Re: Re: taking notes - More thoughts

[Guest guest]

You're right, Roxanna. The software program we use in MI is "Zangle" and the link is "Parent Connect". The teachers have to use it for many record keeping activities as well as assignments. Parents register with the program, get a login account. Then you link to individual student, and findlots of info, including daily attendance records, cafeteria account, current grades/progress reports and an assignment log. Our log describes the assignment (in class or HW), if it was completed, the grade and notes from the teacher. This module has been helpful for daughter to keep honest. Also helps me to stay informed and advocate if needed.

The other option we have, through Wayne County Regional, is called "moodle". This is a homework sight. Teachers post classwork, homework, and also notes as needed. At our middle school, all of 's teachers use it...they have to. We check it every afternoon to make sure we understand what's going on.

But, any program or accommadation is only as good as the one using it. Meaning my daughter is her own worst enemy, she sabotages herself with her learned helplessness and perfectionism.

I also want to add, that each teacher, in science, geography, english, math, use the "skeleton note" format successfully. They develop them based on the standards required, so the textbook company can't provide them!

Jillian

[Guest guest]

Blackboard looks like it is similar to Reece's e-school program. His school (ohdela) uses what they call the "angel" system. But it's basically the same where they have mail pages, each class has it's own pages and then each class has a room online to have their classes in. What is great for us is that they record live classes so when we are behind, we can watch them later at any time. Also, the teachers list all weekly assignments - day by day. The student has to do the daily work but it's so nice for me to see each day and what needs to get done. I go the extra step and put all the classes together on a master sheet that we can cross off as we get it done.

It is really helpful for kids who have problems with notes because you can rewatch classes whenever you want. Someone could go through and help them learn what is relevant. But also, that "someone" is you. lol.

Roxanna

Autism Happens

( ) Re: taking notes - More thoughts

Dear Roxanna,

Are you talking about Blackboard?

Jill

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[Guest guest]

There is not much I liked about our middle school here but I must say that they did a nice job using online information systems. The school was divided into "teams" (they love having teams here) and each team had it's own web space online. So you go to your kid's team page and they would have weekly work listed, sometimes daily. But it appears that it was centrally posted. So one person would go and make sure to have all the teacher's stuff to post. At any rate, it was always all there. You could click each day and see what had to be done in each class.

This was different than the main school system which is called something like, "parent assist." It included schedules, test scores, grade cards etc.

Roxanna

Autism Happens

( ) Re: taking notes - More thoughts

Dear Ruth,

Of course we parents can't depend on teachers, especially middle school teachers, to post homework assignments online! Every teacher is different from every other teacher -- just as our kids are individuals. I was mentioning this more as a wish that more teachers would do this than as something parents have a right to expect. Some teachers are more comfortable with the Internet than others.

In some schools in our county, school principals make a concerted effort to get teachers to use the Internet to communicate with students and parents -- and for this, families with Internet connections can only be grateful!

Our son's middle school and high school also gave parents telephone numbers for all the teachers' voice mailboxes. Sometimes they were prompt about listening to their messages and replying, but sometimes they weren't. Some teachers who didn't respond very promptly to phone calls or e-mails were very helpful when we (my son and I) went to see them face-to-face after school, or even at the crack of dawn before school. A few teachers even gave us their home telephone numbers to be used in emergencies. I tried to use these only rarely -- say, two or three times in a school year. We were lucky that my son had some very kind teachers who genuinely wanted him to succeed.

Jill

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[Guest guest]

Probably they don't do it because they are not required to do it. They do it at my school. I imagine it's required or else everyone would not do it and there would be holes. Maybe get involved in the PTA and discuss ways to make this mandatory?

Roxanna

Autism Happens

( ) Re: taking notes - More thoughts

>

> Dear Ruth,

> Of course we parents can't depend on teachers, especially middle school teachers, to post homework assignments online! Every teacher is different from every other teacher -- just as our kids are individuals. I was mentioning this more as a wish that more teachers would do this than as something parents have a right to expect.

Well, personally, I am puzzled about this. Private schools and colleges do it on a regular basis, why not public schools? Websites are not exactly rocket science and these people are college-educated. Not only would it be life-altering for their students, but it would be immensely helpful for them too. It might be life-altering for them too! It would really lift a lot of the work they have to do with all the kids with immature/dyfunctional executive functioning, of which their are quite a few. It would certainly save them as much time, work as frustration as the learning curve would cost.

Like many, our school district also has a parent info site where you can log in for your kids schedule, classwork, incidents, attendance, report cards, record of state test scores, etc. In the classwork section, they can record future assignments as well as recorded grades--and very few teachers do. So that is a very easy thing they could do also and don't.

Ruth

And at the school district level/webmaster level, the software the classwork section is tied to has a big text field where teachers can enter in a description of each assignment. It is a huge help. But it doesn't show up on the parent info website, you have to get your child's teachers to print it out. I argued with our IAT/504 team for a couple of years over this one. They didn't know what the parents could see as they always log in as staff and it is different. They wouldn't believe me that this description field is not available to parents. They finally dropped it, so I guess they confirmed it with other people.

Anyway, I'm just puzzled why teachers/school districts don't make this more of a priority. I guess they don't realize how much time and effort they would save themselves as well as their students/parents.

Ruth

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[Guest guest]

Also ask about attending the school improvement team meetings. Pam

In a message dated 5/7/2009 8:04:21 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, MadIdeas@... writes:

Probably they don't do it because they are not required to do it. They do it at my school. I imagine it's required or else everyone would not do it and there would be holes. Maybe get involved in the PTA and discuss ways to make this mandatory?

RoxannaAutism Happens Remember Mom this Mother's Day! Find a florist near you now.