Bedford eLearning (BEL)

Phone: 931-684-3284Ext. 2246Website

BeL Mission

Bedford County eLearning is committed to an engaging environment with qualified

and certified instructors that allows students to learn 21st Century skills and knowledge, empowers students to learn independently, and enables students the

success needed for higher education, work, and life.

About Our School

• A learning option for Bedford County students

• K-12 courses taught by highly qualified, certified teachers

• Open for full-time enrollment with qualifying students (as determined by the e-Learning Committee – Betsy Norris, Jan Hall, Teresa Gill, school counselor, graduation coach, and principal – may also include invited members such as instructional supervisor, homebound, or student services staff)

• ANY student can enroll in one (1) possibly two (2) virtual course(s).

• Moodle is used as the primary learning management system

Administrative Staff & Contact Info

Name Title: Email Address: Phone Number:

Betsy Norris, ED.S. Supervisor norrisb@bedfordk12tn.net (931) 684-3284 Ext. 2246

Jan Hall Teacher Services e-Learning Specialist and Instructional Coach

hallj@bedfordk12tn.net (931) 684-3284

Teresa Gill Student Services e-Learning Specialist and Credit Recovery

gillt@bedfordk12tn.net (931) 684-3284

Please contact us if you have questions, comments, or suggestions.

• Moodle is available 24/7 for students. Please check the website on the first slide for the status of Moodle. We will put an alert and explanation there if Moodle is down.

• E-Learning Administrative Offices are open for business Monday - Friday 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM.

• Should you experience issues, you can send an email to Norrisb@bedfordk12tn.net.

Procedures:

• Finals and EOC’s (End of Course tests) are proctored (given by a counselor or office person).

• A link will be pasted on this site as soon as test dates become available.

• Review or class help sessions are conducted at Central during the afterschool program (available to all online or Credit Recovery students).

•

Procedures cont: Student Expectations Strong commitment to try what he/she is asked to tryMinimum 70%Appropriate behaviorBe productive in the virtual classroom Be flexible  Dismissal Procedures Students who do not meet the requirements for remaining in an elearning course, due to attendance issues or

discipline or cheating issues, will be asked to return to their homeschool or transfer or be subject to court sanctions. Depending upon the individual circumstances, students may or may not be offered contingencies for re-application at the next school semester.

 The dismissal procedure is as follows: The appeals process for attendance and/or discipline issues results in the Appeals Committee decision (lab

and/or system facilitator, online teacher, graduation coach, counselor, principal, and e-learning Supervisor) to return the student to his/her base school or BCLA.

The official notifies the parent and student of the results of the exit meeting, including contingencies for possible re-application.

The e-Learning Supervisor finalizes a grade and gets that to the EIS Supervisor and then to the counselors and coaches. It will be posted in Moodle after the grade is posted in PowerSchool.

 

Procedures cont. Proctored Exams  Each teacher can request a scheduled proctored exam or a live chatat any time for a student. EOC’s

will be proctored. There are two kinds of academic integrity violations. One is “plagiarism” and the other is “cheating.”

Plagiarism Plagiarism is to “steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own: use (another’s

production) without crediting the source.” Students are well aware that this isn’t allowed in a traditional class. Nor is it allowed in an online class.

 Some examples are but are not limited to the following: Copying and pasting a report from the Internet and representing it as your own work. Copying any work and not properly citing authorship  Cheating:Some examples include but are not limited to: Providing questions/answers of work to another student. Receiving questions/answers of work from another student.  

Integrity Policy Integrity Policy is posted in every course:  1.  The first time you are caught cheating (copying others work, exchanging files, allowing

others to do your  work, copying from the web, etc), we will let you know.  You will be given zeros with comments that you  need to do your own work.  Please redo, show all work, and resubmit for a lower grade.  

2.   The second time, we'll be contacting you directly!  That is so embarrassing!   We will also call the school officials and you will receive a zero that you can't make-up.   In addition, all work will be completed on paper, with work attached and sent to the teacher.

