Valley View Tools for Blended Learning
Welcome Back Spartans!
The staff has been hard at work preparing to welcome students back, both in person and online. They have been learning a brand new way of teaching, which can be intimidating, but they are rising to the challenge! These changes will provide more consistency, and better overall instruction for students in the classroom and at home. While there will be bumps in the road, we must remember that growth is not found in comfort. While we may be uncomfortable at times, we will grow into a better district and a better community.
We STAND together, we STAY together and we are in this TOGETHER, because we are SPARTAN STRONG!
Introduction to New Tools
Part of our new way of teaching includes some new tools, and a slight change on how we use some programs you are already familiar with. Here is a quick look at some of the changes.
Landing Pages
This is the home for basic information from teachers and staff. While they may not all look exactly the same, they all include some of the same basic information. Parents and students can get contact information, office hours, links to important resources, and get links to current and previous playlists. The links to landing pages are available on the VV website in the staff directory. Parents or students can click on the image to the right of the teacher name and the landing page will be displayed.
Playlists
The playlist is the learning plan for the week. It will include the learning objectives, content or instruction, practice, and assessment(s) to see if students have mastered the learning objectives. Since everyone will be using landing pages and playlists, families will be able to easily find the information they need no matter which grade or teacher(s) they have this year. The use of playlists also allows ALL students to have the same and equal access to the learning content whether they are learning in person or online.
Google Classroom and Seesaw
Google Classroom will be used by all teachers grades 3-12. In the lower grades teachers may also be using Seesaw. These platforms are where assignments will be housed and turned in. Teachers will explain and list assignments on the playlist and include links to those assignments. That way students can click from the playlist and get directly to the assignment they should complete. While there may be some assignments that are done directly in an online program, most assignments will be completed and turned in on Google Classroom or Seesaw.
Progress Book
Progress Book is where student schedules are located and grades will be recorded. Teachers and families are already familiar with this platform. This year we will work towards having teachers use it in a more consistent manner to make remote learning easier for students and parents.