Hopefully you will find your questions answered here. If not, send an email to gcc@whro.org.
Q. What are the dates for the 2008 competition?
A. Senior Division - March 15, 2008
Junior Division - April 19, 2008
Q. What is the deadline for registering?
A. Senior Division - February 22, 2008
Junior Division - March 28, 2008
Q. How do I register?
A. You can find the form in online (coming soon) at http://www.whro.org/cii/gcc
Please fill out the form, and mail, fax, or email to back to:
WHRO/C.I.I.
5200 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk, VA 23508
Or 757.489.0007 (fax)
Or gcc@whro.org
Q. Can I pay by a P.O.?
A. Yes. Please include a copy of the P.O. with your registration form.
Q. Who do I make my check out to?
A. WHRO/C.I.I.
Q. How can I order extra shirts or totebags?
A.Your registration fee pays for t-shirts for the students participating, but not the alternates, or the coaches. You can order them ahead of time on your registration form. There will also be a limited amount available the day of the competition.
Q. Does each team have to bring a computer?
A. With the exception of Internet Scavenger Hunt, yes. One computer per team. A spare computer can be brought to the competition, but it must be left in the car.
Q. Do I need a computer for the Internet Scavenger Hunt?
A. No. This is the only competition that does not require a computer. The students will be working on PCs available in the ODU labs that will have Internet access. They will be using Internet Explorer as the browser.
Q. Can I enter a team with only one student?
A. Yes. For Levels 1-3, teams can have 1-3 students. For Level 4, they can have 1-5 students.
Q. How much time do the students have to work on their problems?
A. Level 1 (grade K-2) -1 hour (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.)
Level 2 (grades 3-5) - 1 hour and 45 minutes (10:00 - 11:45 a.m.)
Level 3 (grades 6-8) - 2 hours (9:30 - 11:30 a.m.)
Level 4 (grades 9-12) - 3 hours (9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)
Q. What if I don’t have the students names yet? Can I still register?
A. Yes. Please email, fax, or call the names in when you get the students lined up. We need to know your category, level, and t-shirt sizes by the deadline. The students’ names do not affect our pre-planning.
Q. Is food provided?
A. No. Food is on your own, however several ODU restaurants will be open, and there are many others within driving distance.
Q. Can parents come?
A. They are more than welcome to come support their child. They will not be allowed in the rooms during the competition, but they can attend the awards ceremony. There will also be workshops available that they can attend. For the Senior Competition, the ceremony will take place on March 15, 2008 at 2:30 p.m. For the Junior Competition, the ceremony will take place on April 19, 2008 at 1:45 p.m.
Q. Can I set up the computers the night before?
A. No, there is no guaranteed security of the equipment. We recommend that you bring support to help you set up in the morning if you have several teams competing.
Q. Will I have Internet access for the Web Design competition?
A. No. You must be prepared to work with what you have on your hard drives or what you have brought with you.
Q. How many teams can we bring?
A. Each school may enter one team per category per level except for the noted categories where you able to bring more then one team per school:
Level 3 (grades 6-8)
- Integrated Applications
- Music Composition
- Programming-Visual Basic
Level 4 (grades 9-12)
- CAD
- Integrated Applications
- Music Composition
- Programming-Scientific or Non-Business
- Programming-JAVA
- Programming-Visual Basic
The highest-grade student on a team determines the level.
Q. How do we prepare for the competition?
A. Click here for sample problems. You can use these problems with the students prior to the competition to expose them to the types of problems they may receive. They will receive a problem or problems the day of the competition to work on, one which they will have never seen before.
Q. I have heard that the competition is highlighted on the WHRO program, School Talk. How do I know when that program is going to be aired?
A. As soon as the program has been scheduled, we will email the sponsors with the date and time. Be on the lookout for this email. On the registration form you can order a copy of the DVD ahead of time for $10.00.
Q. Does the Great Computer Challenge fall into the No Child Left Behind funding?
A. No, sorry. You or your school will need to pay the regular fees.
Registration Fee (subject to change for 2008):
C.I.I. Members pay the C.I.I. Member Fee
C.I.I. Services Participants pay the Non-Member Fee
Levels 1, 2, & 3
- $35.00 (C.I.I. Member)
- $85.00 (Non-Member)
Level 4
- $45.00 (C.I.I. Member)
- $95.00 (Non-Member)
- $50.00 late fee/team postmarked after registration deadlines
Q. What is the C.I.I.? How do I know if I am a member? Who are the C.I.I. Services Participants?
A. The Consortium for Interactive Instruction. If your school or school division is listed as a C.I.I. Member on the C.I.I. roster, then you are considered a C.I.I. member and can receive the discounted prices. If your school or school division is listed as a C.I.I. Services Participant on the C.I.I. roster, then you must pay the Non-Member fees for the Great Computer Challenge.
Q. What are the categories that we can register for?
A. Level 1 (grades k-2)
- Desktop Publishing
- Graphic Arts
Level 2 (grades 3-5)
- Desktop Presentations
- Desktop Publishing
- Graphic Arts
- Internet Scavenger Hunt
Level 3 (grades 6-8)
- Desktop Presentations
- Desktop Publishing
- Graphic Arts
- Integrated Applications
- Music Composition
- Programming-Visual Basic
- Web Design
Level 4 (grades 9-12)
- CAD
- Desktop Presentations
- Desktop Publishing
- Graphic Arts
- Integrated Applications
- Music Composition
- Programming-Scientific or Non-Business
- Programming-JAVA
- Programming-Visual Basic
- Web Design
Q. What software are we allowed to use?
A. There are no limitations on the software you can use at the competition. Listed on the registration form are samples of software that other teams have used in the past. You are not expected to use software from this list, and you are not limited to this list. The list is printed only to provide you with an idea of possible software options. The teams must provide the judges with instructions on how to use their software to view the solutions.
Q. Which categories need printers?
A. Printers are required for Desktop Publishing, Graphic Arts, Visual Basic, Scientific or Non-Business Programming, JAVA, Integrated Applications, and CAD. It is needed for Music only if you plan on leaving the solution as printed sheet music instead of aural composition.
No printers are needed for Desktop Presentations, Web Design, or Internet Scavenger Hunt.
Q. Is the Great Computer Challenge correlated to the SOLs?
A. The correlations will be found here soon. Check back.