9-19+eINSPIRE

September 19, 2011

**__IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THURSDAY'S LIVECHAT!__**
We have received messages from many community members about the LiveChat. With the number of brand new students joining us, we need to emphasize a few points. Our LiveChats with NASA subject matter experts are very popular, but due to the software involved we are limited to 100 participants. To be a participant, you must sign up on the appropriate Discussion Board Forum. These forums open approximately one week before the chat and remain open until two hours before the chat, or until 100 students have signed up. One hour before the chat, you will receive a confirmation email. You can connect to the chat room from the Connect page (click "LiveChats" in the right column). Remember, the chat room opens 15 minutes before the event starts. You may need to refresh or restart your browser to make the link active. Also, you must disable your pop-up blocker to allow the Java applet to open and run Collaborate (for returning students, Elluminate is now Collaborate). We can help with some problems if you contact us immediately by replying to the confirmation email, but after the presentation starts it is difficult to assist.

All LiveChats are archived for later viewing. If you are unable to attend, miss the sign up, or have connection problems, we encourage you to view the archive. Chats usually appear in the archive two business days after the chat. We offer three versions in the archive: The original version which opens the Collaborate applet on your computer and plays like the live event, a video version (Quicktime) and an audio only version (MP3). The last two versions are great for downloading to your phone or tablet and watching at a later time. Archived versions are available all year.

While the chat itself does not award points to attendees, you may receive points by taking the LiveChat Quiz. The Quiz opens following the conclusion of the event, and is opened by a password. The password is obtained by attending the chat to its conclusion, or viewing an archived version until the end. The quiz is open to multiple attempts and only saves the highest score. Points are immediately rewarded through automatic grading. If you have a problem accessing this quiz, email nasainspire@okstate.edu and fully describe your problem.

If you have any questions about Live Chats, email nasainspire@okstate.edu. Thanks for your interest in the INSPIRE Live Chats!

__Students: Remind your Parents/Caregivers to Activate Their Accounts!__
This is a reminder to get all accounts activated this week. This includes the accounts sent to the parents/caregivers of our INSPIRE students. We occasionally have special news and surveys that must be completed by parents/caregivers, so it is important they have active accounts. We ask all INSPIRE community members to help your parents/caregivers complete this important step!

__**This Month’s Themes **__
Gravity: It's What Keeps Us Together __**Weekly Sub-theme**__ Gravity in Space

__**LiveChats **__
// Date: // Tuesday, September 20, 2011 // Time: // 6:00 PM CT (Sign Up has **closed**) // Speaker: // Jonas Dino, ARC //Topic:// Ames Research Center

// Date: // Thursday, September 22, 2011 // Time: // 8:00 PM CT (Sign Up has **closed**) // Speaker: // Jeffery Kolodzieczak, MSFC //Topic:// Gravity Probe B

__What's in the OLC?__
The Online Learning Community is a big place, and if you have just joined our community it may be a little intimidating. To help you get around, we have developed a Features page to show you what is where and how to get there. You'll find the page rotating through the Latest News section of the Home Page.

__OLC Wall of Fame__
The Wall of Fame will be located inside the OLC to honor students of accomplishment, including both those who have excelled in the Online Learning Community and those who have won awards at home. If you have received a national or state level award, let us know! Go to the Wall of Fame dropbox, fill out the form and submit your information in the Wall of Fame drop box.

__Bloggers Wanted!__
Do you have something you would like to say? Or do you want to report on something going on at school, like your Science Fair or FIRST Team? Write it out and submit to the INSPIRE Blog! You will find the dropbox linked from the Discover page. 10 points will be given for any blog article used (your blog must appear under the INSPIRE Blog on the Connect page). You may submit as often as you wish.

__INSPIRE on Twitter__
If you have a Twitter account you can receive timely messages from NASA INSPIRE. Tweets are sent out notifying our group of new eINSPIRE, upcoming Live Chats, or when an important deadline looms. Search for and follow "@Nasainspire."