Experts
Students learned about different sources they could use to find information. They read books, watched videos, looked at websites, and even asked experts. In asking the experts, the students worked to develop PHaT (pretty hard and tough) questions to take advantage of the special knowledge of each person.
Here are their questions:
A HUGE thank you to our five experts for taking the time to so thoughtfully respond to the children's questions.
Here are their questions:
- Why are you interested in the inventor and his invention?
- Why is this invention important to the world?
- How did the invention affect the world?
- What would have happened if the invention had not been invented?
- What lessons can kids learn from the inventor?
- How did you pick your job and what are your favorite parts of your job?
A HUGE thank you to our five experts for taking the time to so thoughtfully respond to the children's questions.
Declan Burrowes (Ralph Baer) - Dublin, Ireland
Declan Burrowes is a freelance writer from Dublin, Ireland. His interview and well-written biography of Ralph Baer inspired us to contact him. He gave great advice to the second graders, telling them, "I wrote my first video game review when I was 12 years old, and since then, I've always written about them to some degree...Read and write about the things you love."
Dana Kozlov (Philo Farnsworth) - Chicago, Illinois
Dana Kozlov is a news reporter for CBS 2 in Chicago. She loves getting a chance to go out in her community, meeting new people, and helping others by telling their stories on television. She thinks Philo Farnsworth is a great example for kids because, "Even as a teenager, Farnsworth had an idea about television…a concept no one had ever thought of before. Work hard and don’t let others discourage you from going after your dream or your vision. Hard work and dedication can literally change the world."
Marilynn Gardner (George Ferris) - Chicago, Illinois
Marilynn Gardner is the President and CEO of Navy Pier in Chicago. Navy Pier is the home to a scaled version of George Ferris's original Ferris wheel. The ride is one of the major attractions for the Pier's 8.5 million annual visitors. She loves her job because, "Wouldn't you love to come to work every day at a place where we have the Ferris wheel, Chicago Children's Museum, the boat rides and be right on the lake?!?"
Bobby Sharma (James Naismith) - New York, New York
Bobby Sharma is senior vice president for global business development, basketball with IMG, the global sports, entertainment and media giant. He oversees IMG's growing basketball business around the world with a special focus on India and Brazil. Prior to working at IMG, Mr. Sharma was a vice-president and general counsel with the National Basketball Association, working to build the NBA's Development League. For Mr. Sharma, "Nothing brings communities and even entire countries together like sports. It can build bridges between people that don't otherwise get along or communicate with each other. It spans the generations, connecting grandparents, parents, and children."
Katrin Schnabel (Levi Strauss) - Chicago, Illinois
Katrin Schnabel is a designer, artist, and professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She sees fashion as an opportunity for artistic and cultural expression. She loves blue jeans and says, "It is hard to imagine life without jeans! They are so iconic. And I wish I had invented them. That is every designer's dream to come up with a perfect garment. They're comfortable, have pockets, go with everything, they have style and they get better with age."