FCPS - Why can't teachers do one hour Zoom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your child will be fine.

Hand out computers. Really?? Get a grip.

Our school sent out a technology survey and issued chrome books to students who needed them. We have 3 chrome books now for our 3 elementary school children, which is great because then we can use our own laptops for our own work. We just signed waivers saying we would return it, like checking out a library book. Why should chromebooks and other computers just sit in classrooms and libraries unused? It's been so helpful because they are doing everything online now.

How old are your kids?

And why are you taking laptops away from the children who REALLY need them?

Agree.

It is for the kids without laptops or computers in the home, not those who don't want their kids to share.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Your child will be fine.

Hand out computers. Really?? Get a grip.

Our school sent out a technology survey and issued chrome books to students who needed them. We have 3 chrome books now for our 3 elementary school children, which is great because then we can use our own laptops for our own work. We just signed waivers saying we would return it, like checking out a library book. Why should chromebooks and other computers just sit in classrooms and libraries unused? It's been so helpful because they are doing everything online now.

How old are your kids?

And why are you taking laptops away from the children who REALLY need them?

Agree.

It is for the kids without laptops or computers in the home, not those who don't want their kids to share.

It is actually for all kids at our school. Our principal said it would be ideal for every student to have their own device. Nothing special about my children or what has been issued to us. Just following our school's procedures and recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Zoom is not approved for instruction in FCPS. Any FCPS teacher using it faces a reprimand.

Could you PLEASE lay off until the end of the week? FCPS has 190,000 students. They are doing the best that they can. Many teachers didn’t even have their *laptops* until principals allowed them back into the building for literally 10 minutes today. Buildings have been ordered closed. Instructional devices provided 2 weeks’ worth of work on Blackboard. Have you done it all? And if your child misses classmates so much, why don’t YOU organize a Zoom play date among children?

FCPS is such a piece of shit. Zoom is offering its services FREE to schools, it's the best thing out there, and FCPS administration is saying no?

No, I'm not laying off. It's already been two weeks. Literally every one else I know in other parts of the country has received SOMETHING from their schools. I don't care that it's 190,000 students. Learn how to scale up. This is a terrible place to live, we're moving as soon as feasible.

1) you can’t count. It has not been two weeks.

2) Zoom is NOT the best for school instruction. There are no safeguards for student privacy and security in place and it has a few bells and whistles but is missing much of the core functionality of Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, including the ability for administrators to supervise.

3) It’s not about price. FCPS has approved many tools that are currently free including Flipgrid. It has to do with ensuring student privacy and security of data.

4) I highly doubt you did any of the activities on Blackboard. They are optional. There have now been exactly 7 days of missed instruction, the equivalent of a large snow storm. Why don’t YOU do some things with your kid? You can certainly sign your kid up from all sorts of free programs now that are not currently FCPS approved.

5) FCPS taxpayers voted down the meals tax that would have paid for 1-1 devices for all students k-12. We didn’t have the money so we literally do not have enough computers for everyone. Some schools don’t even have enough laptops.for all the kids on Free and Reduced launch. Redeploying devices around the county is a Herculean task. It’s hampered by the order that buildings are closed.

6) Your negativity accomplished precisely nothing. Why don’t you DO something instead of bitching?

[Anonymous]

On the note of laptops for every kid, in almost all normal circumstances, the elementary kids should not be 1:1 with laptops.

Those should be an occassional activity, not a primary means of teaching.

That is why many of us voted against the meals tax. Early elementary students should not be looking at a screen all day. It is bad for their development.

Even in this quarantine situation, traditional paper work is better than laptops. I really hope fcps does not try to get 1:1 laptops for the little ones.

[Anonymous]

Yeah get a bunch of little kids to log onto an unsecured video platform with zero privacy. DO YOU not get there are FEDERAL LAWS around this stuff that schools have to navigate before they can release teachers to use them?? Also, districts themselves don’t get to make a lot of these choices. They have to come from state and federal agencies and be approved by them first. But sure, harp on FCPS some more. I don’t even work for FCPS but your myriad petty and completely uninformed, ignorant complaints drive me insane.

[Anonymous]

PP hit the nail on the head: it is about privacy and security. ZOOM is not approved and will not be approved by FCPS because it does not protect students’ privacy. This is directly from the mouth of Maribeth Luftglass, the assistant superintendent for IT at FCPS. Principals asked specifically about using it, and this is the reason why.

