When anyone engages online, it's essential that everyone behaves appropriately. Fife School District students must follow the Electronic Systems Use Agreement that is included in the District Rights and Responsibilities Handbook that everyone receives at the beginning of the year. As a quick reminder, when you are engaged in online learning, use the following netiquette guidelines:

• Join your scheduled Zoom session on time.

• Use respectful behavior and language, both when speaking and using the chat feature, if enabled.

• Don't speak at the same time as others - this makes it especially difficult to understand in an online meeting.

• Mute your computer microphone when you aren't speaking.

• If your video camera is turned on, please be aware of your surroundings. Don't have anything showing in the background that would not be conducive to a positive learning environment.

• Wear school appropriate clothing if you are attending meetings even via video conferencing!

• Refrain from eating/drinking if possible. Microphones DO pick up the sound of you chewing. 😉

• Turn off your video camera if your connection is slow. Audio-only will give you a better quality connection when that happens.

• Related to the point above, try to be as close to the router in your home as possible if accessing the internet wirelessly. You will have the best connection by doing so.

• Use only appropriate icon, emoji, and avatar submissions.

• If your teacher is using Zoom, try to use the "Raise Hand" feature in the Participants Window if you have a question.

• If your video camera is turned off, you should start speaking by stating your name. Ex. "This is _______________________, and my question is..."

• No student is allowed at any time to video record their class Zoom session or anyone participating in that session, nor should any student take a screenshot showing participants in this session.

• Stick to appropriate topic discussions.

• Send only appropriate video transmissions.

• Not falsify information about yourself or impersonate others online.

• REMEMBER: Your meeting host (your instructor) has the ability to remove you for inappropriate conduct, both temporarily and permanently. Please don't make them exercise that option. They don't want to unless they absolutely have to!

When everyone remembers to act kindly, show consideration for others, and treat one another online as you wish to be treated in person, we will all be able to focus on learning.

Actual policies and expectations information regarding responsible use can be found in our District Rights and Responsibilities Handbook on our district website or by clicking HERE.

Fife School District students all have Gmail accounts. These accounts are managed and monitored by school district employees who work in the Technology Department.

When you learn in the cloud, you will need to be logging into Google Classroom as well as checking your Gmail account daily for information from your teachers and other adults about coursework, lessons, and/or content. All elementary-aged students, with support from a parent or guardian, should check their district Gmail account every day. All middle school and high school students should check their district Gmail account every day, too. Gmail is going to be an important tool for getting the information you need to successfully learn in the cloud.

As a reminder, here's how you can access your Fife Gmail account:

• In your device browser, type in mail.fifeschools.com.

• If you are not on a Fife School District Chromebook, you will need to log in:

  • Your student id @fifeschools.com (example: test.stud17@fifeschools.com)

  • Your password should be your district login password.

Checking Google Classrom and your district Gmail account every day is one thing. Following through on all that you'll need to do at home when you're engaging in virtual learning is another. If you've already set yourself up with good study habits, those habits will support learning in the cloud. Here are some things to think about when you engage in online learning:

• Have a daily routine. Stick to it! Ask your parent or another important adult to help you develop your schedule if you need assistance. We are providing a sample schedule in the next section. Be sure your routine includes breaks, time to be active, and time to eat lunch.

• Have a learning space. Use this space when it's time to learn.

Be sure your learning space includes what you need to learn. You'll need a computer, iPad, Chromebook, or other device. You'll need paper, pencils and/or pens. You'll need tools to help you with math like a calculator, ruler, compass, and possibly manipulatives like counters. You may need your textbooks, trade books, composition notebooks, or any other curriculum materials that your teacher provides.

Don't be surprised when your parent or guardian asks you to make your learning space in a shared area of your home like at the kitchen table, a large kitchen counter, or a desk in a living room or family room. The reality is that when your learning space is separate from your bedroom and distanced from the television, it triggers your brain that the space is for work and not play. You will be more productive, and, like it or not, an online learning space in a shared area allows the adult(s) in your home to readily support your learning while also monitoring your online activity.

If you're wondering about the idea of a daily routine, keep reading...

More and more adults are able to work remotely. In fact, some adults have jobs that are done entirely through virtual means. These adults all have daily schedules or routines they use to help them stay focused and on task. When you learn in the cloud, you're going to need to think about this too. To develop your daily schedule, think about what it's like during a typical school day. Think about how teachers post schedules in the classroom or how bells remind students and staff when class is over. Think about your ability to stay focused and how long you know you can reasonably devote your full attention to a task.

Below is a sample of what a day of online learning could look like for a secondary student. Your schedule may look different depending upon your family dynamics and your personal learning needs.

• 07:30 AM - Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, etc.

• 08:15 AM - Organize learning space, turn on computer/device, log into Google Classroom or Gmail

• 08:30 AM - Review daily Google Classroom or Gmail announcements from teacher(s) and get necessary learning materials (books, workbooks, etc.)

