{"id":27589,"date":"2020-09-04T11:16:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-04T15:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ashtonschool.edu.do\/?p=27589"},"modified":"2020-09-09T23:01:00","modified_gmt":"2020-09-10T03:01:00","slug":"upper-elementary-elearning-schedule-and-platforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ashtonschool.edu.do\/es\/news\/announcements\/upper-elementary-elearning-schedule-and-platforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Calendario y plataformas de aprendizaje electr\u00f3nico de la escuela primaria superior"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear 4th – 6th Grade Parents:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Next Tuesday we will be concluding the 2<\/span>nd<\/span> Cycle of orientation, reviews and social-emotional interventions and be ready to officially begin new content for the 2020-2021 school year.\u00a0 These first days were also intended to evaluate how the students are responding to the eLearning modality and to implement new online platforms as deemed necessary.<\/span><\/p>\n

The design of the eLearning plan comes after months of conducting research and studies into best practices for online learning, and considering the feedback from teachers, students and parents as to how the students are engaging with and reacting to distance learning modalities.\u00a0 We have also been ensuring that teachers have the resources to create quality lesson plans and carry out instruction in this new fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

The Schedule:<\/b><\/h3>\n

Last spring, when we found ourselves having to implement emergency distance learning, the Upper Elementary eLearning platform for 4th and 5th grades primarily consisted of asynchronous encounters where students and parents navigated their Google Sites Classrooms to find teacher-created videos and assignments.\u00a0 In addition, there were some small group and full group encounters along the way. In 6th grade there was more synchronous instruction in conjunction with the above-mentioned.<\/span> After conducting surveys and town hall meetings, plus receiving feedback through the chat groups, the data showed that parents wanted there to be more direct connection time between the students and the teachers, known as synchronous connections.\u00a0 That is the primary reason why most of the teaching and learning now consist of synchronous encounters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

During the synchronous encounters, which will be the primary format, students are able to not only engage directly with their teacher, but with their classmates as well.\u00a0 However, we must also be careful to not overload students with screen time and a rigid schedule.\u00a0 Research on distance learning clearly shows that it is important to provide a balance of both synchronous and asynchronous encounters for students. \u00a0 The feedback from these first few days confirms these findings in that while students are learning how to stay attentive for these extended connection times, as lunch time approaches the fatigue sets in. The asynchronous encounters allow for more self-directed and self-paced learning.\u00a0 Students also benefit from the experience of exploring on their own and even being able to connect at different times of the day when they are more rested from the synchronous screen time.\u00a0 <\/span>Nonetheless, even when our schedule calls for asynchronous learning, teachers will be available during an office hour.\u00a0 The teacher is literally one click away during that office hour <\/span>and any student who needs more teacher-directed guidance may connect with <\/span>the teacher<\/span>.\u00a0 Below is the revised general format for the <\/span>Upper<\/span> Elementary School schedule.\u00a0 Your child\u2019s detailed schedule with the specific subjects per day is found in the Classroom Site.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
<\/td>\nMonday<\/b><\/td>\nTuesday<\/b><\/td>\nWednesday<\/b><\/td>\nThursday<\/b><\/td>\nFriday<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8:00-10:15<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\n8:00-9:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Asynchronous learning<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

10:15-10:30<\/span><\/td>\nBreak<\/span><\/td>\nBreak<\/span><\/td>\nBreak<\/span><\/td>\nBreak<\/span><\/td>\n9:00-10:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Live synchronous teaching and learning,\u00a0 if the student wishes to connect.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

10:30-12:00<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\nLive synchronous teaching and learning<\/span><\/td>\n10:00-12:00<\/span><\/p>\n

Asynchronous learning<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

12:00-1:00<\/span><\/td>\nLunch\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nLunch\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nLunch\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nLunch\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1:15-2:15<\/span><\/td>\nAsynchronous learning with teacher available to connect with students as needed<\/span><\/td>\nAsynchronous learning with teacher available to connect with students as needed<\/span><\/td>\nAsynchronous learning with teacher available to connect with students as needed<\/span><\/td>\nAsynchronous learning with teacher available to connect with students as needed<\/span><\/td>\n12:00-1:00 Lunch<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3:00-5:00<\/span><\/p>\n

(At a later date)<\/span><\/td>\n

Possible small groups for ACE (pending more clarification from authorities)<\/span><\/td>\nPossible small groups for ACE (pending more clarification from authorities)<\/span><\/td>\nPossible small groups for ACE (pending more clarification from authorities)<\/span><\/td>\nPossible small groups for ACE (pending more clarification from authorities)<\/span><\/td>\n1:15-2:15<\/span><\/p>\n

Asynchronous learning<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

<\/h3>\n

Important components about the schedule include:<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Synchronous (live connections) will start at 8:00 a.m. and continue until 12:00 p.m.;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Teachers will insert short five-minute breaks in between subjects as deemed necessary;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Students will have 15 minutes for recess to use the bathroom and eat a snack;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The majority of the day will consist of live (synchronous) connections, but teachers will encourage students to work away from the screen when possible (i.e. to read in his\/her favorite spot of the room, to work on a simple project, etc.)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • During the 1:15 to 2:15 asynchronous hour, teachers will be available to connect if a student needs guidance with the instructions;<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The work posted for asynchronous Friday will be clear and manageable for students to develop independent learning and research skills.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • On asynchronous Friday, the teachers will be available during a 9:00-10:00 office hour where students may connect live for additional guidance.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • The lunch break allows for students and parents to have lunch together whenever possible in each home.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

    <\/h3>\n

    The Platforms:<\/h3>\n

    Google Sites<\/b> will continue to be the platform to access all of our eLearning classrooms. \u00a0 Please do not share the link to our eLearning platform with anyone other than your child.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

    While we wanted to start with the same video conference platform that was familiar to students and parents <\/span>(Google Meet)<\/b> we also left the door open to the possibility of incorporating another platform such as <\/span>Zoom<\/b>.\u00a0 As of this 2<\/span>nd<\/span> Cycle, teachers have been communicating with you about making this very easy transition.\u00a0 The Homeroom teacher will create the \u201cone link\u201d connection and all subject teachers will connect through that link.\u00a0 This eliminates the need to connect to different links for different subjects. <\/span>Teachers will protect entry into the eLearning classrooms by creating waiting rooms and only allowing entry to their students.\u00a0 If your child will be connecting from a device that is not clearly identified with his\/her or your names, please inform your child\u2019s Homeroom teacher in advance.\u00a0 Otherwise, the teacher will not know to give your child entry.\u00a0 Please understand that in order to ensure the protection of your child\u2019s identity, this is a necessary measure. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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    Parent training for <\/span>Upper<\/span> Elementary grades will take place on the dates shown below.\u00a0 If you need training in the use of <\/span>Zoom<\/b>, feel free to sign up for one of these sessions by clicking on the day and time that you prefer.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>