Division 13 has been working hard for the last 4 weeks to learn how to log onto Office 365 and open Teams.  Teams will be the platform we will be using if we ever need to switch to online learning.  No, I have not heard anything but I do like to plan ahead for all possible eventualities.  If online learning ever does become necessary, I don’t want it to be brand new to students or to you.

Why Choose Teams?

Privacy

Teams is a closed environment that allows students to preview material and post material but only those that invited by myself can see the material.  Only students in Division 13 and approved teachers will be able to see what students post.

Continuity across grades

Students will keep the same account from Grades 1 through Grade 12.  While Teams may be challenging to learn right now, students will become faster and will be able to use Teams in later grades.

Continuity of programs between siblings

This is the platform that is being promoted by the School District.  The goal is that as more teachers adopt Teams, families will be able to use only one platform rather than having to learn many different platforms and programs.  This is more common in the higher grades though as Teams is still very challenging for primary students.

Access to Office 365 programs

Teams as part of Office 365, allowing students to use other Office programs such as Word and Powerpoint and attach these documents assignments.

Allows Collaboration

Teams allows students to share their work and work collaboratively while continuing to protect their privacy.  Peers can only see what is posted to the Collaborate (communal) areas.  Items posted in individual sections can only be seen by myself and the student who posted.

Learning is very much a social and interactive process.  By posting their work for others to see, students are modelling for peers different ways of showing their work.  Students may also get new ideas by seeing examples provided by peers.

Allows for teacher feedback

Teams allows me to post comments to students’ work and in assignments. I am able to post criteria for students to review before handing in assignments so students and families know how they are being graded.

How to Log onto Teams

Students are encouraged to try logging onto Teams twice before asking for parent support.  Our learning goal right now is to be able to log onto Teams independently so that if we do need to go to online learning, students will not need to wait for family members to help them get started each day.  Right now, we are still practicing and your support as an audience to help students talk their way through the process is encouraged and appreciated.  Most students are very capable of logging on independently but having the icons in different places can be a cause of frustration.  Please try to ask them questions if they get stuck rather than logging in for them.  They frequently just need to know where the icons are on your home device.  The video link here will show you how to log on if you have not done so before.

Very Important – Teams runs only on Chrome.

It will say it is loading forever if you attempt to start Teams on Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer.

Homework for Wednesday, November 4th

1. Please log onto Office 365.
2. Let students explore Teams.
3. Find the homework assignment under the Assignment tab and have students read aloud the assignment.  There is a purple speaker button on the right hand side of the assignment near the top.  If students hit that button, the text becomes larger and students have the option of having the assignment read to them.  It is a good idea to remind them of this option.  We have looked at it at class but an extra reminder at home is helpful.
4. Have students go to their Class Notebook.  They are to answer the “Would You Rather Question” in their notebook.
5. Once they have finished, they are to return to the Assignment in Teams and hit the “Turn In” button.  There will be a little animation when they do this.

This assignment is not for marks since it is not reasonable to expect them to be able to do this independently yet.  Please do email me if there are problems logging on.  Please be aware that if many people are struggling to log on, it may be several days before I can check in with every family as troubleshooting will need to be done after school.

Completing this assignment will help:

• Determine areas for further review that I need to do with students.  (Yes, we will continue working on this in class.)
• discover topics that might require additional video tutorials for families to support students if we go back to online learning.
• Identify technology needs to be addressed.
• Provide comfort and familiarity on routines that will be completed on home devices.  Since school devices are set up differently, this is often a point of frustration for students.
• Take away the fear of the unknown.

I know that talking about online learning can be very stressful for families, students and yes, teachers too!  However, learning to use the technology is always a benefit, even if we (hopefully) never switch to online learning.

“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”
― Abraham Lincoln