Welcome to my class!

This website is a resource for both my students and their families. It is designed to:
  • Be your digital course outline 
  • Help students improve their study habits, research skills and academic writing
  • Help families understand classroom procedures and policies

BLENDED LEARNING

Blended learning is the combination of online and offline learning activities. We will use technology to:
  • Create more time for me to provide more support and feedback to you during class time.
  • Give you more control over the time, place, path and pace of your learning.
  • Help you catch up more easily if you have to miss class.
  • Make sure you still learn what you need to learn even if I have to be away, and there is a TOC teaching the class. 

​To be ready for blended learning, please make sure you can access your free Office 365 account:​

Check Teams daily to:

  • Read reminders and updates
  • Double check deadlines
  • Hand in assignments
  • Access the lesson playlists and digital course materials

Essential apps:

Download these apps to your devices, so you can complete assignments:
  • Teams
  • OneNote
  • OneDrive
  • Word
  • PowerPoint

CLASSROOM POLICIES

Student Responsibilities:

  • Keep the lines of communication open. I am here to help you succeed, but I can't help you with a problem that I don't know about.
  • Arrive on time with all your materials and be ready to learn when the bell rings.
  • Keep track of your own materials, assignments and important dates.
  • Do your OWN WORK in YOUR OWN WORDS. When you Google information or do other research to help you with homework, CITE YOUR SOURCES.
  • Manage your time wisely so that you can stay on pace and reduce your stress.
  • Work to develop and display a growth mindset throughout the year.
  • Be cooperative and respectful in both online and offline environments to help make our class a positive learning space.
  •  Use technology responsibly, so you can stay focused and avoid distractions.
  • Use technology ethically, so the work you submit reflects your thinking and understanding. Work that is AI-generated or cut-and-paste from websites will not be accepted. 

Late Work:

I do not take off late marks, but late work will only be accepted for one week after the assignment deadline.
  • This weeklong window gives you the flexibility to work around your schedule and deal with problems that may come up while still allowing me to give everyone timely feedback on their work.
  • If you need an extension beyond one week, please request an alternate due date.

SOME IMPORTANT ADVICE:
  • Always aim for the deadline; leaving assignments until the last minute often backfires.
  • If you are having difficulty, ask for help right away, so you can still get your work done on time.
  • If you know you won't have time to finish something by the deadline, ask for an extension as soon as possible, so we can troubleshoot around your busy schedule.

Cell Phones:

You will be allowed to use your phone for learning activities, but not for any other reason. 

Gaming, social media, and texting are not allowed during class time--even if you finish early.

TIPS FOR AVOIDING DIGITAL DISTRACTIONS:
  • Charge your phone at the back of the room or keep it in your backpack when it is not needed for a learning activity.
  • Program your phone to automatically go into "Do Not Disturb" or "Focus" mode during school hours.
  • Put your phone on "Do Not Disturb" or "Airplane" during class time.

Plagiarism and Cheating

All work submitted for assessment in this course should be your own. Work that is copied from another source (e.g. friend, website) or largely AI-generated will not be accepted. 

​Students suspected of cheating will be asked to attend FIT and re-do their assignment under supervision.

If you are tempted to cheat because you feel confused or think you're running out of time, ASK FOR HELP OR AN EXTENSION.

Required Materials:

  • Course reading materials (where applicable)
  • Binder with lined paper
  • Day planner or app for keeping track of assignments
  • Blue or black pens
  • Pencils and erasers
  • Earbuds (if available)
  • Laptop or cellphone (if available)

Standards-Based Grading:

I do not use traditional letter grades or percentages to evaluate assignments. Instead I will assess your work based on how well it demonstrates your understanding of the course standards (learning goals). The standards are different for English and Social Studies courses, but the proficiency scale that I will use to assess your work is the same.
  • The focus is on providing feedback to help you identify your strengths and show you how to improve.
  • You will  have a chance to practice your skills and receive feedback before completing your assignments, so you can be more successful.
  • Your course mark reflects what you are currently capable of doing. Earlier mistakes and struggles will not factor into your final mark.
  • You can learning more about Standards-Based Grading here.

Submitting Assignments:

Assignments are due by 3:30pm on the due date.
  • Turn in hard copies to the hand in bin on my desk. Turn in electronic copies on Teams.
  • PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS IN ANY OTHER WAY or they may get lost or forgotten about.
  • Please use Office 365 apps to complete your assignments to make sure I am able to access them.
  • If you will be unable to complete an assignment for any reason, tell me immediately, so we can solve the problem, and you can complete the assignment successfully.

Acceptable Use of AI Tools

The use of AI tools is permitted so long as you are using them as learning tools, not cheating tools. Any time you are using A.I. to do most of the thinking or writing for you, you are using it to cheat. 

​Acceptable use of AI includes:
  • Using AI as a study aid. E.g. Looking up definitions, asking for review questions
  • Using AI for initial brainstorming, like coming up with possible research topics for a project. Just be careful when asking AI to help you brainstorm for creative writing tasks; it's ideas can be pretty generic.
  • Asking for specific proofreading or feedback on your writing. Use clear and focused prompts (e.g. "Please correct my punctuation errors in this paragraph.") or ask open-ended questions (e.g. "Do my examples support my thesis effectively?"), so the AI provides minor corrections or suggestions and doesn't significantly re-write your work.
  • Asking for help with the wording of SMALL sections of text ONLY. E.g. using it as a thesaurus, asking how to say a certain phrase in more professional/academic language.
  • Practicing new skills.
  • Getting help with formatting your citations in MLA style or APA style (Psychology 11 only).
  • Properly citing your use of AI whenever you hand in your assignments