• Carefully review the EstuaryLive educational materials and resources available on www.estuaries.gov. Check the website often as additional materials are always being added.
• Read our suggestions on the best ways to prepare your students to participate.
• Download any necessary software, either Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. Both downloads are free.
• Make sure that you have at least one computer, data projector, and a high speed Internet connection available where you intend to participate in the field trip. We recommend using two computers, one for watching the program, the second for submitting questions. Please note, in some cases Apple users have experienced technical difficulties.
• Discuss  with your IT technician any potential firewall or other issues that may occur on the day of the broadcast. Explore solutions to potential technical issues.
• Start integrating estuarine studies into your curriculum.

Learn More about Equipment Needs

• Test all of your equipment.
• Visit us and access the test link to ensure that your connections work.
• Submit a test question using the question submittal form to ensure you understand how to use the form.
• Prepare your students for the broadcast by reviewing materials, watching previous fieldtrip videos and perhaps draft a few questions in advance of the broadcast.

24 hours to go!!…

• Test your equipment one last time to ensure all potential problems have been addressed.
• Questions will be submitted through a form on the EstuaryLive web page.
• Check the news section  for any last minute information. This is a live program, broadcast from the field, and it can be affected by natural events such storms and hurricanes.

Participating in EstuaryLive…

• 15 minutes before the broadcast begins visit us and choose your connection type. You will then be ready to view the broadcast.
• Ask lots of questions by submitting them through a form on the EstuaryLive web page. This form includes a field for the question, school/teacher/student name, and email address. Once the participant hits “submit,” the question and other information will post to a Web site where the field trip host can view the question.
• Please include your email address on your question submission form so we can respond to your questions, after the event. Field trip hosts will answer as many questions as possible during the live broadcast. But, please note, due to the volume of questions that are received, not all questions will be answered live during the programs. Naturalists from each site will do their best to respond to all of the questions after the event. 
• Enjoy and please note, there is no cost to participate in EstuaryLive broadcasts.