Students, my name is Scott Hatfield, and I will be serving as your Chemistry Instructor in the 2022-2023 school year. We live in interesting times, in a world of unexpected challenges. The global pandemic of COVID-19 created real challenges for public schools, most of which were closed for part of 2019 and all of 2020.
School districts switched to on-line learning through platforms like ZOOM or Microsoft Teams, and teachers and students had to adapt to changing conditions.
Instead of real print texts, students often had to use digital texts. Instead of actually writing their own texts or performing actual calculations in real time, students submitted electronic documents. And, in Chemistry, instead of doing actual labs with real chemicals, Chemistry students worked with on-line simulations.
All of these on-line tools have their uses, but no one believes that they are as authentic or rewarding as actually doing real tasks in-person, in real time. I want my students to know we will continue to use on-line resources like Microsoft Teams and this blog to communicate information about this course and research topics in Chemistry.
But, at the same time, please understand we are committed to doing most of our work (reading, writing, calculations and labs) in person, in class. The main usefulness of the on-line resources that I describe below is to support that work:
We already have classes set up in MICROSOFT TEAMS, so you can be automatically notified about important events in class, obtain class materials and communicate with your instructor.* The Teams platform will often contain links to specific posts in this blog, so it is important that all of you are able to access THIS blog!
DIGITAL TEXT:
While you should have already received Vol. 1 of your print text to work with, if you are forced to travel during the school year, it might be more helpful to access a digital version of the text. In that case, you will need to access this through the Clever app.
Log on
HERE, using your FUSD student account:
Once you are in, you will find the 'Saavas Realize' link, that will take you to where you can log onto the digital curriculum, as shown below:
Just like Microsoft Teams, the online version of the text will be organized around classes---and your student information should already be imported into those classes. Pretty convenient!
* So, if you don't have Teams on both your personal computer and your cellular device, click on one of the links provided! Watch the video! Download and install whatever versions of Teams you need! Have questions? Write them down, and send me an email: Scott.Hatfield@fresnounified.org