What does it mean to be in attendance online?
At Discovery Trails we take attendance twice a day for elementary students in the Morning and Afternoons, and for Middle School we take attendance for each class. To be considered present, students need to log into the Zoom class and stay in class for the entire lesson. It is ok for a student to leave the class briefly during a lesson, but as in a physical classroom they should let the teacher know they are leaving by putting a note in the chat box or by using the “Coffee Break” emoji in the response box. Our concern is that in the past, some students have joined the zoom class, turned off their camera and microphone, and then left the computer to watch TV or play video games. In these cases, the student is effectively absent from the class.
We are able to tell that a student is not in class if they have not joined the zoom class, or if they have joined, but:
• Their camera is off and,
• They do not turn on their mic when called upon, and
• They do not respond to messages in chat, and
• They do not use the ‘response’ emojis during class discussions, and
• They do not move into a breakout room when asked to do so, and
• They stay logged into the zoom room when the class is dismissed.
In short, if a student is away from their computer for an extended length of time, the teacher will be able to tell because the student will not use any of the communication tools to respond (camera, microphone, chat, emojis), they will not follow class instructions such as to move into a breakout room, and they will not exit the room when the class is over.
So, in order for the teacher to know that the student is in class they should:
1. Join the zoom class on time, and:
a. Turn on their camera (best choice!) and/or
b. Use their microphone to speak with the teacher and/or
c. Use the chat box to respond to the teacher and/or
d. Use the emoji response buttons and
e. Respond to the teacher if called upon, and
f. Move to breakout rooms when asked to do so, and
g. Leave the class when it is over unless staying for extra help.
Occasionally, a student will minimize the zoom application on their computer to use other apps. In this case, it will appear to anyone looking at the student that they are working since they will be at their computer, but if they are not engaging in the class they are still effectively absent. Please let us know if you have any questions about attendance by contacting your homeroom teacher, admin, or the office.