Hey everyone--DCPS is doing TV lessons as well on public access. It's on DKN (District Knowledge Network). It's on channel 99 for most folks who have cable. Right now it's K-2 literacy lessons every day from 9:30-11:00. DCPS has been tweeting about it--it just began yesterday.

I don't understand why DCPS didn't just focus on doing good instruction via TV and putting it on public access. They could start with an 8-10am block for PK-K and then do odd grades on odd days and even grades on even days. They could tie it to the DCPS curriculum and have only a few teachers per week who'd need to lesson plan. Tie the worksheets to that. Let people pick the packets up at all meal sites and post them as a pdf online as well.

Then all the teachers could do checkins with students when their grade wasn't on tv--PK-K after 10am, odd grades on even days, even grades on odd days.

Anonymous wrote:It might help if everyone could actually login to Teams. Credentials are not working for several families in our class so we’ve had to use Zoom. The teacher does actually teach and the kids are really engaged.

1st grade, Hyde-Addison

Sorry, banned from zoom now.....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS sent guidance on March 23 that Zoom was not allowed and teachers should use Teams. Like everything else, some schools listened and some did what they wanted.

Can you please share the guidance from March 23rd that said Zoom was not allowed? I cannot find it in my DCPS email.

Some schools listened and some schools didn't? Are you listening to yourself right now?

Let's see: school gets cancelled on March 16th. The guidance gets sent in March 23rd. Distance learning begins March 24th. Guess why schools started using zoom! Because DCPS released any of that guidance well after all of the planning for online learning had already taken place.

I know it’s weird, but when my employer says not to do something, I don’t do it. Crazy! My grade level team initially planned to use Zoom even though I was against it. By the time we started on the 24th, I was using Teams. It’s been 8 days. Schools should have transitioned already, but the reality is that nothing in DCPS is enforced, so it’s all about who is willing to flaunt rules vs follow them. It’s why I’m not allowed to make packets and Lafayette isn’t using them at all.

You mean “it’s all about the people that get sh*t done vs the people who only care about following rules.”

It might help if everyone could actually login to Teams. Credentials are not working for several families in our class so we’ve had to use Zoom. The teacher does actually teach and the kids are really engaged.

1st grade, Hyde-Addison

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you give Larla the password to the link, she can give it to the guy on she met on a “chan” who wants to Zoombomb HS classes.

Just use the waiting room and only allow your students to enter.

Bingo. But way too hard for any competent person at DCPS to know how to do and use any easy platform.

Of course thousands of businesses use it and don’t look into security...

Anonymous wrote:This is a nightmare. All this back and forth is ridiculous. They do not need daily roll call just to say hi to the teachers. The teachers aren't teaching them during these meetings.

This. Who actually believes there is any real live learning anyway?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS sent guidance on March 23 that Zoom was not allowed and teachers should use Teams. Like everything else, some schools listened and some did what they wanted.

Can you please share the guidance from March 23rd that said Zoom was not allowed? I cannot find it in my DCPS email.

Some schools listened and some schools didn't? Are you listening to yourself right now?

Let's see: school gets cancelled on March 16th. The guidance gets sent in March 23rd. Distance learning begins March 24th. Guess why schools started using zoom! Because DCPS released any of that guidance well after all of the planning for online learning had already taken place.

Why so aggressive? PP asked a question. Calm down.

Anonymous wrote:This guidance was not sent directly to teachers and many might still have never received it. At our school it as only sent to ALT members.

Then that’s on school leadership. I’m a teacher and I received it from my principal.

This is a nightmare. All this back and forth is ridiculous. They do not need daily roll call just to say hi to the teachers. The teachers aren't teaching them during these meetings.

This guidance was not sent directly to teachers and many might still have never received it. At our school it as only sent to ALT members.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS sent guidance on March 23 that Zoom was not allowed and teachers should use Teams. Like everything else, some schools listened and some did what they wanted.

