2025-02-28 Chat

2025 Feb 28. How Can You Keep Them Engaged When They’re Eight Meters Away? A large dome can be a challenge if you’re trying to get the audience participating. Join April Whitt as she shares her own ideas and tips and invites you to share yours.  April retired from the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, GA in 2021 and has extensive experience working with planetarium audiences. 

Video: LINK

To see a description and schedule of upcoming Planetarians' Zoom Seminars, visit

https://www.ppadomes.org/events/online-seminars/pzs-schedule

Below:

• Attendees

• Chat

Attendees

1. Rosemary Walling, Marie Drake Planetarium, Juneau, AK

2. Alan Gould, Berkeley California USA

3. April Whitt, Atlanta, Georgia

4. Mary Holt, Berkeley CA

5. Lionel Ruiz, Marseille (France)

6. Diana Yoder, Dayton, OH

7. Cal Powell, Alexandria, VA, USA

8. Dário Fonseca, Coimbra - Portugal

9. Liam Forbes (UAF), Fairbanks Alaska

10. Rachel Scheet - Lincoln, NE

11. Gary Lazich, Asheville, North Carolina!

12. Joe Witte, Los Angeles, CA.

13. Carole Holmberg, Rock Hill, SC

14. Léon Snyman - Naval Hill Planetarium, Bloemfontein, South Africa

15. Todd Ullery, New Freedom, PA

16. Karrie Berglund, Bremerton, WA

17. Amie Gallagher, Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ

18. Guilherme, Planetário da Unipampa, Bagé-Brazil

19. Jon Elvert, Richmond, VA

Chat

00:30:30 Mary Holt: Woo hoo, go Ellen!

00:32:57 Mary Holt: They learn better and have more fun!

• Diana Yoder (she/her): Reacted to "They learn better an..." with 👍

00:33:32 Gary Lazich: Why not? <g>

00:33:38 Carole Holmberg: It keeps me from getting bored and adds uniqueness.

00:35:07 Gary Lazich: If you don’t engage them, they may as well not even be there.

00:36:47 Mary Holt: Kids frequently think Mars is Earth when we zoom into it in the sky, so we are able to address that point too with that

00:46:45 Mary Holt: Yeah we usually start with lots of stars and say, but wait I don't see this many in Berkeley, do you? Why do you think that is? And then talk about light pollution

00:47:47 Rosemary Walling: https://www.ppadomes.org/home

00:48:30 Rosemary Walling: https://www.youtube.com/@ppadomes

00:52:51 Mary Holt: "discovery"

00:55:01 Jeff Nee: For that, I've always just put up markers and numbers in the sky.  Then people can make quantitative guesses and pair-share; works great for any audience size.

00:58:39 Rachel Scheet: Ask guests to hold up numbers that correspond with an answer. Thumb-o-meter.

00:58:43 Mary Holt: And sometimes older kids like using the laser pointer too! And adults!

00:59:05 Karl von Ahnen: I hate to leave, but Karla and I are off to visit a planetarium (see the next GWO).

• Mary Holt: Reacted to "I hate to leave, but..." with 💜

01:01:09 Mary Holt: Microphone is a requirement in any dome, absolutely

01:01:43 Todd Ullery - SSA: Repeat the question so all the audience knows what you are answering.

• Mary Holt: Reacted to "Repeat the question ..." with 💯

• Lionel Ruiz (Marseille, FRANCE): Reacted to "Repeat the question ..." with 👍

01:04:48 Mary Holt: Yep, we'd frame that as scientists don't work by themselves, you have to talk to your fellow scientist next to you!

01:09:06 Gary Lazich: About 25, but who’s counting? <g>

01:10:11 Amie Gallagher: We created a short (1.5 min) and long (10 min) video tours of our planetarium.  We include those video links with all our private show reservations so teachers can show the students what we look like before they get here.

• Diana Yoder (she/her): Reacted to "We created a short (..." with ❤️

• Mary Holt: Replying to "We created a short (..."   Oooo I like that idea!

• Gary Lazich: Reacted to "We created a short (…" with 👌

• Amie Gallagher: Replying to "We created a short (..."    Today I had 5th graders who kept coming up to me saying "were you the lady in the video?"  LOL   Awwww so cute!

• Jeff Nee: Reacted to "Today I had 5th grad..." with 😂

01:13:32 Amie Gallagher: "Let's ask the computer!"  I'm going to use that.  Thank goodness for the digital systems being able to tell us what is what.

01:14:08 Joe Witte: Thanks, Some good suggestions.

01:14:34 Joe Witte: Right!  Siri what’s the answer 🙂

01:14:53 Gary Lazich: Or Alexa.

01:18:26 Joe Witte: Color flashlight

01:19:25 Alan Gould: https://www.ips-planetarium.org/page/pass  is the link for Planetarium Activities web page on IPS site.

01:22:41 Karrie Berglund: I have to run. Thanks April and everyone else for the interesting conversation!

01:23:19 jon elvert: Likewise, great presentation, April.

01:24:37 Rachel Scheet: Thank you!

01:24:42 Gary Lazich: Cell phones can inform, but they can’t engage!

01:25:20 Mary Holt: Gotta take off, thanks, April!

01:26:33 Lionel Ruiz (Marseille, FRANCE): Thank you !

01:26:36 Gary Lazich: Thank you, Rosemary!