Hey there! It’s been awhile. Can’ t think of a better time then the present to link up with this space again. Like many of you other parents out there, we are doing our best to keep our kids engaged and educated. Bridging the gap between their teachers and our home. Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) however, doesn’t mean tremendous changes for me personally - which hit me inextricably hard today (more on that later).
After two rigorous weeks of getting our proverbial school shhhhhh-tuff straight, we’ve overcome numerous tech issues, log-in conundrums, code, pin, meeting number, app, device, calendar, planner - is your head spinning yet? difficulties. We aren’t masters at it yet, but I can say we’ve found a rhythm - in that performer indeterminacy, ‘Glass’ Einstein on the Beach changing meters’ kind of rhythm. So my kids and I have decided to help. Once their work is achieved for the day they are going to lend a hand to fellow students in need of tech assistance, or just a voice to connect with. As am I.
First friends - Schoology. Let’s tackle the real beast first. I am not going to go over the entirety of this incredibly vast and frightening network. Just a few things:
1 Parents - Your log-in is EXTREMELY different then that of your child’s. To maintain privacy and autonomy - your child can see all of the files and assignments they need to complete their course tasks. We cannot. We can see some of it, but cannot access links, assignment submissions or other work spaces (clever, discovery education, TCI…). Be sure to save, if possible their log in information on your device in addition to yours. Luckily for us, the boys (3 at one school, 1 at another - all Cincinnati Public) only have two different log-in accounts that we have found.
what I see from my account - my child can see the entire application
2 I have spoken with some teachers and are hoping to mainstream the assignment process to the Calendar. IF they are unable to do so - you can sit down with your child or do it yourself. It works like their current planner. That way they can be on their Schoology account and hold themselves… well - accountable (funny pun joke in this not so funny pandemic).
this is calendar view. it provides quick access to the kid's assignments and shows due dates. many times teachers provide all the links and instructions in these notes.
3 Schoology has a resource section ON THE LEFT side of the STUDENT course pages. USE IT! It can connect to, and follow me closely because these are tools almost ALL the teachers are utilizing, and yes, our kids do still intend on moving to the next grade level next year so IT IS IMPORTANT: Discovery Education (Science), TCI (Social Studies) and Clever (access to many more, sometimes glitches in Schoology - see number 4). Like I said - 3 of the 4 kids we have access these so - be sure the PROPER log in is registered and they are in the correct account when opening these. It is possible for the student to open another person’s Discovery Education account IN Schoology.
be sure - the correct student is logged into the app WITHIN Schoology
4 These apps are completely, easily and 100 percent available in your web browser. YOU DO NOT NEED SCHOOLOGY TO ACCESS THE STUDENT ACCOUNTS HERE.
This is it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. You can reach me through the comments or message. You have my heart and thoughts with you on this path. Let’s stay close in the ways that we can and give grace to our educators as they themselves are encountering a new form of teaching and need all the kindness and patience we can provide.