Stewardship |
Leadership |
Courage |
Awareness |
Integrity |
Resilience |
Leadership |
Instructor: Mrs. Becca Dymond
[email protected]
Please begin by watching the Course Introduction video:
Overview of the Course
Welcome to Life Hacks for the 21st Century: Composting! This companion course is hosted online as a complement to our work in the Greenhouse. Students who participate in the Greenhouse Afternoon Activity can opt to take this course for one elective semester credit.
The content of this course is completely online, but your learning will be enhanced through our face to face meetings in the Greenhouse.
You can read an overview of our course objectives by clicking the Composting Link above.
The content of this course is completely online, but your learning will be enhanced through our face to face meetings in the Greenhouse.
You can read an overview of our course objectives by clicking the Composting Link above.
Technology Requirements
All of your work in this course will be web-based. This means that you will need a device that can connect to the internet. You will use your Leelanau email and access to Google Drive for these assignments.
For the group assignment, you will have the option of creating your own content through images or videos. If you decide to create your own content, you are welcome to use the camera and related apps on your smartphone.
For the group assignment, you will have the option of creating your own content through images or videos. If you decide to create your own content, you are welcome to use the camera and related apps on your smartphone.
Course Format
- Credit for this course will be granted based on your participation in the Greenhouse Afternoon Activity (Monday - Thursday afternoons) and completion of the online content.
- We will always meet in the Greenhouse to begin our activity Monday - Thursday.
- The online content is designed for you to work when it is most convenient for you. However, you will need to complete one lesson each week of your Afternoon Activity session.
- The lesson will be assigned each Monday and you will have until Sunday evenings at the end of study hall (8:30 pm) to complete the week’s lesson. You may have one extension for one assignment during this course without penalty. The request for an extension must be communicated to me prior to the day/time it is due (communication can occur via email or in person.) Late work will be accepted up to one week beyond the due date for reduced credit (10% of the earned grade will be reduced each day the assignment is late). No work that is more than a week late will be accepted.
- The online content will be posted on this website and the assignments will be available for you on Google Classroom, unless otherwise noted. You will receive the course code for the Google Classroom on the first day of the Afternoon Activity session.
- Lessons 1 - 3 will have four learning tasks each. The module culminates in Lesson 4. During this lesson you will complete the final assessment of your learning for this course.
Participation Requirements
- As stated above, you will need to both participate in Greenhouse and complete this course to receive the academic credit. Therefore, your participation will be assessed based on both attendance and behavior.
- Attendance is taken Monday - Thursday. We will follow the attendance policy stated in The Leelanau School’s handbook to determine absences. Due to the timing of our meeting, you may encounter absences beyond your control (appointments, meetings with administrators, etc.) If this occurs and you provide documentation of an excused absence within two school days, the excused absence will not count against your participation.
- Participation behavior: Students will receive full credit for participation when they arrive on time, check in with the instructor, work collaboratively to determine a plan for the day, and reasonably work during the Greenhouse session. Examples of behavior not consistent with this expectation include:
- Sitting around
- Leaving the Greenhouse or work area without communicating where you are going
- Using your tech for things other than listening to music, research, updating the blog, or taking photos/videos of our work
- Having a negative attitude toward the work or other people
- An unwillingness to help or participate
- In the event of unsatisfactory participation behavior, the instructor will talk to the student right away. This communication will include feedback regarding: the student’s problem behavior, an explanation of the expected behavior, and advice regarding how the student can make the necessary improvement. As long as the student makes the necessary improvements, the student will be on track to meet this expectation. If there is a continued problem, the instructor will refer the situation to the Dean of Students for increased behavior support.
- Your grade for the course module will be calculated on the basis of your earned point value out of total points possible. The attendance portion of your earned credit will follow the guidelines of the Leelanau School attendance policy. Letter grades will be assigned based on the Leelanau School Grading Scale. Please refer to the Student Handbook if you have any questions.
Communication
As a community of learners, it is important that our communication with one another contributes to respectful practice and deepening of our learning and understandings. The following list of guidelines will help us accomplish this goal. Please read these guidelines and let me know right away if you have questions.
The course itself:
Expectations for Everyone
Communication with your Teacher
Communication with Other Students
Communication from the Teacher
The course itself:
- The online portion of this course has been developed using asynchronous communication. This means that our online communication (between you and me, and between you and your classmates) does not need to happen in real-time. The sharing of our ideas and asking questions are valued and important, and asynchronous communication allows us each to participate when we are available using tools such as email, discussion threads, and shared online tools.
- There will be at least synchronous session that will occur during this course. This means the communication will happen in real-time. You will work with a group of students to complete a group assignment. There is a face-to-face meeting expectation to discuss your project and plan out how you will complete it. This session can take place during one of our Greenhouse meetings, as long as you communicate with me at least one day in advance.
- In general, you should use our Google Classroom stream to ask and respond to questions. For questions about assignments or the course more generally, the visibility benefits everyone. I will check the Classroom stream each school day at least one time.
- You are expected to check the Google Classroom at least once each day we have study hall (Sunday - Thursday).
Expectations for Everyone
- Use language that is appropriate for an academic situation. Avoid an informal tone, swearing/profanity, sarcasm, or other communications that could be offensive or confusing.
- Always read and proofread your comments or work before posting. All writing should be grammatically correct and spell-checked.
- Do not post anything in our online community that would be uncomfortable or offensive if said face to face.
- Feedback will always be constructive. While our goal is not to constantly agree, we are all learning and here to improve our knowledge and the quality of our work. Provide comments that are helpful, not diminishing.
Communication with your Teacher
- For questions or comments that are personal in nature, please always feel welcome to email me, or come talk to me in person. I make every attempt to respond to email within one school day.
- I may not be available to respond your email right away. Keep this in mind if you have a question about an assignment and ask your questions early.
- If I email you, please respond within one to two school days.
Communication with Other Students
- Check your email and the Google Classroom stream at least each day we have study hall. Respond to messages within one to two school days.
- Be accountable for your contributions to the Classroom Stream and deadlines for your assignments.
- Be an active listener with your group. Make sure everyone has a voice in the development of your group project.
- You will have a lot of opportunities to communicate with your classmates throughout this course. These will include discussions on the Google Classroom stream, collaboration on web-based tools, email, and the creation of a cooperative project using Google Apps. You will also be working together during Greenhouse. It is important and required that you are respectful when communicating with your classmates.
- Contact me using email or come see me if you are having trouble with your group work the communication among your classmates. I understand that there are times for teacher intervention and I am willing to help.
Communication from the Teacher
- I will respond to your questions within one school day.
- I will do my best to help you resolve problems you encounter with your group or classmates.
- I will provide grades and feedback within one week of the due date.
- All grades and feedback will be provided through your private Google Classroom gradebook and/or on the assignment directly.
- I will listen to your questions and concerns and do my best to resolve them right away.