Teacher FAQs

If you’re already taking part, use the Key information and lessons page to structure the activity with your class.

 

How do I log in?

First apply to take part. We only send log in details to teachers who are allocated classes in the event. You will be emailed your username and password. Click “Log In” at the top right of this page, and enter your log in details.

 

How do students log in?

Once you have your log in, you students need a link from you to set up their accounts. This page shows you how to generate your student registration link. Once they have their log ins, students can access the site any time.

 

I’ve forgotten my password, what do I do?

Don’t worry, there’s various things to try:

  1. We emailed a copy of your username and password when we allocated you a place in the event. If you can, go back and check that email.
  2. If you’ve deleted that email, or you can’t check it at the moment, then click on the forgotten password link and we can email you instructions to re-set your password.
  3. If that doesn’t work then you can email us at admin@imascientist.uk telling us your name and username.

 

What is this site about?

This January, the Royal Institution and I’m a Scientist team bring you the online CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone 2017-18.

This interactive STEM activity on privacy, links to the LECTURES theme “the language of life”. Across 2-3 lessons, students watch highlights of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES series, debate privacy issues surrounding phone microphones and connect to experts working in communication and privacy, including the LECTURES presenter Sophie Scott.

Students challenge the experts over fast-paced online text-based live CHATs. They ASK the experts anything they want throughout January.

You can only talk on the site if you are one of the students, teachers or experts who are taking part. The I’m a Scientist CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone is produced by Mangorolla CIC and Gallomanor, specialists in helping organisations engage their communities.

 

What can I do on the site?

Students can:

  • Watch highlights of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES
  • ‘Meet’ the experts & read their profiles
  • ASK them questions
  • Let the experts know their opinions
  • CHAT live with privacy and communication experts and ask them questions
  • Enter a contest to win a £20 gift voucher (for best engagement in the activity)
  • Students also take part in a debate facilitated by their class teacher

Teachers can:

  • Generate student registration links
  • Download and use lesson plans and resources
  • Watch highlights of the CHRISTMAS LECTURES
  • Develop students’ SMSC and Working Scientifically skills
  • Make lessons fun!

We hope everyone will find the CHRISTMAS LECTURES Zone useful, engaging, and enjoyable. Explore the site, check out the experts’ profiles, the live chats and all the questions that have been asked before, and… have fun!

 

How can I book a live chat?

To make a booking you first need to log in.

  1. Once logged in go to iasuk.ddev.site/live-chat where you should see the live chat booking form if bookings are open.
  2. Fill in the details for your class’s desired chat, including the subject of the lesson the chat is for.
  3. Click ‘Request booking’.
  4. The form will ask you to check the details, and confirm these are correct. Click confirm.
  5. You will see a confirmation, and we will email the details to you.
  6. If you wish to cancel a chat, email us at admin@imascientist.uk.
  • We’ll give every class one live chat
  • We find that 30 minute chats are most popular, although 20 and 40 minute chats also work well
  • We can only run one live chat at a time in each zone, and will leave 10 minutes between chats ending and starting to give time to close and reopen the chat
  • We’ll run a maximum of 3 chats per day in each zone
  • To see what live chats are already booked you can filter by zone and/or date using the Bookings box on the right of the page. Please check your desired time slot is free before making the booking using the form below.
  • Please request your live chats before the event starts so we can do our best to fit them in
  • If you request live chats once the event has started we will try to fit them in, but cannot promise anything
  • Please do let us know if for any reason, such as illness, you’re unable to make a live chat. We can then let the experts know so they can get back to their day jobs!

 

What sort of questions should students be asking?

We aren’t prescriptive. It’s good that students feel emboldened to ask the questions they really want to! We’ll take out gratuitously rude ones…

It might be helpful to mind-map some questions as a group or ask students to write 5 questions down ahead of the live chat. They should find inspiration in the highlight clips of the LECTURES and through participating in the Privacy Debate.

 

Are there any IT checks we should do before the event?

The chat system uses Javascript. You need to have Javascript enabled and this is normal.

We have had reports from a couple of schools having difficulty accessing the live chats on the sites. In these cases, it is likely that the school network is blocking the site.

To minimise the chance of having IT problems, ask your IT technician to whitelist these URLs before your live chat:

MATOMO_URLiasuk.ddev.site
MATOMO_URLimascientist.ie
MATOMO_URLimanengineer.org.uk
MATOMO_URLimamedic.uk
MATOMO_URLgoogleapis.com
MATOMO_URLgserviceaccount.com
gstatic.com
firebaseapp.com
firebaseio.com
MATOMO_URLfirebaseio.com

If you are still having issues or need to get in touch urgently, please call us on 01225 326892.

 

I’m having problems with the website. What should I do?

Lots of problems can be caused by cookies not working on your machine. Make sure cookies are turned on.

You may occasionally not be able to see the latest pages or answers. Usually clicking refresh will sort it out. If not, try clearing the cache (Tools>options>clear cache or clear/delete private data, in most browsers).

If you’re still having problems please email admin@iasuk.ddev.site or visit the staffroom between 9-5 during the event. You can also call 01225 326892.

 

Why are the experts in the Gallery in that order?

The participants appear in the Gallery in reverse alphabetical order (we mean, people called Z first and people called A last). This is because research has shown that people whose names begin with letters near the start of the alphabet tend to be more successful in life (http://www.richardwiseman.com/quirkology/new/USA/Experiment_surname.shtml). Maybe because they are always first in lists!

Here at I’m a Scientist we think life should be more fair, and we try to do our bit to make it fairer. So we are putting the people from the end of the alphabet first for once.
 

How do I give feedback?

All feedback is greatly appreciated. We take everything you tell us on board and this helps us to make the event even better each time. Positive comments are also very welcome and make us feel good about all the work that goes in.

If you have any comments please email us at admin@iasuk.ddev.site. We look forward to hearing from you!