FLINN SCIENCE AT-HOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Are all these resources FREE?
All the activities and Live Labs on the Flinn AT-Home section of the website are absolutely FREE. Please use them as often as you like, and we encourage you to share them. We are also offering limited time complimentary use of our Digital Solutions with set up through our account management team. Finally, we are making a small selection of kits available for purchase at or below cost for parents who want to provide physical at home lab experiences to their children. These are currently available at 50% off with free shipping by entering the promocode: HOMEKIT at checkout., while supplies last.
Are you going to be posting more FREE things?
Yes, we will continue to post as many new FREE resources as often as we can. Please check back regularly in addition to watching for our email and social updates.
How do I get my students access to the LIVE LAB sessions?
It’s simple, please share the url: https://www.flinnsci.com/athomescience/at-home-lab-series/ with them, either in your google doc instructions or in your emails to them--however you are communicating with them. Instruct them which lab you want them to watch (Example: L4 on 3/31). They will be able to click on the LIVE LAB link on that URL page starting at FIVE (5) minutes before the lab begins.
How long does the LIVE LAB session last?
Live Labs are expected to run approximately 50 minutes, the same length as a typical lab session in most schools.
What happens if my student joins late?
The lab will be in progress. They will be able to catch up on any parts they missed by watching the recorded version when that becomes available.
So, this means there will be recorded versions of the Live Lab sessions, then?
Yes, we will post the recorded versions of the labs as soon as they become available to us. At the moment, we do not know how long it will take for them to be posted but we will post them as soon as possible. Simply check back to the Live Lab page or watch for our announcements on social media.
How do I or my students access supporting materials for the Live Lab sessions?
There are teacher materials available in a Google Docs folder, we request that you register to receive this information. The link is located alongside the designated lab. Likewise, there are
student documents available. These do not require you to register, they can be downloaded directly by students off the website, or you may share them out yourself. The folder link allows users to “view-only” the Google docs. If you would like the ability to type answers or comments into the Google docs, you can make a copy of the document(s) and store the copies in a personal Google drive. Doing this will give you “edit” privileges of the documents. Alternatively, any Google doc can be downloaded as a pdf or MSWord file.
Please note: It is not necessary to request access to the documents or videos, anyone with the folder link can access the documents in “view-only” mode.
I’m having trouble viewing a video posted on your LIVE LABs page, what happened?
There are a few reasons you might have trouble viewing the video, here’s common issues to look out for:
- Attempting to play the video directly out of the Google Doc: This will only work if you have certain extensions in place. You can download the video from the Google Doc and then watch it, but we recommend watching it directly from the website by clicking on the video image on the Live Lab page. All of the videos are currently available on the site today in short versions. As we record the Live Version, they will be added to the page as quickly as possible.
- Attempting to play the video directly from Flinn’s webpage and it isn’t working please note, we are currently using Vimeo to host our videos. If you are using as school device that has Vimeo blocked, you will need to ask your IT team to unblock it, or the viewer will need to use a personal (non-school) device.
- Finally, if you know the viewing devices is not prohibiting Vimeo, please try again. All of our electronic communication channels are exhibiting increased heavy usage due to folks at home as a result of the COVID situation.
What times are the LIVE LAB broadcasts happening?
The times for each LIVE LAB are indicated on the LIVE LAB page and will reference each time zone. For Example: 1:00PM CST, which is 2:00PM EST and 11:00AM PST. Your class viewing time will depend on time zone from which you reside.
I tried to join a LIVE LAB and couldn’t. What happened?
We are currently experience unprecedented times with unprecedented demands on technology. If you attempted to join the live lab at the properly scheduled time and could not, our deepest apologies. The platforms we are using might have been overwhelmed in the moment. You will be able to view the recorded version as soon as it becomes available, or when possible, we may be able to schedule another broadcast.