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Frequently Asked Questions |
What awards are given at the Tech Fair?
Awards will be given in each grade/category for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. If you do not plan to attend the Awards Ceremony, please try to have someone pick up your award.
With what other projects will my project be compared?
All projects within a category in the same grade grouping will be judged by the same set of judges. For example, the same judges will see ALL 7-8 Digital Photography projects. Therefore, the same judges compare the attributes of every project that is competing in a given category and grade level.
How are the winning projects determined?
Teams of two judges will interview each participant for no more than 20 minutes and see the project. If a project (video, slideshow, presentation, etc.) is longer than about five minutes, the judges will view just a portion of the project. The judges use a rubric guide and suggested questions to evaluate each project. After completing the judging of all projects in a grade/category, the judges will rank the projects and the top three will be awarded trophies. All decisions of the judges are final, and the Tech Fair staff do not change judging results.
The judges only viewed a portion of my project and not the whole thing. Why didn't they watch/look at the whole project?
The judges have a strict 20 minute window in which to judge a project. Judges are assessing a student's use of technology, not a finished product such as a video or Powerpoint presentation. In order to interview the student about the project, ask questions, and fill out the Student Feedback form, the judges may view only a portion of a project. Judges are instructed to spend no more than five minutes viewing the actual project to leave time for the other aspects of judging. We strongly suggest that students limit all presentations to no more than three to five minutes so that judges may see the entire presentation.
Can I see the judge's materials after judging is over?
Judge's materials are not shared. Judges turn them over to Fair officials until after the Fair closes at which time they are destroyed. All decisions of the judges are final and Fair officials do not change any judge's results. Tech Fair appreciates the dedication of the judges who give up a Saturday to help make the Fair a reality and we stand by the decisions of the judges. In 2009, we instituted a student feedback form that all judges will provide to students after the judging interview to provide useful feedback with strengths and areas of improvement for the students.
Why don't you provide computers and other equipment?
In the first few years of Tech Fair, we provided computers. Students came to Tech Fair with newer versions of software than were loaded on the host computers and programs needing software not loaded on host computers. This caused students not to be able to have their projects judged. If each student brings a computer, software, and whatever peripherals are needed, then this situation will not occur.
Why don't you provide Internet access?
In the past when the Tech Fair provided Internet access, when the network failed or there were other interruptions in network services, then student projects could not be judged. If each student brings their Web 2.0 project loaded on a hard drive, cd, or usb drive, then the browser can always access the project. Tech Fair does NOT require that outside links on a project website work, so there is no penalty for outside links not working. After creating a website in whatever program/site a student chooses, there is free software that will download it onto a drive/cd to use at the Fair.