Can you please share the guidance from March 23rd that said Zoom was not allowed? I cannot find it in my DCPS email.

Staff-Student Videoconferencing Guidance
March 23, 2020

As DCPS works to engage students and families during the current closure of school buildings, the following guidance is being provided to teachers and other staff members, including related service providers, who interact with students remotely via videoconferencing.

Videoconferencing occurs when DCPS staff and students in different locations communicate with each other in real-time sound and vision. While videoconferencing is a powerful instructional technology, it also raises challenges in ensuring privacy and safety for both students and staff. To allow students to benefit while mitigating risks, the following expectations should guide student-staff interactions in video conferences:

Videoconferencing – Set up
1. DCPS will communicate to all families that the distance learning model may include videoconferencing. Families will be asked to contact their school leader if they would like to opt out of this form of staff-student engagement.
2. Staff must use Microsoft Teams to videoconference with students.1
3. Staff should remind students and parents of general student internet safety rules, such as keeping the technology in a shared space in the home.
4. Staff must acknowledge review of and students and staff must continue to follow the DCPS Student Safety and Use Policy for Internet and Technology, the DCPS Employee Rights and Responsibilities Policy, the DCPS Social Media Policy, and any other applicable policy regarding staff-student interactions.
5. Staff should not disclose personally identifiable information about students during videoconferencing sessions.

Videoconferencing – Parameters
6. Wherever possible teachers and staff should videoconference with groups of students, rather than individual students.
7. Students should contact their teacher or staff member by telephone or email with individual questions.
8. Teachers and staff are encouraged to co-teach with special education teachers or library media specialists, where appropriate, rather than engaging students one-on-one. This can be accomplished remotely through Microsoft Teams. Teachers need not be physically present in the same location as each other.
9. It is strongly recommended, and required in some situations described below, that parents be present during individual videoconferencing.

1 Microsoft Teams supports direct audio calling and audio conferences for individual or groups of students without access to technology and videoconferencing with recording capability for students with technology.

10. Teachers and staff may use the “Record” feature to record the videoconference and make it available to themselves and the student later.
11. Teachers and students should report any inappropriate behavior or concerning behavior that may occur during a videoconference to the DCPS Office of Integrity, https://dcps.dc.gov/page/office-integrity.

Related Service Providers and Other Staff
· Parents must provide written consent via email or text message before beginning related services by videoconference.
· All sessions must be scheduled with a parent.
· Parents or adult guardians should attend sessions wherever possible and remain for the entire session.
· Elementary school students should not engage in individual videoconferencing sessions without a parent or other adult present and supervising the session.
· Tasks should be limited wherever possible and appropriate to those with which students are familiar and know how to complete safely.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCPS sent guidance on March 23 that Zoom was not allowed and teachers should use Teams. Like everything else, some schools listened and some did what they wanted.

Can you please share the guidance from March 23rd that said Zoom was not allowed? I cannot find it in my DCPS email.

Some schools listened and some schools didn't? Are you listening to yourself right now?

Let's see: school gets cancelled on March 16th. The guidance gets sent in March 23rd. Distance learning begins March 24th. Guess why schools started using zoom! Because DCPS released any of that guidance well after all of the planning for online learning had already taken place.

I know it’s weird, but when my employer says not to do something, I don’t do it. Crazy! My grade level team initially planned to use Zoom even though I was against it. By the time we started on the 24th, I was using Teams. It’s been 8 days. Schools should have transitioned already, but the reality is that nothing in DCPS is enforced, so it’s all about who is willing to flaunt rules vs follow them. It’s why I’m not allowed to make packets and Lafayette isn’t using them at all.

Edit: schools get cancelled on March 13th and teachers meet to plan distance learning in March 16th.

Teams also does not allow for break-out groups while Zoom does. My organization has been using Zoom with no issues (use password). There is a way to make Zoom secure and I hope DCPS will reconsider its guidance.