I am taking classes to get an advanced education degree and my mentor for my program lives in Salt Lake City! Thankfully, she is safe and her home is okay, but she is having such a hard time sleeping because the aftershocks are unpredictable and scary.
Some of you will panic when you log in to Google Classroom. Take a deep breath with me before you lose your mind!
All three assignments follow the same Powerpoint. Please do them in order! They are presented to you in the same order they would have been presented in class this week.
Online Assignment #3 has you investigating technologies that mitigate natural hazard damages. Mitigate is a new word for you – you learn about it through the first of this week’s three assignments. This assignment should take about an hour to complete. Don’t try to finish it all in one day if you don’t want to. Break it up into manageable pieces. To be on track, you need to finish it by Wednesday, however it is not due until Sunday night.
Online Assignment #4 has you connecting the investigation you did in #3 to the state and hazard you have been working with. Just like we always do! We are gearing up for our final project… which… hint! Will be your assigned work for next week. 🙂 This assignment should take about an hour if you are really doing the research you need to do using the PDF file. To be on track, finish this assignment by Thursday night… however it is not due until Sunday night.
Online Assignment #5 is checking your understanding of using technology to mitigate natural disasters by giving you an example of mitigating a rock slide. A rock slide is when rocks start to loosen and fall off of the edge of a steep cliff, usually onto a road or walkway, causing an enormous hazard for anybody passing by under there. The assignment describes two ways to mitigate the hazard and you are writing a short CER to explain which one is better & why. This assignment should take you less than 30 minutes and it is due on Sunday night.
You also have a quiz that is due on Wednesday. I know this makes it feel like a lot but I designed the assignments to guide you along the way… and you should have already done your quiz!!
Try not to fall behind on online work… when we come back to school we will review the assignments and slide the grades over to Gradebook once everyone is all back on the same page again. Some people without access to the Internet may be a few assignments behind the rest of us so we will spend the time getting everyone on the same page again with your support since you’re here with me doing online learning. 🙂
As ALWAYS, I’m here for you. There are MANY MANY MANY ways for you to reach me for support. The best way is by e-mail because I can answer it in between all the many responsibilities I have…
Quiz for Lesson 5 and 6 has been posted. Complete it through Google Classroom by Wednesday, March 25 at 3pm.
You may have gotten an e-mail with information about how to log in to IXL for Science. I highlighted some skills on the 8th grade Science tab that go along with what we learned this year and what can help in terms of MSTEP practice. Right now IXL is optional but later on I might use your progress on IXL to help you out with extra credit. It’s worth looking at what they have there if you’re bored. 🙂
If your family would benefit from having a school Chromebook at home to do distance learning, 8th grade students are welcome to come to the school tomorrow from 3-4:30pm. There is a limit of one Chromebook per family / household, so if your parent picked one up already please share it with all of the children in the house.
Identification is needed to sign out a Chromebook. If you do not have a student ID available to pick one up, then you will need your parent’s valid ID and you will need to be with them and have your student ID number memorized.
I am going to try to make it out to 8th grade pickup but I have been very busy homeschooling my own children and helping members of my community get the things they need! I am not sure what tomorrow looks like for me yet. If I am free I will absolutely be there and I hope I can because I miss you all!
Hey everybody! I just wanted to give you all an update and some helpful hints (again).
Today I called about 20 parents of students who have not signed up for Google Classroom yet. Most students have the tools needed at home to do online work and it is expected and graded that you are following those expectations online! We have two assignments due on Friday in Science and I’m sure many of your other classes have work due this week, as well. A quiz will be posted soon that will be due next Monday, as well, that you are able to work on with your notes available.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, scroll back a few posts and consider using one of the documents I created to keep track of due dates. If all of your teachers are using Google Classroom, there is an even easier solution as you can look at your Google Classroom to-do list and keep track of everything that way. However, if some of your teachers are using iLearn instead, you may need to keep a planner of some kind on your own. When I am doing digital learning, I like to keep my planner digitally in my Google Drive. That’s why I shared those documents. If you are more of a paper-pencil person, you can always print or use an already-printed calendar, use your school planner, or draw a planner to use for the next few weeks.
I will be making more parent phone calls to any student who has not started on Online Assignment #1 or #2. I can see your progress on the assignment even if you have not submitted it. If there is nothing written on either assignment by tomorrow night, I am going to assume that I need to speak to your parent about it because the assignments are due on Friday. I do not want you to fall behind and I want your parent to understand how online education works!
