Welcome to Mrs. Fogelson’s 8th Grade Social Studies class. This year, we will be doing something a little different – we will have a “hybrid” class. As many of you know, a hybrid is taking parts from two different things and putting them together. That’s exactly what we will be doing in our Social Studies class this year. The topics that we cover during 8th grade avail themselves to many projects that we would not have time for in a traditional class setting. With that in mind, we will be combining the traditional classroom with online learning. This will allow our 130 students the chance to use technology to learn key points and then bring that knowledge in to the actual classroom where we can apply that knowledge in the various fun and in-depth projects that I have planned for the class.
You may be asking, “How can this work?” The answer is, “Quite well!” I will lay out a few topics that will address issues such as: how the class will interact with one another online, what routines you should establish and what the procedures are in order to combine the studies of online learning and traditional classroom settings, how the teacher will work with each of the students, and how we will be able to do activities as a class online. Here we go!
Interactions: When working together as a class online, it is important that we interact in an appropriate manner. The student will be required to complete a lesson online, and then ‘post’ on a discussion board or some other online assessment. Students need to understand that this is an extension of the classroom, and should behave like they would in the classroom. All students are required to participate in these online discussions, as it will be a part of their grade for the class. Remember that proper “netiquette” is expected of you. Be sure to check out the page that details this on the class website. But here are a few words to remember when responding: Contemplate before you Generate. Think about what you want to send, write it, then review it – is this something you want to put your name on?
Routines and Procedures: If I had to state one thing that is important to be successful in an online class (or even a hybrid like ours), it is to establish a routine. When a student learns the procedures of an online class, creating a routine to be successful will be easy. The complete list of procedures for class can be discovered on the Procedures page of the class website. Here are the highlights: Review the weekly lesson and complete the assignment with this lesson. It is important to note that if a student does not complete the lesson and assignment by the due date, that student will not be participating in the in-class activities. When a student does not show the initiative to complete the work outside of class, that student will be completing the tasks on the side of the classroom, while all of the other students are able to participate in the classroom projects and activities. That is why it is key to establish a routine! Having a routine set up will set the student up for success. Don’t worry too much about this as we will do some examples as a class so each student will understand what is required and what the teacher expects. During the first week of school, when the class is in the computer lab, students will get a chance to see what the online portion of the class entails, as well as learn how much time to set aside each week for the online portion of class.
One-on-One: There will be times when you will need to email the teacher. Here is what to expect when you correspond with the teacher: I check my email at 5 pm and around 8 pm each night. Please note that if you send an email after 8 pm, I will not receive it until the following morning. If you need help immediately, I would recommend taking advantage of the Edmodo class I have set up. When it comes to weekends, I like to enjoy time off. I may check email on the weekends, but it is not guaranteed. A great rule of thumb is, “Ask Three before Me.” Use the online tools that I have provided (discussion boards, Edmodo, email other students) to the class to Ask Three of your fellow students. If you still don’t have the correct answer, feel free to contact me, with my ‘office hours’ in mind.
Whole Class Assignments/Activities: Since this class is a hybrid class, and most of our activities will be done in the classroom itself, there will be a few projects that are online, so that students can get a sense of online collaboration. We will be creating Class Wiki pages for some of the major events, such as World War II. Students will be placed into groups of varying size (depending on the project) and the students that make up these groups will most likely be from different class periods. This is an excellent way to learn more about others in our online class. Once again, we will go over the basics in the school computer lab to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to learn what is expected before actually completing a project of this size.
Review: Mrs. Fogelson’s 8th Grade Social Studies class will be a hybrid class, in which students will learn some of the weekly lessons as an online learning course, in order to free up time in the classroom for in-depth projects. We will spend the first week in the computer lab, so that students will learn what is expected of them during the course and to help them establish routines for their online learning portion of the class. Those students who choose not to complete the online portion of the course will be doing the lesson work off to the side, while those who have completed the lesson will be able to participate in the cooperative learning in the classroom. Students should remember to Contemplate before they Generate, to make sure that they are using school appropriate language as well as make a positive contribution to the online portion of the class. When a student has a question, it is best to use the tools available to them to Ask Three Before Me – and understand when the teacher is available afterschool and online.
I am so excited for this upcoming year! It will be challenging, rewarding and fun! The students will gain useful skills that they can apply to online learning in the future, and also learn to collaborate in a technological world. Be sure to look around the class website to learn more about what we will be doing this coming year!
Regards,
Mrs. Fogelson