Teachers are being trained to use Blackboard Collaborate which they can then use with their students. It’s not as fabulous as ZOOM, but it’s secure.

When friends ask why FCPS isn’t using ZOOM, please explain that it’s about security. It’s not about equity, because there is a tool for videoconferencing.

-a principal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the note of laptops for every kid, in almost all normal circumstances, the elementary kids should not be 1:1 with laptops.

Those should be an occassional activity, not a primary means of teaching.

That is why many of us voted against the meals tax. Early elementary students should not be looking at a screen all day. It is bad for their development.

Even in this quarantine situation, traditional paper work is better than laptops. I really hope fcps does not try to get 1:1 laptops for the little ones.

They won’t. Laptops will only be distributed for grades 3-12 in homes where there are none. They’ll start with 12th grade and work their way down. Students in the primary grades will get packets. I suspect we’ll be doing packets for all grades in elementary because there’s no way to outfit all kids with both laptops and access to WiFi.

[Anonymous]

OP did you not read any of the emails from FCPS explaining why they can’t distribute laptops at meal distribution sites? They explained it. And do you understand special ed laws and that FCPS has been trying to figure distance learning out? Do you know it has only been one week, not two?

You sound incredibly uneducated and selfish. Give them a little time.

[Anonymous]

Who in MCPS is doing Zoom?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:On the note of laptops for every kid, in almost all normal circumstances, the elementary kids should not be 1:1 with laptops.

Those should be an occassional activity, not a primary means of teaching.

That is why many of us voted against the meals tax. Early elementary students should not be looking at a screen all day. It is bad for their development.

Even in this quarantine situation, traditional paper work is better than laptops. I really hope fcps does not try to get 1:1 laptops for the little ones.

I teach third grade. We have no Chromebooks. I have 5 laptops in the classroom for 23 third graders. Each classroom has 5 computers (one classroom has 5 desktops). The grade level shares 2 mobile lab carts that hold 16 hand me down laptops (if they are available and not pulled for testing or the Global Awareness Project). That’s 62 computers (57 laptops) for approximately 145 students.

[Anonymous]

FCPS people need to chill out. We’re using snow days and then comes spring break so your kids will be fine without school-sponsored education. I’m sure you (or your kids) can find educational resources in the internet ON YOUR OWN. It’s really not that difficult.

[Anonymous]

Also, OP, we can’t do read alouds. There is the possibility of copyright infringement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the note of laptops for every kid, in almost all normal circumstances, the elementary kids should not be 1:1 with laptops.

Those should be an occassional activity, not a primary means of teaching.

That is why many of us voted against the meals tax. Early elementary students should not be looking at a screen all day. It is bad for their development.

Even in this quarantine situation, traditional paper work is better than laptops. I really hope fcps does not try to get 1:1 laptops for the little ones.

I teach third grade. We have no Chromebooks. I have 5 laptops in the classroom for 23 third graders. Each classroom has 5 computers (one classroom has 5 desktops). The grade level shares 2 mobile lab carts that hold 16 hand me down laptops (if they are available and not pulled for testing or the Global Awareness Project). That’s 62 computers (57 laptops) for approximately 145 students.

And that is how it should be.

Early elementsry kids should not be getting their education from compjters as a primary tool.

Computers should be used only occassionally in 4th grade.and below.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, OP, we can’t do read alouds. There is the possibility of copyright infringement.

Then read something out of copyright. My 1st grader would love to see his teacher's face or hear her voice. He's sad right now. And as the months of isolation go on, it won't get better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the note of laptops for every kid, in almost all normal circumstances, the elementary kids should not be 1:1 with laptops.

Those should be an occassional activity, not a primary means of teaching.

That is why many of us voted against the meals tax. Early elementary students should not be looking at a screen all day. It is bad for their development.

Even in this quarantine situation, traditional paper work is better than laptops. I really hope fcps does not try to get 1:1 laptops for the little ones.

I teach third grade. We have no Chromebooks. I have 5 laptops in the classroom for 23 third graders. Each classroom has 5 computers (one classroom has 5 desktops). The grade level shares 2 mobile lab carts that hold 16 hand me down laptops (if they are available and not pulled for testing or the Global Awareness Project). That’s 62 computers (57 laptops) for approximately 145 students.

And that is how it should be.

Early elementsry kids should not be getting their education from compjters as a primary tool.

Computers should be used only occassionally in 4th grade.and below.

LOL so what’s your plan for <3rd grade kids for the next 3 months?