3.   The third time, you will receive the zero, everyone will be contacted including your parents.   You will be allowed to only work under the direction of a proctor.   I will request you work only in isolation with no jump drive.  All assignments will have to be completed with all work attached and sent to the teacher. 

4.   After this, you will be dropped from any online courses and not be allowed to take online courses.  

5.  Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated.  Be mindful we can see most everyone on Moodle and that it is timestamped.  Do not allow people to copy your work (you are just as guilty).   Don't be caught in this embarrassing situation.    

 Calendar:

Fall of 2013 begins…………………………August 9, 2013End of 1st 9 weeks………………………..... October 12, 2013Beginning of next 9 weeks…………………October 13, 2013End of online course……………………..... December 12, 2013 Spring of 2014 begins………………………January 9, 2014End of 1st 9 weeks………………………..... March 6, 2014Beginning of next 9 weeks…………………March 7, 2014End of online course……………………......May 9, 2014  Summer of 2014 begins…………………… May 12, 2014 (if there is a summer school)End of online course……………………...... June 27 , 2014

Testing Protocols

• Unit tests and quizzes may be taken offsite on your own.

• Final exams/EOC’s MUST be taken at your zoned school under a proctor’s supervision only after course completion.

• Students may bring ONE handwritten (not printed or typed) notecard no larger than 5x8 inches to a final exam. Notes not permitted for EOC’s.

3 Recommendations for elearning:

(1) Strong Start(2) Stay on Pace(3) Communicate

Strong Start• Take a solid look at

your pacing guide. Understand it. The document lays out every single assignment and due date for your entire course.

• You may work ahead, but you must not fall behind. Assignments keep coming…so stay on track.

Stay on Pace

• Make yourself meet assignment due dates. This is called "staying on pace" and is key to your success at our school.

Missed Assignments

• E-learning Students NOT completing an assignment on time will receive an automatic zero (0). There will be a grace period the first two (2) weeks of class. Communicate with the teacher if you are running behind. Some teachers may provide more mercy than others.

• E-Learning students communicate with the teacher. The online teacher may allow time to make-up missed or incomplete work—but this isn’t a guarantee.

Falling behind in a course -

Where the elearning student continues to remain off-pace, the Advisory Committee will be notified and appropriate sanctions will take place. School officials may place the student back into traditional school, juvenile court intervention may take place for truant students, and parents will be notified.

Communicate• As your online teacher, I am

available to you and I will return any email, text message, or telephone call within twenty-four (24) hours during the work week and forty-eight (48) hours on the weekend. I will also have every assignment graded within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt.

• Your end of the bargain is to stay on pace and return emails, text messages, or phone calls within 24 hours. Diligently schedule your discussion-based assessments as well.

Students MUST use their bedfordk12.org email for all school

communications once current technical issues surrounding the

setup has been corrected.

Etiquette for Online Students

• 24 hour e-learning student response times are an essential element of good manners in a virtual course.

• What are a few others?

o Politeness at all times in communications.

o Initiate communication with a phone call or email.

Etiquette for Email from Students

• Always use correct spelling and grammar—do not use acronyms associated with social media.

• Keep messages brief and to the point.

• Do not discuss multiple subjects. Instead, focus on one subject per email.

• Always include a courteous greeting and closing.

• Address your contact with the appropriate level of formality.

• Read your email for tone and avoid sarcasm.

• Do not write in ALL CAPS.

• Remember that email is NOT private and, as a student, you are representing your school.

• Please use a signature with your contact information.

Remember that words are CHOICES.

Discussion Based Assessments: Brief Conversations to Demonstrate

YOUR Learning

• “Discussion Based Assessments” (DBA’s) or written assignments occur in almost every (i.e., chapter) in your virtual course and if there, they are REQUIRED.

• DBAs are conversations about what you have just learned. If you do well on assignments and quizzes but cannot talk about what you have learned then we have a problem. Pay attention to what you are studying and complete DBAs on time so that you don’t forget the content!

Discussion Based Assessments:EXAMPLE Grading Rubric

Student Academic Integrity

• Your work on each assignment MUST be completed on your own.

• Your collaboration with another individual on ANY assignment MUST be pre-approved by the online teacher.

