To make the live broadcast interactive, you will need a telephone and/or computer(s) in your viewing room so that your students can phone or e-mail their questions to the experts. Students that call in to our toll free number will speak to an expert during the live broadcast. A bank of experts in the field will reply to the email questions. This, partnered with the pre- and post-curricular materials, will guarantee an interactive experience. All registered schools will receive the appropriate information to access these services.

Viewing Methods:
PBS/cable (i.e., public broadcasting station/educational access cable station)
Not all areas will be able to view the electronic field trips via PBS/cable. Please contact the station in your area to determine whether the electronic field trips can be broadcast.

Satellite
All electronic field trips are broadcast via Ku-band satellite. Transponder coordinates vary by program. In order to participate, you must have access to a steerable (not fixed) satellite dish capable of downloading Ku-band transmissions.

Thanks to Apple Computer, Inc. and the Apple Learning Interchange you can view the Dirt on Their Skirts electronic field trip right from your computer screen. You can do this either during the live broadcast on March 18, 2003 at either 10am or 1pm EST or anytime after the program airs as a saved webcast.

Click here to view the webcast EFT. Access the Video Setup portion of that website to test your webcast capabilities. There you will be instructed on how to download the up-to-date QuickTime software and how to view the program.

For Best Results when Viewing Via Webcast
On the day of the field trip, bring multiple classrooms or schools on the same computer network together in a central location. Use one CPU to download the streaming video and connect a computer projector and external speakers to the CPU for the larger audience to enjoy.

Configuring Your CPU to Watch the Live Webcast
To watch the live webcast you will need any recent Macintosh or Windows CPU that is connected to the Internet with a fast connection. Any school Ethernet connection, cable modem, or DSL connection should work. You will also need the latest version of QuickTime installed.

Testing Your CPU for Configuration Before the Event Day
You can test that your CPU is appropriately configured for QuickTime streaming by going to the Apple website, click on other virtual field trips link for ALI that is located at the bottom of the page, and view one of our past field trips (e.g., Where the River Meets the Sea). If you can see the video and hear the audio then you will be able to see the live webcast. If you are unsuccessful in viewing the audio, please follow the steps below.

Troubleshooting
If you did not succeed in viewing the test video here are the sequence of steps you should follow to configure your CPU. Visit the QuickTime Download page to download and install QuickTime 6. You will be asked to enter your email and specify your operating system. If you have trouble with the install, your local network may be interfering. You can overcome this by downloading the stand-alone version.

If you still cannot see the test video, your local firewall must be blocking streaming video. The steps below for Macintosh and Windows should correct the problem.

Macintosh QuickTime Transport
• Launch the QuickTime Player application.
• From the QuickTime Player menu, locate Preferences and select QuickTime Preferences.
• In the resulting dialogue, click the Connection tab.
• Now click the Transport Setup button.
• Use the popup bar to select http.  Be sure that the radio button Port 80 is selected.
• Click OK and close the QuickTime preferences dialogue.
• Now return to the test video.

Windows Transport Assignment
• Launch QuickTime Player.
• From the Edit menu, select QuickTime Preferences.
• In the resulting dialogue choose Streaming Transport from the popup bar at the top.
• Now check Use http Port 80.
• Close the preferences and return to the test video.

I can view the video, but the quality is poor.
This is an identification your network traffic is interfering with the webcast. Reduce network traffic and make sure that only one CPU on the network is attempting to watch the webcast. It is also possible that the CPU you are using does not have the processing power required. Using a more recent CPU may improve the quality. Connect a computer projector and external speakers to this CPU for larger audiences to enjoy.