Frequently Asked Parent Questions
This page is dedicated to questions Parents might have about the Tech Arts Program at MMS.
Please use this as way to better understand how the Tech Arts program functions and how various assignments are graded
MMS Tech Arts Overview:
Before we get in to Parent Questions, we would like to discuss the point of this class and give just a brief overview of what you child will be working on (I would also encourage you to look at each of the different grade level pages on the Tech Arts site for more information such as Due Dates, Project Rubrics, and Project Links.
Goal of Tech Arts:
Goal of Tech Arts:
- Tech Arts acts as a way to expose students to various tech applications and programs that they might want to seek out in high school or college or be asked to participate in such as Online Classrooms
- Grade Level Goals: (each grade level is broken down into themes or content focuses)
- 6th Grade:
- Theme: Computer Introduction
- Projects:
- Intro to Web Safety (webquest)
- Digital First Impression (Google Presentation about themselves)
- Online Game Design (Gamestar Mechanic)
- 6th Grade:
- Grade Level Goals: (each grade level is broken down into themes or content focuses)
- 7th Grade:
- Theme: Graphic Arts
- Intro To Online Classrooms: (Kidblog)
- Students participate in a 4 week Online Classroom, where they are asked to read articles and write reflections based on what they have read. They are also asked to comment on other students posts as a way to have class discussions.
- Objective of Online Classrooms:
- We conduct online classrooms for two reasons:
- To get students use to the concept of online classrooms as they will all be asked to take online classrooms as they continue with their education, so this acts as a safe introduction to a concept that can be overwhelming and frustrating when done for the first time.
- To remove from class time discussions and other time consuming small group work that would take away from student work time and any questions that they would have while working on their projects (the main focus of the class)
- We conduct online classrooms for two reasons:
- Objective of Online Classrooms:
- Students participate in a 4 week Online Classroom, where they are asked to read articles and write reflections based on what they have read. They are also asked to comment on other students posts as a way to have class discussions.
- Projects:
- Web Safety Poster/VoiceThread
- Picture Book w/Moral (Google Presentation/Intro To Photoshop)
- Stop Motion Animation (Google Presentation/Advance Photoshop)
- 7th Grade:
- 8th Grade:
- Theme: Web Design
- Continued Online Classrooms: (Kidblog)
- Students participate in a Term Long Online Classroom, where they are asked to answer content specific discussion questions or research content based on class projects. They are also asked to comment on other students posts as a way to have class discussions.
- Objective of Online Classrooms:
- We conduct online classrooms for two reasons:
- To get students use to the concept of online classrooms as they will all be asked to take online classrooms as they continue with their education, so this acts as a safe introduction to a concept that can be overwhelming and frustrating when done for the first time.
- To remove from class time discussions and other time consuming small group work that would take away from student work time and any questions that they would have while working on their projects (the main focus of the class)
- We conduct online classrooms for two reasons:
- Objective of Online Classrooms:
- Students participate in a Term Long Online Classroom, where they are asked to answer content specific discussion questions or research content based on class projects. They are also asked to comment on other students posts as a way to have class discussions.
- Projects:
- Web Safety Brochure (culmination of all the Tech Arts Web Safety Projects)
- Intro to Web Dialog (Codecademy)
- Web Design (Weebly)
- Culmination project where students create a website that sums up their 3 years in the Tech Arts program
- 8th Grade:
Question #1: Late Policy (What is it and how does it hurt my child's grade)
The Tech Arts program does not have a late policy so students are encouraged to turn in all work when ever they complete it. Work is taken up until the last day of the term, with no points taken off for being late, so please encourage your child to complete all work as it can be graded for full credit.
Question #2: If there is no late policy why does my child have ZEROS in the grade book and assignments listed as missing?
Zeros and MIS (Skyward label for Missing Assignments) are used as ways to let students know that the DUE date set for projects or assignments have passed and that they still need to complete those assignments. In the past, assignments have been left blank (when not turned in) and student grades are not effected, and often times they would then just forget to complete the assignment because there was not noticeable impact to remind them. Again the zero will go away with no penalty once the assignment is turned in.
Question #3: If there is no late policy and all assignments are able to be turned in at the end why does the Tech Arts program have DUE DATES?
Due Dates are used as a time line to keep students on task and responsible for their work. In the past we have tried the class with no due dates, and some students would be overwhelmed with the class as they could not stay organized when working on assignments. The Due Dates also act as a way to prevent students from waiting until the very end to complete all the assignments.
Question #4: How are projects graded in Tech Arts?
Projects in the Tech Arts program are graded using a RUBRIC, this rubric is passed out to each child at the start of the project. The rubric is then returned when the project is DUE. The child's rubric is then used to grade that specific project. Students are encouraged to use that rubric through out the entire project to understand the requirements of the project and what is required to get the best possible grade. If a student loses a rubric they can request a new from me or print out one from home from their grade specific class webpage.
Question #5: My child doesn't know their grade do you notify them of their grades?
Yes students are notified of their grades every Wednesday by being given PROGRESS REPORTS. Grades are also updated daily online and students are encouraged to check those grades everyday to see any changes and to make any corrections needed.
Question #6: What if my child gets a bad grade on a project?
The Tech Arts program can be confusing and overwhelming for some students, and we understand that this stress can often lead students to turn in projects that they may not have completed 100% or to the best of their ability, so we allow students to edit any thing that they do in this class until they get the grade that they desire. If a student edits a project they need to turn back in the rubric for that project to get it regraded. They can keep turning in this rubric as many times as they want to ensure they get the grade they want.
Question #7: My child has told me they turned in a missing assignment and I have checked and it is turned in so why does it still say missing in Skyward?
All of the material that students complete in Tech Arts is done online so there is no physical copies of any of the various assignments they complete, which means when they turn something online there is no notification that they turned it in. In the Tech Arts program we ask that students highlight their progress report (again given out each Wednesday) and turn those in as a way of notifying me that they have turned something in or would like me to regrade an assignment.
Question #8: Can my child work on these projects at home?
Each of the projects in the Tech Arts Curriculum can be done at home with out the addition of any extra programs. Students only NEED TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET to continue any of the projects that we do in Tech Arts. Links to each of the completed websites can be found on the grade specific webpages found in the navigation bar at the top of this website.
Question #9: What if we don't have a computer at home?
The Tech Arts program is done completely online, which means that a computer is needed for everything that we complete in class. Students should have time in class to complete everything during class time, but if they need more time to work (or don't have access to a computer at home, i.e. broken or no Internet) then we do over WORKING LUNCHES, where students can get their lunch and eat in the tech lab and continue working on anything that they need. This provides the students with an extra 1/2 hour of work time, and often 1-1 time with the teacher to ask questions if needed. Students are required to get a LUNCH PASS first and check in with the cafeteria before coming to the Tech Lab (so that the office knows their location if needed)
Please email me if you have any other questions by clicking on the button located to the right |