in CU-SeeMe or Live Audio, sending journals and images, etc. TEA has established some guidelines for this assistance with Raytheon in the form of training sessions. Raytheon will not be able to maintain personal Web pages. You are used to being in control in the classroom; please remember that this is no longer the case. Be flexible. Get into shape. This is a harsh environment - prepare. Ask your PI if you need sample permits. Let your PI know if you want to take sediment, rock, water samples. Check out the Raytheon Web site: http://www.polar.org Be alert for opportunities. If they work, go for it. Again, be flexible. McMurdo and Palmer have internet capability. South Pole has limited connectivity. Siple Dome and other remote sites may or may not have e-mail connectivity. No Internet. Ships send electronic communications twice a day; no Internet. Steph will compile a SIP - Science Implementation Plan - for the Antarctic teachers as soon as the teachers provide their field information. The SIP will describe all communication requirements and Raytheon will prepare to meet the needs of the TEAs in the field. Arctic Safety and Logistics (Frank Willingham, Deb Meese, Simon Stephenson) The Arctic program is diffuse - there are many gateways from many countries and organizations. Your link to logistical support is through your PI. This is the first year of formalized logistical support for NSF-funded Arctic projects. The contractor is VECO (Valued Engineering Construction Operations). There are many unique aspects to the Arctic that must be considered when accompanying an expedition: Cold temperatures. Frozen ground; melt stays puddled above the permafrost. Low precipitation. Sea ice prevents fog. Long daylight times in the summer; short in the winter. Indigenous people. Unique wildlife. Vast uninhabited areas. Things to take: An Inner layer of polypropylene to keep you warm and wick away moisture. An insulating layer of polar-tec. An outer layer that is abrasion proof, wind proof, and water proof. A head cover. Appropriate footwear. Sunglasses - polarized with plastic frames. A first aid kit. A flashlight. When you are in the field: File your travel plans. Don't go alone. Take a map. Take GPS instrumentation or a compass. Take a personal location beacon. Plan an escape route when working on sea ice. Watch for wildlife. Polar bears can run faster and swim faster than you, and think that anything that moves is fair game for dinner. If you are in Polar Bear territory, your research team will be covered appropriately. Marine mammals are protected. Don't disturb or make plans to take home - whole or in parts. Note that many of the arctic foxes have rabies. Mesquitos are a concern inland. Take a head net if you are there between July and August. Do not touch domestic dogs. Machinery is difficult to operate in the cold. You will see snow machines, four wheelers, cars and trucks. Get training before you use these! Follow the rules, stay warm, stay dry, stay healthy - and have a great experience! TEA Program Responsibilities and Discussion (Stephanie Shipp) The program responsibilities change slightly from year to year. Note especially that annual reports are due on 15 January for all TEAs for the first three years. This is a date change from previous season. Please periodically revisit these in your TEA Binder to ensure you are meeting your commitment. There will be occasional reminders, but please do not rely on these to prompt you into action. Fulfilling your commitments to the TEA Program will bring many opportunities for parcticipating in future events. Day 2, Friday 17 March Research Presentations / Discussions Martin Jeffries - Remote Sensing in Polar Regions Ken Verosub - Cape Roberts Project Panel Discussion: What Do Researchers and TEA Parcticipants Expect of Each Other Before, During and After the Field Experience? (Guy Guthridge, Fae Korsmo, Ken Verosub, Martin Jeffries, Betty Trummel, Robert Schlichting) It would help if OPP would get the researchers and TEAs connected as early as possible - much more exciting to colleagues, parents, administrators, and students if the project is specific, rather than "I'm going to Antarctica - but I don't know where." This would keep the momentum going strong! When matches are made, disciplines and common interests are taken into consideration when possible. In some cases, there are not matches in the discipline, or a site is environmentally sensitive and cannot support an additional individual (the TEA). There is no way around this. Start communicating immediately. The Antarctic program has a 15 month planning process. This needs to be considered by all parcticipants. It is difficult to meet some last minute requests. Teachers are a part of the OPP program; the researchers request their parcticipation as part of the research team. TEAs should communicate what is expected of them to their research teams. More guidance for the PI is needed; in past years, there was little information. PI's for the last two years have received a package of information from the TEA Program / OPP that describes the TEA Program and the responsibilities of the TEA. The info also is available on the Web site ../teainfo/tea_aboutresearch.html> A ../teainfo/tea_aboutresearch.html. Note that they may