Q3 Grades will be LOCKED on Friday March 27th. We are NOT allowed to assign new work due to the shutdown. I will be going through the gradebook today and tomorrow to clean up missing things. THERE WILL BE NO Q3 FINAL EXAM! The required WILs ended at 3.5. So, WIL 3.6 actually became another EC WIL. I will even add another EC WIL due Friday. If you have a question or concern, submit it here.
As for Q4, we'll move forward with the regular curriculum, closing out with WWII, the Cold War, and (hopefully) the War on Terror. Rumors look to be true regarding the cancellation of IB exams, but official word has yet to be released and there remains some confusion regarding scoring for certificates & diplomas. When we know more, we'll let you know. Here is the most recent letter from MPS.
I believe we are well-prepared for this online-only component. The only additional component will be webinars. Google Meet HAS BEEN ACTIVATED by the district, so that should work via GooClass now. The "checking-in-everyday" component is still being determined. I'd like there to be some sort of "chat" component within GooClass (Hangouts?), but that is also TBD. For now, we'll simply have comments in a "Question" posting/assignment, which does not allow images (that could be a blessing, actually). If you have a course/class-specific question, please post it on the GooClass, since I am sure your Q & A will be useful to others.
As for the webinars, I am looking to have blocks of time within your regularly scheduled class time. So, I will have either three 20-minute blocks of approximately 10 students each or two 30-minute blocks of about 15 students each. But those will NOT HAPPEN EVERY DAY!
If/when I conduct some sort of lecture, I'll simply screencast at a set time with a video available to those unable or unwilling to participate. I honestly believe some of you will be looking forward to some sense of consistency and community. I grudgingly admit that I miss the opportunity to mock interact with you during the day.
Please run through the following checklist for access to materials, devices, accessories, etc.:
- Email (mpsedu.org)
- Google Classroom (please make sure you are enrolled in TWO of the following):
- ALL = oumvj5t
- IBA3 = vt7oncz
- IBA4 = kh2zwwo
- IBA5 = a2zrqo2
- Device FOR CREATION (with a keyboard)
- Device with a CAMERA (for webinars)
- HEADPHONES (prefer with a mic) - to prevent audio feedback/echo during webinars
- A quiet space in which to study/participate in webinars
- Google Hangouts installed as an extension (& familiarity!)
- Google Meet familiarity
- Kami installed as an extension (we may get it officially added to GooClass)
- Grammarly installed as an extension
- Prezi account
- Mindmeister installed as an extension (could someone find something comparable - other than Google Drawing - that allows for PDF export ... for FREE?)
- YouTube, Vimeo, etc, access
- Comfort food, tunes, images, pillow/blanket, etc. (MOST-IMPORTANT!)
- Check that ... HAVE HOPE! This WILL end & normalcy will return.
Remember that you can fiddle with your settings-notifications on GooClass. If you do NOT check in regularly during Q4, I will be proactive and add a parent/guardian email, pestering them with regular GooClass emails.
CHECK YOUR EMAIL EVERY DAY.
CHECK THE BLOG EVERY DAY.
CHECK GOOGLE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY.
Let me repeat ...
CHECK THE FOLLOWING EVERY DAY:
SCHOOL EMAIL
THIS BLOG
GOOGLE CLASSROOM
