Update to Distance Learning 4 6 20

To:  Students and their Parents/Guardians of Mr. O’Connor’s classes

From: Mr. O’Connor, who’s missing you all terribly

I hope this message finds you well.  I hope that you’ve spent time re-connecting with family, pursuing interests that have evaded you before the onset of the current state of things,  and are taking precautions, for your own sake and for the sake of us all, to stay healthy.

It goes without saying, we live in very interesting times indeed.  My hope is that this challenge will strengthen our resolve not simply to return to as close to normal as possible, but also to give us a new appreciation for different ways of getting things done, and that we realize we may need to redefine “normal”. 

As you may know, New York State Education Department (NYSED) has mandated certain expectations for distance learning during this emergency, which as of now extends until the 29^th of April.  Two new catchwords are synchronous and asynchronous learning.  In a nutshell, asynchronous learning involves interacting with students on a regular basis in manners such as email, pre-recorded lessons, posting on platforms such as MS Teams and GoogleClassroom, etc. Synchronous learning involves real-time interaction on a schedule-set basis with students, whether it be live individual chat sessions or whole-class webinars at set times.  NYSED’s stance is that synchronous instruction is the ideal, however it is listed as optional. Please see attached NYSED Guidelines, page 3 under Continuity of Learning. Red Hook Central School District’s stance is that synchronous interaction is the “gold standard” to which teachers and their students should aspire, and should take place on as close to a daily basis as possible. Please acknowledge that the directives have come down through many levels of the hierarchy, and as I understand things, at each level there has been an effort to achieve a “middle ground.”

I’d like to achieve this same sense of “middle ground” with each and every one of my students.  Therefore, I would like to know the comfort level of my students and their parents.  Please do not hesitate to reach out via email at toconnor@rhcsd.org, on MS Teams and Google Classroom, both of which are accessible through students’ district-issued accounts, or though my district phone extension at 845-758-2241 ext. 71248. In my honest opinion, given that any sense of normalcy has been shattered, and most likely current circumstances have foisted upon us new obligations and concerns, strict adherence to a set schedule of real-time (i.e. synchronous) interaction is a near-impossibility. Granted, a sense of schedule and immediate interactivity is ideal for all grade levels; however, for secondary-level students who should be moving toward a state of self-reliance, immediate interaction on a daily basis I feel is not only unnecessary, but contrary to the instinct of adaptation to new situations that is most crucial now as well as in each student’s immediate future. Again, these are interesting times, and to not appreciate that fact and capitalize on it as a learning moment, would be a travesty.

I am committing myself to “office hours” as per new directives that you may be receiving soon.  As far as I’m concerned, my “office hours” will be between the hours of 8 am and 3 pm. These will primarily be “asynchronous” in the form of me replying to student concerns via my email. Whether they require clarification or access to materials, these are needs that can easily be managed from my personal device.  There may also be a need for synchronous (live via chat) interaction to resolve specific concerns, which can be arranged within 24 hours or even far sooner, depending on my access to my district-issued laptop computer at the time.  I will certainly be available to address questions and concerns in real-time, given a window of notice.  Bottom line though, I will need student commitment to at least one instance of direct real-time online interaction with myself as well as multiple student peers, as per NYSED standards in place before this current fiasco. 

 It is my sincere hope that students realize the great gravity of this situation, and are taking precautions to stay safe and healthy. It is also my hope that they are learning to appreciate the things in life they may have until now taken for granted, namely their families, as well as their privileges living in this great society, namely their education.  Certainly as of this point forward  more diligence and self-discipline will be required on the part of students.  We are not asking for miracles, just that students realize that most often growth comes from adversity.  I wish you all the best, and please reach out in any form previously mentioned at any time should you have any questions or concerns, or even if you simply just need some human interaction.

 Please see course-specific information below.  Be happy and be well.

 English 10:

 As it stands now, the end of Marking Period 3 occurred on March 12^th.  Any assignments due on or before then will be counted.  For many of you this means submitting the Julius Caesar Film Study Questions, as well as the Julius Caesar student-selected Text Analysis.  The absolute deadline for these assignments is 4/17. Everything assigned after that will be counted toward the 4^th Quarter. Eschooldata will be updated on Friday, 4/10.