or may not read the material. Give PI's their own list of responsibilities. The PI needs to realize that the TEA's needs are different from a graduate student's. They need more attention. They are present for a short amount of time. The PI is a mentor. The visit to the PI's institution is critical! Make good use of the time at the PI's institution. Both the TEA and the PI should prepare and discuss ahead what will happen. Learn about the research, meet the team, present the TEA program, use the equipment. TEAs should ask questions - but it helps tremendously if the PI makes it okay to ask questions. Questions should be encouraged. If your PI is being patronizing, something is wrong. Try a new tact, or discuss it. The relationship should be one of respect, professionalism, and inclusion. This is a two-way street! Note that the professional needs are different for scientists and teachers; discuss this during the institution visit. It is important that the TEA be made to feel part of the team by being given responsibilities in the research project -- real responsibilities. During the institution visit, define the project in which the TEA will be involved. Discuss experiment design, data collection, analysis. The TEA should be part of this process in the field. It is important to maximize the teacher's involvement in science! If there is a difficulty with the TEA or research team, let Deb and Steph know right away. TEAs need to realize that field tensions can get high. Be flexible. TEAs should be self starters, patient, able to fill in when things are slow, know when to volunteer. TEAs should have a back-up plan at all times. Offer the PI the opportunity to review/edit journals before they are posted; they may or may not be able to read them. Documentation, Journaling, and Images for Effective Communication of Science (Maria Stenzel, Priit Vesilind) You are a member of a research team, therefore the content primarily should reflect the science. What is the experiment? What are the results? Why is the science important? Remember that this reflects you as a learner as well. Verify the accuracy of what you are writing. Get it reviewed by a team member. Take books to check facts. Include also the social science, technology, history, geography - there are multiple opportunities for generating interest and for giving teachers in the classroom "jumping off points." Ask a question each day and provide the answer the next day. Give adequate descriptions of images. How does it relate? What does it show? Perhaps have two sections - one for adults and one for children. Send journals daily. It IS okay to miss a day here or there, or to take Sunday "off." However, sending just three or four journals a week is not appropriate.* *In some cases the technology will not support the sending of journals daily or even weekly. Keep up with your journals and post them as soon as you have access to the needed technology. Send data!! Provide ideas for activities that can be done in the classroom. Remember that some aspects of your experiences will have been covered by other TEAs (e.g., the trip to Antarctica, happy campers school). Give these a new twist or focus on other topics. Establish a writing routine. It helps if your TEA responsibilities are part of your day and not an addition. Be prepared for long days - your journal is a TEA requirement and you will probably want to do this after you have exhausted all your other research tasks for the day. Remember that science is proprietary, ask before posting any details that might be sensitive. Ask your PI what is sensitive. The journal does not have to reflect all of the events of a day. Pick a topic/aspect of your day and convey it to your audience. This is not a personal diary. When photographing, try to provide a reference to scale. The vastness of polar landscapes is easily lost without some sense of the scale, for example a person or tent. Remember that not everyone who reads your journal will read every entry. Give a short intro to a colleague in each entry in which they appear. Beyond the Field: Transfer to Classroom (Discussion Facilitated by Betty Trummel, with panel of B. Smith, M. Wallace, M. Hauschulz, R. Schlichting, D. Meese, W. Sukow) Suggest to newspapers that you send a weekly arcticle (can follow your journal). For the schools you visit, point their homepage to the TEA Web page. Connect to as many classrooms as possible before you go this helps you transfer to more classrooms when you get back. If your school is not in session during your experience, try to connect with learning centers that are in session before you go. For example summer school and year round programs. Visit by PI to your classroom is a powerful experience for your students and the PI. Get your students involved with your project as early as possible. Day 3 Saturday 18 March Beyond the Field: Mentoring (Discussion Facilitated by Sandi Kolb with panel of F. Atwood, B. Dawson, R. Tremblay, B. Trummel, D. Meese, W. Sukow) Your mentorees are a strong asset in helping you transfer your TEA experience to classrooms. Keep a record of your sessions, this helps when it comes time to document your work. Be organized, it is important to maximize your mentoring time. Be open, remember that mentoring is a two way