• You MUST NOT practice plagiarism in ANY form.

• You MUST NOT allow other individuals to copy your work.

• You MUST NOT misuse content from the Internet.

Student Academic Integrity Violations

• Online students may be removed from the online course.

• Online students may receive a failing grade in the online course.

• Betsy Norris MUST be notified of the academic violation by the online teacher.

• Additional student disciplinary action may be initiated by Virtual School Administration and/or the Advisory Committee.

• Parents and principals of students will be notified.

Virtual Attendance and TruancyAttendance EQUALS performance

•Five (5) Assignments - When the student is five (5) assignments off-pace, the online teacher will communicate directly with the online student and parent(s) that the learner is off-pace in the virtual course.

•Ten (10) Assignments - When the student is ten (10) assignments off-pace, the Ms. Norris will send an official notification to the student and parent(s) that the learner is off-pace.

•Fifteen (15) Assignments - When the student is fifteen (15) assignments off-pace, the supervisor will send an official notification to the student and parent(s) notifying all parties. If that student is a full time online student, all parties will be notified of truancy and that the student is in violation of Tennessee’s Compulsory School Attendance Law.

•Twenty (20) or More Assignments Off-Pace - When the student is twenty (20) or more assignments off-pace and the student and parent(s) are not responding to the interventions outline in this policy, the students will be removed from the online course. Should the student want to return, they will be reinstated from the beginning of the course.

Issues (Technical or Otherwise)from your teacher!

• Your teacher is your first point of contact for any issue that you might encounter.

• Send the teacher a plea for help if you need help for any reason!

• If she cannot resolve your issue, call or email Betsy Norris or Teresa Gill.

• Connectivity problems on your end are NO excuse for failing to stay on pace. You can get online lots of places and 24/7. If connectivity is on our end, we’ll work to solve the problem quickly and as efficiently as possible and with understanding that it is beyond your control.

Log into ALL virtual courses at one of the following links:

http:moodle.bedfordk12tn.net

http://elearn.bedfordk12tn.net

Getting started…

• Set up a schedule for yourself based on your pacing guide.

• Complete your online orientation by viewing this online orientation.

• The teacvher will call you at home, email you, and/or leave messages in the course announcements to make introductions and welcome you to the course.

• Email or call the course teacher with any questions not answered.

• Complete your work.

• Succeed!

Start Your Engines!

“What is not

started today is never

finished tomorrow.

”--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

LOG IN

Once you log in, you will see your course(s). Click on the course type to enter.

Once in, you will see other subjects. Choose your subject. Then when you are in, you will see the chapters (topics) of your course.

Disregard the news forum. They have been disabled. Click on the first assignment.The icons (pictures beside the assignment) will give you a hint as to the type of assignment. The

first one might be a PowerPoint to teach concepts. The next one might be a movie file. An assignment will follow.

When you have completed your assignment, you’ll need to get it to the teacher. You will

need “add submission” to the teacher. Some assignments call this the drop box. Click on upload or dropbox. It will be indicated by a

hand.

The Integrity Policy

For every

hand, you

have

something to

give to the

teacher.

First “choose file” and search your hard drive for the completed assignment. Then click upload to send to your teacher. You can look under assignments or grades to check completions of assignments or

what you lack. Be sure to put your name on your paper!

Add submission

Either drag file

to this box or click add.

1. Do not work ahead. 2. Ask your teacher questions. You can easily email them. 3. You can get help face to face. If you do not know those times, call or text Betsy Norris at 607-

6093. 4. You need to read and work form top to bottom. 5. You complete all the assignments. 6. Please note. Classes begin with all zeros and as you work, your grade goes up. 7. You can work until you have the grade you want within the dates given to you. 8. You have not passed until that final grade reads 70. 9. Please note that the quizzes may have been set on one time only. That means if you open it

to look, you can’t open it again. Don’t let curiosity get to you. 10. Summer courses are tough. You have four weeks to do 18 weeks of work. YOU must work

consistently two or three hours a day 6 days a week to get finished. If you do not have a home computer, you need to be in the lab 4 hours a day – Monday thru Thursday.