Helpful Tips:
Check Student e-mail every single day Monday through Friday
Bookmark every teacher’s iBlog and open them up to read every single day OR subscribe to each one so you get e-mail updates
Log on to Google Classroom daily to look at your assignments. I have been returning assignments graded every night and keeping caught up with it. If changes need to be made to your assignment, they have to be completed before Friday at 3:00 PM (due date & time).
Keep a planner (digital, paper, calendar, etc.) to stay organized
E-mail your teachers if you have questions or concerns but be patient waiting for their response. I am not sitting by my computer during school hours and neither are you! I am working with my own children on their work and helping people in my community to make sure they have food and toilet paper and other essentials that are hard to find in the stores. It’s OK if I don’t answer right away — I promise I will get back to you in a timely manner!
Thank you to those of you who have registered on Google Classroom. I am still missing about 25 people, though! Check in with your friends and find out of they have logged on yet. They should have started online schooling yesterday (Monday). I know a lot of you started Friday which is great! If you know for sure a friend has no way to log on please e-mail me about it so I can reach out to them and see if we can get them connected.
Keep working on the two assignments posted. If you didn’t get the full points you can fix your answers and resubmit the assignment. Right now the grade is only visible on Google Classroom. After Friday’s due date, I will go through and transfer the grades to our regular gradebook.
Expect your Lesson 5-6 quiz to be assigned during the day on Wednesday. Review the two sets of notes I posted to the Google Stream for more information!
Please check the classroom stream. I posted Lesson 5 notes that you got before the school closure and Lesson 6 notes which you have not seen or read before. You will be needing both for a quiz that I will post later this week. You should study them a little bit each day to prepare.
Otherwise, focus on finishing your two online assignments before Friday. Encourage your friends to get online, check iBlogs, log in to Google Classroom, etc!
Two online assignments are posted and active on Google Classroom. They are both due the same day, Friday March 20. Check the stream for a screencast from me where I’m talking and telling you how to complete Assignment #2.
Here are the Google Classroom codes if you needed them: 1st hour: i6r4vrh 2nd hour: qomfgx3 3rd hour: 22rwh6w 4th hour: xvehe77 6th hour: brzjguh
Please expect Online Assignment #3 very soon. I know it feels like a lot of work. It may help you to create a schedule for yourself that is similar to how you would work if you were at school. Get up and start by 8AM, have lunch at 10:30AM, take an exercise break whatever time you would normally have gym, etc. The closer you can stay to your regular schedule, the easier this transition will be.
Try one or both of these by “Making a Copy” and typing your assignments into the boxes as you learn about them so that you don’t forget. Use different font colors or features to change the assignment title, or delete it completely from the list as you finish the assignment so that the file shows you what you currently have to work on.
Checking All Your Resources
When I get to work in the morning, there are a bunch of things I need to open on my computer to start the day. I use a website to post bellwork, check e-mail, post attendance, look at the daily announcements, Second Step for A2, etc. Each one is a different website that I open every single day. You are being asked to keep track of at 4-6 blogs, e-mail, Google Classroom, etc. which are all different websites as well. I have streamlined my morning by creating Bookmark folders where I can open all my website windows at the same time.
Working at school feels easier because it is an environment specifically designed for you to do work. Home is not designed for work. Home is designed for comfort. Naps. Play. Music. Family. Distractions. It can be very hard to convert to online learning from home because there are so many things you would rather do. Check the Woodworth Middle School iBlog for a suggested time schedule to follow and try to create a space at home where the priority is work. For example, set rules. Only school work happens at the kitchen table during specific times. No TV during work time. Save the hardest work to do for when your little brother or sister is usually sleeping so that you have a quiet space. Look for ways to make your life easier!
Other Thoughts
This is new to all of us, you AND me. I have taken dozens of online classes and I am currently doing online learning for my Master’s degree so I know it can be very difficult to make school work a priority over Fortnite or that new Netflix special. Most colleges make you take a crash course in how to use the online resource, where to find help, how to complete the work, etc. We didn’t have time for that!
I just want to let you know I’m here for you. E-mail me and then give me some time to respond. We’re all doing our best. Good luck and best wishes!
