Imagine 30 students listening eagerly to their teacher. "Who can tell me the answer to the problem on the whiteboard? Suzie Q, I see your hand raised. Would you please show your answer on the whiteboard?" A few minutes later, the teacher wraps up the class. "OK, everybody. Thank you for coming! If you have any questions, go ahead and raise your hand. If you do not have any questions, you can go ahead and chat for a few minutes."
When you imagined this scene, was it a virtual classroom with students in attendance from all over the world? At Ignite Christian Academy, classrooms like the one described above are offered almost every day, and just like in a traditional classroom, there are some rules that need to be followed.
As one of our students recently pointed out, chatting with other students during the online classroom is like passing notes in a traditional classroom, so we ask that students be respectful and pay attention while the teacher is speaking. Since most of our teachers allow some time before and after the class to chat, students should save their conversations for after the class has finished.
In addition, we expect our students to always be positive, respectful, and appropriate. Making hurtful comments online is just as painful as comments made in person. There are times when a student says something that other students disagree with, but it is important to always respond constructively. Students should never put down other students or their ideas. Instead, they should politely offer another opinion or ask the student to stop.
Although ICA makes our online classrooms as safe as possible, using the Internet requires some important safety precautions. Because ICA is concerned about the security of our students, we tell students that they cannot share contact information during the online classroom, including information like Xbox gamertags that may seem harmless. We also ask students to use their first name and last initial instead of their full name.
Online classrooms are an exciting opportunity for ICA students to learn new concepts or reinforce existing knowledge while interacting with their peers, and by practicing Internet safety and etiquette, the experience will be even more positive. We look forward to seeing you in an online classroom soon!