Then why do we give them away? PR or just to spend money for spending sake? Tax dollars BTW.
If I were a kid budding astronomer and someone said you can have this scope -- but only after you complete an hour if training, I'd say No thanks! Or something not as polite. The idea is to foster an interest that may or may not go anywhere, not to start some rigorous training that few if any kids would complete. All that for a telescope? When you think about it, so what if the child sells it? We're still providing low- or no-cost telescopes to people who are interested in astronomy. Let the kids play around with the scopes and they'll learn to use then if they are really interested. And I agree -- in fact it should go without saying -- we should only give away fully equipped telescopes. It should be a simple matter to check them out and return any defective scopes.
------------------------------ On Mon, Dec 2, 2013 6:51 PM MST Wiggins Patrick wrote:
Excellent input Brent.
I'm going to ask that this topic be added to next week's SLAS transitional board meeting agenda.
patrick
On 02 Dec 2013, at 18:35, Brent Watson <brentjwatson@yahoo.com> wrote:
In 1990 and 1991 Iomega gave over 350 six and eight inch telescopes to schools with the stipulation that they were to be used like a library book - checked out to students. Each school was required to have a teacher attend an intensive workshop for three days, 20 hours per day. Iomega picked up all expenses for the workshop. At the end of the training teachers were proficient in using the scope and had a good, solid knowledge of observational astronomy.
We (Wayne Sumner and I) also ran some contests during the year, which for prizes we gave away subscriptions to Astronomy magazine. I believe most of those scopes are still around, although I bet many have moved away with teachers. Still others undoubtedly have fallen into disrepair and disuse. I do still hear occasionally, about their existence and use. Some still probably rattle around in the back of school buses on the way to a student's house.
I know at least three of the people involved in that program from a teacher standpoint have continued on and still sponsor student astronomy programs. Last I heard one was an assistant professor of Astronomy at a local university.
My opinion is that telescopes should not be given away unless a couple of conditions are met. 1) the recipient receives training on how to use the telescope, and not just an hour or two. That training should include star ID and telescope basics sufficient to instill a demonstrable proficiency in using the scope. This training is probably 10 to 15 hours over a several day period. The scope should be given at the END of that training, although it needs to be available during the training. I know that is pretty stringent, but otherwise the scope will be left un-noticed and languishing in a closet or attic.
The second condition is that the scope should be usable. Personal experience tells me that it should be at least six inch aperture, and have a Telrad, a couple of eyepieces and my Bright Objects book. That was the genesis of my books, and it was for that specific purpose the Bright Object book was written.
Even after all of the above has been accomplished, I predict that 75% of the telescopes will be used for less than three years.
A better give-away, I believe, would be a subscription to an astronomy rag. A magazine (hard copy or internet version) coming to an individual young person each month will build anticipation, and will either prove a person's interest in the science or demonstrate otherwise. If optics are to go along with the magazine, a good pair of binoculars is a great place for anyone to start. A good guide book such as "Binocular Stargazing" by Michael D. Reynolds would make an excellent addition to a good binocular.
That is my opinion based upon my experience. There are probably others that will have differing opinions, and that is good. Let's hear them!
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