• 09:00 AM - Engage in first virtual session, video tutorial or whatever the topic and format is for the day

• 09:30 AM - Work on assignments

• 10:00 AM - Take stretch and nutrition break

• 10:15 AM - Return to assignments, as necessary, and document learning in whatever way is required

• 11:00 AM - Check Google Classroom or Gmail for any additional announcements. Engage in second virtual session, video tutorial or whatever the topic and format is for your next class.

• 11:30 AM - Work on assignments

• 12:00 PM - Lunch and movement. Take a walk. Dance. Do jumping jacks. Run. Follow an online workout routine. Whatever you do, just move!

• 01:00 PM - Return to assignments, as necessary, and document learning in whatever way is required. Reach out to instructors via email or attend virtual office hours for support, if needed.

• 01:45 PM - Take a quick stretch and nutrition break

• 02:00 PM - Summarize your learning in whatever way your teacher(s) have requested, and submit your evidence online. Reach out to your instructors via email or attend virtual office hours for support, if needed.

• 03:00 PM - Pat yourself on the back for a full day of virtual learning

Learning in the cloud is just as challenging and rigorous as a day of learning in the classroom. Learning just happens in a different place. Like in school, your daily schedule might be a bit different on each day of the week. There will be certain things such as your stretch and nutrition breaks as well as your lunchtime that you'll probably want to keep consistent. What might change are the times you hop online for video sessions or online chats. The more time you spend learning virtually, the more you'll know about what works best for you in terms of keeping focused and on task.

Your teacher(s) are going to want to know whether you are learning what they intend for you to learn. So you're going to need to figure out how to share your learning with them. When you check your Classroom and Gmail messages every day, you will probably find out how your teacher will want you to demonstrate your learning. Be prepared to be asked to:

• Complete an assignment or submit a Google Forms quiz via Google Classroom;

• Take a picture of your work and upload it to Google Classroom or email it to your teacher;

• Record a video that shows how you are able to do something;

• Engage in an online meeting/class session; or

• Engage in an online virtual "Office Hour"

There might be other ways your teacher(s) will want to check on your progress. If you have an idea, feel free to let them know!

District computing devices are configured to allow connections to home and public WiFi networks. The FSD Technology Department is unable to provide support for home networks. However, here are a few basic troubleshooting steps you can try before checking with your ISP or network hardware manufacturer’s website for support links.

1. Restart your computer or mobile device.

2. Try connecting to your home Wi-Fi network again.

3. Ensure that you are entering the correct Wi-Fi password.

4. If you are able to connect, but your connection seems excessively slow or unreliable, try to sit as close to your wireless router as possible.

If you are still unable to connect to your home Wi-Fi, please check with your ISP or network hardware manufacturer’s website for support links.

Support Links to Local Internet Service Providers (ISP)

• Comcast /Xfinity

• Frontier

• Earthlink

• CenturyLink

Support Links to Network Hardware Manufacturers

• Netgear

• ASUS

• Linksys

• D-Link

• TP-Link

• Google Nest Wi-Fi

To support off-campus learning, the Fife School District is loaning mobile hot spots to district families without internet access at home.

The hot spot provides internet access using cell phone towers, just like a cell phone does. Hot spots do not supplement or strengthen existing home network performance.

Your hotspot should also have an accompanying Quickstart Guide.

Turning a Hot Spot On

Press and hold the power button (on the front edge of the hotspot) for several seconds until the screen lights up. You know that the hotspot is on when you see a white light blinking below the power button.

Connecting Your Chromebook to the Hotspot

1. You will need to find the name of the hotspot by repeatedly pressing the power button until the screen appears with the words "Wifi Name." The second line on that screen is the name of the wifi network that you will be connecting to. The wifi name is "Ellipsis Jetpack" followed by 4 characters.

2. Press the power button again to see the 8 character password. That is the password you will need to connect to the wifi network.

3. On the Chromebook, click on the wifi icon in the lower-right corner. Click on the drop down menu below Network icon. You will see a list of available wifi networks. Find the one with the name on the hotspot in the list. Click on it and enter the password. You should now be connected!

Turning Off the Hotspot

To turn off the hotspot, press and hold the power button until you see the word "Goodbye."

Charging

To charge the hotspot, use the white USB cord and the white charging brick. Plug the hotspot into the USB port on the side of the hotspot. When it is fully charged, the power button will turn green.

Reminders

• The hotspot should only be used for educational purposes.

• There is no internet filtering software on the hotspots. Use of the hotspot is subject to Verizon's Acceptable Use Policy, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Use, as well as the Fife School District's Acceptable Use Policy. Students are bound by the Fife School District's Acceptable Use Policy, the school handbook, administrative procedure, and the Fife School District Fife Forward Chromebook Agreement.

• If you have any problems, please call (253) 517-1000 and leave a message. Someone will get back to you shortly.