Is DCPS going virtual?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you who want zoom or videoconferencing actually seen how they work? Imagine being on a FaceTime call with a chat feature and 25 interrupting kids commenting “ I can’t see anything”, “how do I get to chat?” Etc etc for 50 minutes. It’s like a tech support call from hell. I’d love a big ole packet and less apps.

The zoom leader should be muting the conference and calling on students accordingly while unmuting them. It’s not different that a work conference call that has > 10 people. You mute the entire call people!

We are required to use Microsoft Teams, which is like Zoom in many ways. One thing it doesn’t have is a way to keep everyone muted. I had a group of about 15 kids today and muted them all and explained why they stay have to stay muted except to talk. A few times I had to mute everyone and just said it got too loud. It took some explanation of video conferencing etiquette but for the first time for all of us, my kids did awesome, and they said they loved getting to see everyone. Whether everyone tunes in every day doesn’t really matter but I think some live connection is super important for kids the same way it is for adults.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love my principal.
School leader just sent an email telling us she’d manage the crazy parents- get them off our backs & that we can should keep doing what we can.

I’m so jealous; we just enable ours.

My principal has been amazing that way. I had one parent who is absolutely off the wall. We had to set up a whole system to keep her away from me when school was still in session. Seriously! I had to have a buddy anytime I was outside at pick up or drop off or even recess because once she showed up at recess time and tried to argue with me. In front of the kids!!!! It was like I had my own private security, sort of. Ridiculous. My principal also fields the crazy emails from the regular crazy parents that teachers get. Thank god for that woman!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely insane that all schools are sending home laptops or chromebooks or something. For everyone. I can just see the laptop carts in our school right now. This is a huge failure of DCPS.

ERRRR. Meant are NOT sending home equipment. I give up.

Honestly, if DCPS sent home equipment, do you know how many of those laptops would be "missing" by the time school year starts? Then you all would have to deal with classrooms with only 1 computer for 25 kids. I'd rather have my kids stop learning than to jeopardize learning for years after Covid19.

You may be right. But we have three kids and one iPad and limited means. It’s just not working.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Omg! leave. Leave for the burbs. PLEASE!
Oh wait—- FAirfax & Moco have sent nothing. No tele teaching. Quick- find a new reason to shake your fists!!!!

Not true. MD/VA burbs sent out grade level packets created by their central office teams not by teachers so that every grade level has the same information. Judging by this thread, DCPS is a crapshoot depending on your school. People have mentioned that some schools are utilizing technology, while others have a firm no technology guideline in place. I love how liberally minded people pretend to champion equitable practices, until it comes to their progeny, then it’s as long as I get mine first, someone else can be second. #selfish #NOTequitable #DCPS-Equity-sucks

Deal has online teaching, which means west of the Park is using the online Microsoft Platform but the further away a school is from the Park (aka Rock Creek Park) that might not be the case. It also might be the case that only certain school feeder patterns are using online teaching: Deal, Stuart Hobson, JKLM pattern, Banneker, SWS, SWW, Wilson, Cap Hill Montessori

Bullsh*t.
I’m s moco mom. Nothing.
FAirfax teachers were told to focus on their health & family. Stop lying

our friends in fairfax were sent packets and things to work on. might have been school by school IDK. but some of them were sent school work to do at home

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you who want zoom or videoconferencing actually seen how they work? Imagine being on a FaceTime call with a chat feature and 25 interrupting kids commenting “ I can’t see anything”, “how do I get to chat?” Etc etc for 50 minutes. It’s like a tech support call from hell. I’d love a big ole packet and less apps.

The zoom leader should be muting the conference and calling on students accordingly while unmuting them. It’s not different that a work conference call that has > 10 people. You mute the entire call people!

We are required to use Microsoft Teams, which is like Zoom in many ways. One thing it doesn’t have is a way to keep everyone muted. I had a group of about 15 kids today and muted them all and explained why they stay have to stay muted except to talk. A few times I had to mute everyone and just said it got too loud. It took some explanation of video conferencing etiquette but for the first time for all of us, my kids did awesome, and they said they loved getting to see everyone. Whether everyone tunes in every day doesn’t really matter but I think some live connection is super important for kids the same way it is for adults.