street. You and your mentorees will benefit from the experience. Your mentoring sessions are an excellent opportunity for developing and discussing ideas for classroom transfer. Help your mentorees gain access to resources. The TEA mentoring component is a formal way to disseminate the polar research experience. Devise an organized way to document your mentoring. This will help you out in the long run. Such as a mentoring journal, spreadsheet, chart, etc. Why 137 hours? The rationale behind this number was that mentoring should be a long term commitment. What's in it for the mentoree? "I felt connected to the Polar Learning Community. The TEA network provided me with access to incredible resources," Rolf Tremblay. Mentoring is not just about polar research but also about the process of science. Mentoring supports the professional development of both the mentor and mentoree. It provides time to reflect and discuss on experience. Helps you to think about your work in different terms. Mentees are encouraged to join the associates network if they are interested. Pre-service or first year teachers are often enthusiastic mentorees, as they are often looking for ideas and connections. Posting Journals and Images on the Web Page (Stephanie Shipp) Specifics for posting images and journals can be found in the TEA Binder and on the Web site at ../teainfo/tea_teainfofrontpage.html. Live Audio (Steve Stevenoski) CU-SeeMe will no longer be supported by the TEA Program because: WhitePine, distributors of CU-SeeMe, are charging a large annual for use of CU-SeeMe reflectors; getting equipment at the field sites is problematic; and ensuring that classrooms have the appropriate hardware and software has been challenging. Steve Stevenoski will maintain and oversee a RealAudio, an Internet broadcast system that requires only telephone access from the field and connection to the Internet in the classroom. While in the field, each TEA will send images and information to Steve, who will post the materials on a Web site. Steve will send notification of upcoming broadcast events to the TEA community. During the broadcast, Steve will serve as the MC (wearing a wild-plaid sport coat), relaying questions to the TEA in the field. The TEA will respond via phone across the Internet. This is the first season in RealAudio will be used. Steve has the software and is installing it at Lincoln High School. We anticipate the system will be running by fall. Orientation Surveys Start The mentoring requirement is a source of some anxiety among the new TEAs. We did spend considerable time on it but presenting more models and successful examples would be good. More actual hands-on with technology. More networking with folks going to the same areas. X 2 Have a day session of the PI and TEA in which the responsibilities of both parties are covered. This eliminates the need of the teacher in informing the PI of the responsibilities. Split dinner into 2-3 groups 25 is a large group for a restaurant to take and we are not going to talk to everyone there. Allow time for small group conversations. Invite PIs. Incorporate more PI's. Stop conversations when things are being said over and over with no new information; we could be moving to other important topics. Keep discussions focused; occasionally things seemed to drift. Put little dishes of hard candy on the table (jolly ranchers). More breakout groups - "if the body moves the mind will follow." Then come back to the big group and have discussions. This will reduce the individual questions and give more group questions. Meet the NSF reps while here. Provide a packing list. Many good ideas came up. Add a veggie tray, instead of just sweets. At the start, perhaps something should be said to address talking during a presentation. I find this to be distracting. Give time to get into DC for half a day or end early one day. X 3 Stick to breaks; when we ran behind the breaks were way shortened. Acknowledge changes from year to year by saying "this is new this year" or "this has changed this season" and repeatedly reinforce that TEA is an evolving process and that all TEAs are a part of this process (i.e., via feedback and evaluations). This is done somewhat, just continue to reinforce. The TEA Orientation this year has many new informative sections to help TEAs. For example, the sessions on journaling and picture taking were super additions. These helped clarify the objectives and purpose of TEA and the use of these tools. I think it is really important to preface the introduction of these sessions with a word about the session being "new" - this keeps past TEAs from feeling "spanked" and chastised over something that has not been communicated clearly. Built-in culture shock discussion. TEA business card format. Strive to make a good PI selection for the TEA. You have started to build a good platform that gives teachers support and empowerment - the more they feel supported and empowered to initiate change before things get out of control the better. There has to be a STRONG PI/TEA research connection in order for the objectives of TEA and goals to be met. Insist privately or publicly that TEAs and others in the meeting don't chatter. It was very irritating and distracting. The TEA orientation should be a