*Students receive this handout at the beginning of the semester. It is filled with information to help them successfully complete their online course.
Online Learning Lab Rules/Expectations and Other Helpful Information
Your Classroom Teacher/Mentor’s Role: ·To provide help if you have trouble navigating the MIVHS website, explain assignments, make suggestions on how to improve an assignment or grade, find helpful resources, etc. ·Keep track of your progress and grade in your online class.The grade that you see on your online class grade page is not your current grade.Your current grade is determined by adding the number of points you have earned in the class and dividing that by the number of points possible up to the assignment or quiz/test you should be on in the pacing guide.I will conference with you at least once a week to determine your grade, how you are progressing in the class, and if you have any concerns or questions. ·Communicate with your online teacher on your behalf, if needed. Your Role/Expectations as a Student: ·Log into your class at the beginning of the class period, work quietly in your assigned seat from bell-to-bell and respect others working/learning environment.This means you must not move around the room (or roll around the room.) Also, if you are using headphones it is your responsibility to keep the volume down so you aren’t disturbing others and be sure you can still hear if I make an announcement to the class. ·You will have an assigned seat and computer that you are responsible for maintaining.You must tell me about a problem or damage to your computer immediately. ·Check the board for announcements or other important information.I always keep a post on the board to remind you of what week we are in during the semester. ·Check your school email account on a regular basis.All TRHS students and teachers have email accounts set up in Gmail.This is a quick and efficient way for students and teachers to communicate when not in class.You will also receive important information and announcements in your email. ·Use Chrome or Firefox as your internet browsers, unless otherwise instructed, and clear your web browser either at the beginning or at the end of class and especially before taking a test.Clearing your web browser significantly improves your computer’s processing speed. ·Do not “surf” the web or use it for any purpose other than your online class.You may use Pandora for music but not Youtube.Streaming videos uses too much bandwidth and slows the internet. Your classroom teacher/mentor can see and/or generate a report that shows every keystroke made on your computer.If you are misusing your computer this information will be reported to the administration and disciplinary action will be taken. ·Keep a folder with your pacing guide and any other materials that you feel will help you be successful in your online class. I have 3-ring binders if you would like one, just ask. We have a printer in the classroom, and you are free to use it. ·Also, create a folder labeled with your course name in your h drive.Each student has their own h drive.Your h drive allows you to save and get your work from any computer in school. You should create a new folder labeled with their course name, for example: OnlineSociology or OnlineMedicalTerminology. This folder is where you will save all your course work. Most students have been using the h drive since middle school and may need to clean it up.If you have a lot of junk in your h drive, please take some time to delete things you no longer need. ·Always complete your written assignments in Microsoft Word, never write an assignment in the assignments area in Blackboard.Writing your assignment in BB is risky for the following reasons: BB will time you out resulting in lost work, there could be a computer glitch which may cause you to lose your work and you may need to resubmit it or revise it at a later date, or you may need to refer back to a previous assignment.All of your assignments should be saved in your h drive.When you are finished writing an assignment, save your work and put it in your class folder in your h drive.Once it is saved, you only need to browse your computer in the assignment area for your class to attach and submit it or you can copy and paste your work into the appropriate area to submit an assignment. ·Occasionally you may need to submit a handwritten or drawn assignment.I am happy to scan it for you and put it in your h drive with your other documents, then you can upload it to your assignment just like a word document. Just ask if you need help with this. ·Do not change any passwords for your online class. I need to be able to access your class and check your grade. ·Communicate with me if you have questions or concerns.Please let me know if you are having trouble in any aspect of your online class.I am here to help!Please note: Although I am happy to help, before asking, please be sure that you have read all the information and instructions regarding your assignment.Many times students are unsure about an assignment because they haven’t thoroughly read through the instructions. ·You are expected to let me know if you are about to take a test so that we can fulfill the MIVHS requirements that tests are proctored.You may work on assignments and take quizzes at home, but you must take tests in the classroom. In addition, if you are taking a test and we have a problem with technology, I need to communicate with your online instructor in order to explain the problem and have them reset the test for you.All Midterms and Final Exams must be taken in the classroom. ·You may use paper, highlighters and 3-hole punch on the worktable in the center of the room.There is a stapler and tape on my desk as well as paper clips.Please return materials when you are finished with them. ·At the end of class, please log off the computer, wrap and return headphones to the center table, and leave your work area clean and tidy for the next student. Your Daily Workflow in your MIVHS class Announcements > My Grades > Message Instructor > Pace Guide > Coursework ·When you first sign into your class, check your class Announcements.This is where your instructor will update you on important info about your class. ·Next, you should check My Grades.Your instructor has up to 96 hours to grade an assignment.You should check to see if an assignment has been graded and if your instructor left you any comments.Sometime instructors will ask you to change, add to or redo an assignment. ·Then, check Message Instructor for any messages from your instructor. This is where your teacher will communicate directly with you.Whenever you message or email your instructor, please include in your subject line, your name and class. Instructors have several online students with similar names and may teach many different courses. Youronline instructor is supposed to respond to messages within 24 hours, however, do not expect a response over the weekend.