VISION

During this time of uncertainty, our vision is to continue to provide our students with the best possible academic instruction while maintaining relationships and connections with our students remotely.

In order to keep our students on track with their academic and social goals, teachers have dedicated their time to providing the best instruction possible online through synchronous and asynchronous instructional videos and live conferencing classes, access to various digital and online resources, as well as hands-on resources students can work on independently at home. Faculty and staff have also created small virtual hangouts for students that are designed just to let students have fun giving them an opportunity to interact and work on social skills informally with their teachers and peers.

ONLINE LEARNING GOALS

• Monitor student and family, as well as staff and teachers' well-being during this period of time, including social-emotional impact, financial impact and familial support
• Help students, teachers and families maintain a healthy balance between personal life responsibilities, remote learning responsibilities, and their personal state of well-being
• Foster authentic student engagement in classroom lessons and activities through various remote learning platforms like Microsoft Teams and Seesaw for Schools
• Monitor student success and achievement through submitted work

REMOTE LEARNING (DISTANCE LEARNING)

Learning that occurs when the student and teacher are separated by time and distance, and therefore cannot meet in a traditional classroom setting. Information is transmitted through technology such as email, discussion boards, video conferences, audio recordings, etc, and no physical presence in a classroom is required. The learning can occur synchronously or asynchronously.

ONLINE LEARNING

Learning that occurs exclusively through the internet. It falls under the umbrella of Remote/Distance Learning but is specific to internet learning only. This is also used often in blended learning environments, pre-COVID-19 shutdowns.

SYNCHRONOUS

Learning that happens among a group of students and their teacher at the same time, in real-tine. Students are working on the same lessons, activities, and tasks at the same time, usually live using a communications tool such as Microsoft Teams and/or Zoom.

ASYNCHRONOUS

Learning that does not occur in the same place or at the same time. This type of set-up is done on the students' and teachers' own time frame and all work is set up ahead of time. For example, teachers may record a lesson digitally ahead of time, send the video to students to watch in their own time, and provide worksheets or an activity, like a discussion board, that is due at a later date. This type of learning offers more flexibility for both teachers and students to create, receive, complete, and turn in work.

SCREENCAST

A digital video recording of your computer screen, usually including audio narration and/or closed captions, that acts as an instructional video. Teachers often use these types of tools to record a lesson to show students remotely or as a reference tool. Screencast options include, but are not limited to, Screencastify, Explain Everything, ShowMe, FlipGrid ScreenCast Tool, Zoom Recording, Seesaw for Schools, and Microsoft Teams recording.

VIDEO CONFERENCE

A live virtual meeting in which participants are in different locations that includes audio and video functionality. Tools used at The Joy School for video conferencing include Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

INTERNET BROWSER

An internet browser, or web browser, is a software application that is used to access information on the World Wide Web. These often appear as a clickable icon/app on your deskop/laptop or Smart device. Examples include Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Safari.

INTERNET SEARCH ENGINE

An internet search engine, or web search engine, is a software system that is designed to carry out a web/internet search for a specific set of queries or parameters. Examples of search engines include Google.com, Bing.com, and Yahoo.com. The term, Internet Search Engine, is often confused with the term, internet browser, when they are actually very different applications. Think of search engines as webpages you go to instead of an app that you open.

INTERNET WEB PAGE/WEBSITE

A webpage is a document, commonly written in HTML, that is viewed in an Internet Browser. It is accessed through a unique URL address written in the browser's address bar and can contain text, graphics, videos and hyperlinks to other web pages and files. A website is a collection of these pages grouped together and connected in various ways.

STUDENT LEARNING ETIQUETTE AND EXPECTATIONS

1. Be dressed. Free dress is okay but should be appropriate for school.
2. Be full. No eating during live instruction.
3. Be prepared. Have all of your stuff ready.
4. Be focused. Limit distractions for yourself and others --- quiet room, no pets, no phones, no television, no music, no virtual backgrounds no moving your device around.
5. Be quiet. Stay muted until it's your turn to talk.
6. Be kind.
   
   Please refer to our Acceptable Use Policy of Laptop/iPad devices of the 2020 - 2021 Family/Student handbook on pages, as well as the image below about Student Learning Expectations.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND REMOTE LEARNING STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOR (from ISTE's standards for Student Education)

• Students cultivate and manage their digital identity and reputation and are aware of the permanence of their actions in the digital world.
• Students engage in positive, safe, legal and ethical behavior when using technology, including social interactions online or when using networked devices.
• Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
• Students manage their personal data to maintain digital privacy and security and are aware of data-collection technology used to track their navigation online.
• Students use digital tools to connect with learners from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, engaging with them in ways that broaden mutual understanding and learning.
• Students use collaborative technologies to work with others, including peers, experts or community members, to examine issues and problems from multiple viewpoints.
• Students contribute constructively to project teams, assuming various roles and responsibilities to work effectively toward a common goal.