celebration. By this I mean celebrate the return of old TEAs and their successes (no matter how small). I am not suggesting any additional be spent to stage their experiences other than the TEA presentations. I guess I am describing more of an attitude than an act. I am sure the hear of the celebration is present but it does not really show. It is also important to celebrate the new TEA experience. This attitude is important to perpetuate because it will set the stage for a positive, supportive commitment from the TEA returning from the field. Perhaps this attitude will take the apparent "sting" out of the 137 hours. I can't help but notice the lack of representation of non-white parcticipants. I realize this is not a quick fix, but I wanted to point it out. I noticed a lack of minorities working on doing science while I was in the field. I mention this because I think this puts the TEA Program in a unique position to address change and growth in this area. Introducing students to the work being done in Antarctica and the Arctic and involving them and opening up their world beyond the confines of 4 walls is one of the strengths of the program - kudos to TEA and its vision of improving science education. Thank you for allowing me to associate myself with an outstanding program with potential for great science education impact. Thank you for all of the time and effort put into this excellent orientation. Individualize topics; Antarctic topics for Antarctic parcticipants, Arctic topics for Arctic parcticipants. When needed, have all of us meet together. X 2 With orientation moving to August, I suggest lengthening it. The 10 hour days have been tiring. Schedule more free time into the day for overflow. Built in over-flow time (cushion time). Time limits on all speakers. Spend time explaining budget - it's like a deep, dark secret. An all-year TEA reunion / brainstorming session. Provide more concise directions on what products should go where (NSF, Steph, Arlyn, etc.). Spend less time on the mentoring component. Continue Everything was valuable to some or all parcticipants. Including more PIs in the orientation is wonderful. Having Martin present for the meetings was enlightening and useful to all parties. It would be more useful to have more if possible. Bringing former TEAs to presentations. Also bringing PI's into the meetings. X 5 Having researchers present their projects. X 3 Have professionals talk to us - the National Geographic people were fantastic. Bring back the National Geographic writer and photographer (very helpful, great tips, good information). X 6 Technology help (do more). Technology information. TEA Web site practice. Having computers available in the room. Steve Stevenoski as tech help. I liked the break-away small group discussions. This was great because includes all voices - old TEAs and quieter new TEAs. I would like to see more of this technique included. The Panel discussion was useful too, but I don't think everyone contributes. Panel discussions. Panels were good, but shorten them. Large group collaborations Contributions by all parties involved in the orientation. Transfer plans. Discussion of "self promotion" of the research experience and the TEA experience. Touch on special needs for those that have them, such as people not going to stations or on ships (e.g., things like communications, transportation) Keep reinforcing your support of the TEAs while in the field via communication or problems, concerns or ways you can help. You addressed this repeatedly throughout the orientation that the TEAs do not need to feel alone in the field. Meeting everyone involved and supporting TEA. Giving patches and pins and publications. Keep Arctic and Antarctic together. Good listening. Being so approachable. Showing humor. Being so helpful. Name tags. Thanks for the coffee and rolls each day. Thanks for the hour lunch. It is nice to be treated like a professional. Long lunches where we can talk personally. Rolls and coffee (tea, water, etc.). X 3 Group dinners. Frequent stretch breaks. Excellent info. Topics that were covered. The last three days covered many topics to make us successful. I can't think of anything that I have heard that should be left out. Stop So many intros of heads and directors and stuff so that we can move on to other stuff. Visits by NSF, OPP etc. "dignitaries." Stuffy rooms. We need a few more breaks. X2 Going so long needs to stop. X3 I still feel we need all of the information - is it possible to stretch the orientation over more than three days? X 2 Having past TEAs present for journaling, posting, etc. Last year was nice because they could leave to the Smithsonian early one day. Having the technology at the last activities of three days. Tired. Who could focus with so many bytes of information thrown at us after three days (pun intended). X 2 Commit to forward movement rather than letting someone repeat for 20 minutes (small ideas). X 2 Panel discussions in large groups only. Come together to share small group brainstorms. Have the signing of commitments first thing second day - the intro was too long (but necessary) for an afternoon session. Hit the new TEAs early. Unknown I can't think of anything - it was great. Thanks again, everyone! Back to:TEA Information Front Page