(Some will, some won’t.) Remember to follow netiquette rules when communicating with your online instructor.ALWAYS use formal written language, punctuation and a capital letter “I” when referring to yourself.NEVER use text talk.Always be polite.Communication is key to your success in your online class. ·Remember to check your Pace Guide. Keep track of and follow your pacing guide.You will have assignments, quizzes/tests, projects, essays, reading or discussion posts due each week in your class.Keeping up with your assignments is crucial to staying on track to finish your class successfully. *** An important note about your pace ~ MIVHS and TRHS are not on the same semester schedule. Please pay attention to the week I have posted on the board. If your online instructor refers to a different week’s pacing in your class announcements, you are still expected to follow TRHS’s semester pacing. Our semester/school year ends before MIVHS’s semester, so you are expected to pace yourself to make up the week difference and finish the course when TRHS ends its semester/school year.This is particularly important for Seniors during Semester 2. The ability to pace yourself is very important to your success in your online class. Online students are expected to be disciplined and self-motivated.You should also get into the habit of working ahead, as much as possible, in case of a snow day, illness or other unexpected event. (Life happens and you should ALWAYS be planning ahead.) ·Finally, work on your Coursework. Helpful Information You Should Know How to log into your school email account: If you have not yet accessed your school email account, your username is the same as your network username, for example: if you logging into the computer with jdoe25, then your email is [email protected]Go to gmail.com to log in.The first time you access your account you will use a default password: TRS1234! , you will then be asked to change it. Be sure to choose a secure password.*** Be aware: If you change your password to get on your computer, your school email password will also change to that password. Please see me if you are having any problems. How to choose a secure password: If you need to change your password for your computer network login, there are a few things you should know.It should be at least 8 characters long, and contain at least 3 of the following: upper case letter, lower case letter, number or symbol.Also, you will not be allowed to have any part of your name in your password.(Please note: If you change your password to log into the school computer, your password will also change for your email account.) How to connect to our classroom printer: Click on the Start button on your desktop.Type in\\trs-print1A list of printers will show up.Double-click on our classroom printer THR-HS-N113-T01 to connect. Logging into MIVHS Classes: bb.mivu.org Logging into e2020 or Edgenuity Classes: education2020.com Online Tutorials explaining the Middlebury Foreign language courses: http://bit.ly/captutorial http://www.mivhs.org/courses/Middlebury How to clear your web browser: In Firefox, go to Tools, Options, Privacy Tab, click the blue words “Clear Your Recent History”, check everything and click Clear. In Chrome, go to the box in the upper right hand corner with lines in it (like a piece of lined paper).Go to History, then Clear Browsing Data. How to take a screen shot: Hold down the Ctrl and Print Screen keys on your keyboard (this will copy the page).Then open a new document.Click on the document and press Ctrl and V (paste).You may want to go to Page Layout and choose Landscape so you can enlarge the page for better viewing.Save your screen shot as you would a document.This is helpful in case you need to show your instructor a problem within your course.You can email your screen shot so your instructor has a clear view of what you are referring to. How to make your screen larger/smaller: If the text or an image on your screen is difficult to see because it is too small use Ctrl + to magnify your screen and Ctrl – to return your screen to its normal size. How to split your computer screen: Go to the bottom right or left corner of the page you are on.Click on the corner until you see an arrow.Use the arrow to minimize your page, pulling it across your screen until it is only covering half the screen.Open another tab and do the same thing to this page until you have a split computer screen.Then you can work on/view two screens at the same time. Instructions for accessing your H drive in school: In Microsoft Word click File, Open, double-click Computer (this will bring up your documents.) How to create a folder in your H drive: In Microsoft Word click File, Open, double-click Computer.In the upper left corner you will see a tab called folder.Click on this and you will see a new folder above your documents – be sure to name it. Control key shortcuts you should know: Ctrl A = Select all Ctrl C = Copy Ctrl P = Print Ctrl V = Paste Ctrl X = Cut Ctrl Z = Undo Ctrl Del = Delete Ctrl + = Magnify screen Ctrl - = Shrink screen Remember, when you log into your Michigan Virtual online course always do the following: 1.Check the Announcements for important information. 2.Check My Grades to see if you have any work that was graded and if your instructor left a comment for you. 3.Check your messages in Message Instructor. 4.Check your Pace Guide. 5.Work on Coursework.