 Here’s a rough outline of assignments for the 4^th quarter:

• Study guide and a text analysis (look for next assignment in Teams and GoogleClassroom) of a favorite passage from the novel The Pearl. I would love to have a forum on MSTeams on this novel, if only to “test drive” MSTeams.
• NOTE: “RESEARCH PROJECT” in the following refers to a student selected topic, argument based proposition that students have already been working on since early February.
  • A presentation of a research project which will be conducted online and among a group of live interactive participants, i.e. student peers and myself. Details to follow, as I need to get ahead of the learning curve concerning the required technology to make things run smootly; time frame is around beginning of May.
  • A final research project paper, also details to follow, is due at end of May.
  • Prewriting activities geared towards effectively writing a research paper.
• Analyses of 4 short pieces of fiction and nonfiction to be conducted online via MSFORMS, due biweekly; again, more details to follow.

 There will be no more novel studies assigned for the year, though students are urged to put To Kill a Mockingbird on their bucket list under great must reads.

 I would like to as soon as possible migrate students currently on Google Classroom to the MS Teams platform, as that seems to be preferred among the majority. Please let me know if you need help in this regard.  If you’ve already developed a presentation in Google Slides, don’t fret– we can still use Google for presentation purposes.  Please remain connected to Teams (or Google for now) for more directions and to submit assignments.

 Short Stories Elective:

As it stands now, the end of Marking Period 3 occurred on March 12^th.  Any assignments due on or before then will be counted.  The absolute deadline for these assignments is 4/17. The story analysis that was due 3/27 has been extended until 4/17, but will not be accepted after that date.  Everything assigned after that will be counted toward the 4^th Quarter.  Eschooldata will be updated by Friday, 4/10.

 I will be limiting the number of stories covered to two per week.  These will be attached to weekly check-in assignments on MSTEAMS, which will link to an MSFORMS to answer study questions and make observations.  Keeping a notebook seems to be a moot point now. 

 I am giving the option to complete the 4^th quarter essay as an online presentation. The same requirement for sources will stand.  Interested parties can even collaborate in pairs, but must be willing to commit to synchronous learning sessions to deliver their presentations.  Should we return to school in May, the online presentation will of course revert to a live presentation in front of the class.  The essay or presentation is due in the last week of May.

IB Film Studies SL/HL 1:

As it stands now, the end of Marking Period 3 occurred on March 12^th.  Any assignments due on or before then will be counted.  The absolute deadline for these assignments is 4/17. Everything assigned after that will be counted toward the 4^th Quarter.The last assignment on the 3^rd quarter was the Citizen Kane writeup. 

 As far as viewing film, we had 6 units I wanted to cover.  Sticking to the previous rigid unit plan would seem counterproductive.  So I want you to create your own units of study.  You should select 6 films from different genres or movements.  For lists and descriptions of genres and movements, explore these two websites:

https://www.filmsite.org/filmgenres.html

https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/movie-moments/

I will be using MSFORMS for students to submit responses to established questions about the 6 films, with a spot for observations/interpretations.   Very soon I will be posting guidelines for the final exam, which consists of a Comparative Study (lite version) and a script, storyboard, and pre-production notes for a short film of your creation.  Actual creation of the film is optional.  You can certainly use any 2 of the 6 films you choose in your Comparative Study Lite Version.

 I am truly distressed that Covidgeddon began just as we were on the cusp of getting into the production phase of the course.  If we are out for the rest of the year,  we will have to accelerate the pace in the fall in order to be on track with the assessments requiring production of film.  I am collaborating with Mrs. Larson in finding film editing resources online.  Please respond with a list of resources you have at home (iMovie? A camera? Siblings or isolation-mates to use as actors?).  I retrieved the 4 Canon DSLRs and tripods from the room  (Oz: yes, I also have your Steadicam mount).   We can coordinate pickup of these items if you message me a couple of days in advance, as an online permission/financial liability acceptance form needs to be completed by yourself and sent via a parent’s email with their acknowledgement.