Teacher Name and Contact Information
Name: Ms. Aislin Moylan
Email: amoylan@minuteman.org
Assessment and Grading
We will be using Aspen as our electronic classroom, and all assignments and grades will be posted there. Your grade in this class will be based on a variety of assignments, including papers, projects, quizzes, classwork, homework, and engagement. These categories are weighted as follows:
Papers, Projects, Assessments (80%)
These are graded assignments meant to assess your learning.
Classwork & Homework (20%)
Homework can be an online tutorial that needs to be completed by the end of the quarter. I will specify which units need to be completed. Sometimes homework is an edPuzzle video that you need to answer questions on. Do Now activities that are not completed in class are also are homework.
Students must submit all assignments to Aspen for credit. ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE NOT SUBMITTED TO ASPEN WILL NOT BE GRADED. For programming projects, I want you to use Screencastify to record your project functioning and narrate your project (tell me how the project works).
Students may turn in assignments late but they will receive a 10-point reduction.
Every Friday, students will receive a zero in the gradebook for any assignment that is incomplete, unsatisfactory, or not submitted. This zero is TEMPORARY and can be changed when you satisfactorily complete the assignment.
I will only give you enough time during class to complete the assignment. This means that if you do not complete the assignment during class time, you need to complete the assignment for homework.
You are given time during class to play study games for your vocabulary quizzes. The quiz will be given two days later.
You are allowed to retake quizzes or tests ONE TIME after school for any quiz or test that you would like a better grade on. If you score lower, then I keep the higher grade. It is up to you to schedule a time to take it. You have two weeks from the time that the quiz or test was given.
The only exception to the rule is that you are NOT ALLOWED to retake a quiz/test or pass in a late assignment or revise an assignment during the last week of the quarter.
You are allowed to revise a project for a better grade. You will receive a 10-point deduction if you resubmit an assignment.
Do not ask me on the last day of the quarter what you can do to improve your grade.
If the program doesn't run as expected or is incomplete, I will give you a temporary partial grade until you fix the project and resubmit it. But you still receive a 10-point deduction. For example, you receive a 60 on a project. You resubmit the project for a better grade. The highest grade you can receive is a 90.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Unless asked by me, do not look on another student’s screen or paper with the intent of cheating. If I suspect that you are doing this you will receive a zero on the assignment.
Unless asked by me, do not show another your screen or paper with the intent of cheating. If I suspect that you are doing this you will receive a zero on the assignment.
Do not open another student’s project with the intent of copying it.
In programming, as the projects get bigger, it is very difficult for two students to have the exact same project with the same names for variables, methods, etc. If I see this, you and the person whose project was plagiarized will receive a zero.
Using a shared folder on the network is considered cheating. Do not place files in a shared folder for another class. Regardless of your intentions to cheat or not to cheat, I consider this cheating.
Copying information word-for-word from a website is plagiarism and you will receive a zero.
Cheating includes but is not limited to:
copying another student's work with or without his/her permission
allowing another student to copy your work
working with another student on an assignment that the teacher has explicitly designated as "independent" work
submitting a pre-written assignment when the assignment was meant to be composed in class
submitting work for one class that has already been accepted for credit in another class
exchanging verbal, physical, or technological signals during a quiz or test
looking at another student's paper during a quiz or test
allowing another student to look at your paper during a quiz or test
revealing test or quiz information to student or students in another class period with the same teacher or course
using unauthorized study aids, notes, books, data, portable electronic devices, calculators and/or programs during a test or quiz
sabotaging the projects or experiments of other; attempting to corrupt someone else's data
misrepresenting laboratory data
fabricating non-fiction stories
using AI to create a project - if I don't see you working in class, and you suddenly turn in a project, I will assume you used AI, or someone shared their project with you
Citing nonexistent sources such as articles and books or inventing results for an experiment.
Submitting portions of the same academic work for credit in more than one course without consulting both teachers.
Deceiving with a false reason or excuse, forging a signature or falsely reporting an absence or tardy to get an extension on an exam, paper or assignment.
Speaking with a student about a test or a quiz who has already taken it or providing information to a student who has not yet taken it.
Plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
submitting as one's own an assignment that has been copied entirely or in part from another source, such as one's textbooks, another student's work, library and resource materials, computer files, or the Internet
submitting as one's own an assignment that has been completed by a parent, sibling, or friend
claiming credit for artistic work (a musical composition, photo, painting, drawing, sculpture, or design) done by someone else
failing to document the source(s) of borrowed words, images, data, or/ ideas
omitting quotation marks when quoting directly from a source
paraphrasing or summarizing ideas without giving proper documentation
"borrowing" the sequence and structure of someone else's work without proper acknowledgment
copying from an AI website
Behavior – Automatic detention, no second chances or warnings
No throwing anything at all in my classroom.
Show respect to everyone and everything in the classroom.
No profanity, racial slurs, ethnic jokes, slurs about the mentally challenged, or slurs about a sexual preference or gender are allowed toward you or anyone else in the class or the school.
No playing games or watching videos in my classroom.
Do not use your electronic device or phone unless directed by me.
Do not go on websites that have sexy or pornographic images, drugs, or make fun of an ethnic group, race, violence, gender, or sexual preference.
Cellphones go in the cellphone holder at the beginning of the class unless I explicitly state that you can use them for a project.
No use of proxies to access websites that are prohibited.
No fighting or arguing in my classroom.
No talking when I am talking.
Headphones are allowed if it is plugged into a computer (not a cell phone or wireless) and used in independent work. You should not be using them during instructions or lectures or during group work.
Hoods are not allowed in the classroom even if you don’t intend to wear it. Your assistant principal will be notified.
Do not log off or shut down your electronic device during class without permission from me.
Do not sleep or lay your head on the desks or tables.
Do not put your feet on the desks or tables.
If I am lecturing, take your earphones out.
Atmosphere of the Classroom:
See this class as a preparation for working in the real world and this class is your job.
This class is unique in that the skills you learn here will actually prepare you for an immediate position in the computer field.
You need to view this class as a job and the classroom as your workplace. Your instructions for completing the job will be posted in the Do Now! Section on the board.
You are expected to work the entire class period.
Occasionally I will lecture to you, this is to prepare you for boardroom meetings or for classes you take in college. Regardless of whether or not you decide to go to college, you will need to know how to act while being lectured because your education never ends. At work, there will always be in-service trainings and meetings.
The proper way to behave is to remain seated and quiet with your eyes focused on the speaker.
Absolutely no cell phones in class. This is a rule that I do not let slide.
If someone is talking during a class discussion, look at the speaker and remain quiet.
If you have difficulty paying attention or remaining quiet for that long, it helps to take notes. Keeping your hands busy will help you focus on the speaker.
If you have a question, wait for the speaker to break from talking and raise your hand.
If you need to go to the bathroom, quietly make a motion to the teacher that you need to go. Do not interrupt the lecture.
I do not lecture for a long time so I expect you to pay attention and take notes. This means coming to the middle of the room with your notebook and pencil.
Attendance and Tardiness
Regular class attendance is both necessary and expected. If you are absent, you are expected to turn in any assignments collected during your absence and check Aspen to find out what is due the following class. It is your responsibility to get your work done and turned in!
Our work together this year requires that you are in class and ready to learn at the start of the block. Excessive tardies impact your ability to build community, access the material and be successful in class, and will have consequences. If you arrive after class begins and I have closed the door, please come in quietly.