PP you’re responding to. I was referring to PP that mentioned zoom. Zoom has the option

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you who want zoom or videoconferencing actually seen how they work? Imagine being on a FaceTime call with a chat feature and 25 interrupting kids commenting “ I can’t see anything”, “how do I get to chat?” Etc etc for 50 minutes. It’s like a tech support call from hell. I’d love a big ole packet and less apps.

The zoom leader should be muting the conference and calling on students accordingly while unmuting them. It’s not different that a work conference call that has > 10 people. You mute the entire call people!

I will add that I think LIVE zoom meetings should be for middle school and up. Pre-recorded lectures are more than adequate for elementary kids and the parents can assist in evenings or weekends. I don’t think live virtual meetings should be done for kids that can’t navigate solo (maybe 5th grade and up).

NP: My early elementary kids both had their first daily Zoom class meetings today, and they were great. The kids felt so much more connected being with their classmates again.

[Anonymous]

I’m frustrated that DCPS headquarters has said Zoom is off limits, but that individual principals are encouraging it. I don’t trust my principal to have my back if I use it against formal policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m frustrated that DCPS headquarters has said Zoom is off limits, but that individual principals are encouraging it. I don’t trust my principal to have my back if I use it against formal policy.

I didn’t know ‘downtown’ said it couldn’t be used! That’s crazy. I get their logic, I suppose. But my school is not using it to teach but to maintain a sense of class structure and community. A paper packet can address learning, but it can’t do a thing about connection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m frustrated that DCPS headquarters has said Zoom is off limits, but that individual principals are encouraging it. I don’t trust my principal to have my back if I use it against formal policy.

I didn’t know ‘downtown’ said it couldn’t be used! That’s crazy. I get their logic, I suppose. But my school is not using it to teach but to maintain a sense of class structure and community. A paper packet can address learning, but it can’t do a thing about connection.

We were sent a document dated 3/23 that had policies, like getting permission from parents in writing. Of course in the same email we were told to use Teams for staff communication and Zoom for kids so we don’t get things mixed up. Apparently we aren’t smart enough to use it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you who want zoom or videoconferencing actually seen how they work? Imagine being on a FaceTime call with a chat feature and 25 interrupting kids commenting “ I can’t see anything”, “how do I get to chat?” Etc etc for 50 minutes. It’s like a tech support call from hell. I’d love a big ole packet and less apps.

The zoom leader should be muting the conference and calling on students accordingly while unmuting them. It’s not different that a work conference call that has > 10 people. You mute the entire call people!

We are required to use Microsoft Teams, which is like Zoom in many ways. One thing it doesn’t have is a way to keep everyone muted. I had a group of about 15 kids today and muted them all and explained why they stay have to stay muted except to talk. A few times I had to mute everyone and just said it got too loud. It took some explanation of video conferencing etiquette but for the first time for all of us, my kids did awesome, and they said they loved getting to see everyone. Whether everyone tunes in every day doesn’t really matter but I think some live connection is super important for kids the same way it is for adults.

How is that working for PK? Teams may be good for grades 3 and higher but how can kids ask questions if they can’t type? You can’t even see all of the students with Teams. At least with Zoom, you can see everyone. Not well thought out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of you who want zoom or videoconferencing actually seen how they work? Imagine being on a FaceTime call with a chat feature and 25 interrupting kids commenting “ I can’t see anything”, “how do I get to chat?” Etc etc for 50 minutes. It’s like a tech support call from hell. I’d love a big ole packet and less apps.

I checked in on my third-grader's community chat zoom call yesterday (after the teacher had set up a lesson).

One of the funniest things I've ever seen. Beyond chaos. 25 kids, and at least ten different conversations happening at once at all times. They had fun, but oh boy...