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Hints
and Tips for Eliciting Responses
Every Ask-an-Expert web site is slightly
different and has different rules for submitting questions. Some will answer any question submitted while others select only
a few. Some sites have very
quick response times while others may take days or even weeks. Keep in mind that most experts offer their services voluntarily. Here are some hints and tips to elicit responses:
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Review the
rules for submitting questions. Your question may already be answered in
a Frequently Asked
Question (FAQ) section. |
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Don't
ask simple questions that can be researched easily, e.g. a NASA
expert may not answer what "NASA"
stands for. |
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Experts
will generally not answer "homework style" questions (e.g. "X+1=6, what is X?").
They will assist students with
problem-solving skills or direct them to appropriate research sites and
materials. |
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Include
the grade level and location of your class in the message. Experts
try to respond appropriately to the student's grade level so a 4th grader
would not receive an answer involving advanced calculus. |
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Send
a test message to the expert prior to using him/her in the classroom
to gauge age appropriateness and response time. |
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Interactions
with experts can expose students to new career paths. Asking questions about
what the expert does as part of their job are just as valid as asking
subject specific questions. |
Using
the Internet in the classroom plugs your students into a much broader
community than they’ve ever experienced before. However, identifying and selecting an online
expert
is almost like panning for a gold nugget; they're out there and their input is priceless, it just takes some time.
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