Although judges can come from any group of people, they should have considerable knowledge about technology, especially in the areas they will be assigned to judge. They need to also remember that they will be working with students, and to allow some leeway when judging.

Contact your area colleges and technical schools for possible judges. Many businesses will also participate. Use any connections you have to secure your judges. Invite other teachers (from non-participating schools) to judge. Contact people in your Board office and Technology department and see if they will be judges. Check with your city's library to see if anyone will volunteer.

Provide judges with copies of rubrics beforehand, and hold a pre-fair meeting with them to go over the rubrics so that they fully understand them.

It's recommended that at least two judges score each project. This should be decided beforehand.

During interviews, judges should try to question every team member, taking into account that some will be nervous. Nervousness should not be held against a team. They should balance this with whether or not any of the group members can explain the process by which they created their projects. This will eliminate any doubt as to the authenticity of the students' work.

Remind judges that they are working with children, and to give praise when appropriate. It will make the students more comfortable if the judges get down on their level, and maintain eye contact.

Explain the procedure for reporting scores, and be sure that all judges and runners understand.

Remind judges that in addition to criteria listed on the rubric, they should consider the following:  Originality; Clarity; Documentation; Appropriateness; Design; and Technical Expertise.

Point out to judges that bells and whistles don't always make a project good.

During the judging itself, students should use the program or software to demonstrate projects. They should explain how they created the project. They should explain why they chose a particular piece of software for their project. They should show their "notebooks" to the judges, and they should answer judges' questions.

Interviews should be geared to have the students explain and demonstrate their projects, but should not exceed ten minutes.

Home        Email      Wacona Elementary School

These pages created by Lori Miller, copyright 2004.

Last updated May 24, 2007.

Home        Email      Wacona Elementary School

These pages created by Lori Miller, copyright 2004.

Last updated May 24, 2007.