Thursday, October 8, 2020

AP Test Registration

From the CCCC:

Our AP registration/payment system is finally open! There is an AP Registration Guide with detailed steps of how to register and pay. Registration is different than last year, so I’ve highlighted some key information below:

  • Students must “Register” for the AP exams they want to take in their online MyAP accounts AND pay a deposit for each exam they wish to take online through their student finance accounts by NOVEMBER 1st (failure to do both of these steps will result in a test not being ordered)
  • If students complete a Fee Waiver form they DO NOT pay a deposit, but will still have to register for their AP exams in their online MyAP account
  • All AP payments are NONREFUNDABLE

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Calendars for Online Classes

 Here are the direct links to get to the class calendars, as some people are having trouble getting in through Teams.


AP Physics 1: https://bit.ly/volkening1calendar

AP Physics C: https://bit.ly/volkeningCcalendar

Monday, August 10, 2020

Starting Online

 Welcome to physics with Ms. Volkening! Because we are starting online, everything you need for class will be in Teams in Office 365. We will not be using this blog much unless/until we return to in-person classes.

Here's how to log in to Office 365:

  1. Open a web browser (Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge will both work).
  2. Type “office.com” in the address bar and press ENTER.
  3. Sign in: Type your full school email address including the @s.tusd1.org portion (for example, 1300101011@s.tusd1.org) and click “Next”.
  4. Password: Type your 10-digit Student ID (Matric) and click “Sign in.”


Saturday, May 23, 2020

Have You Started ECAP? Then Please Read!

I guess there's more to post. This came from the CCCC recently:

May 23, 2020
Dear Students and Families, 

The Arizona Department of Education has decided to not renew the AZCIS system, the online platform in which students complete the state required ECAP (Education Career Action Plan) portfolio. While students will still be required to complete an ECAP during their high school years, but it will not be on this platform.

For students in the CLASS OF 2021: it is extremely important that if you've started or been working on your ECAP resume for your Senior Portfolio you log onto the AZCIS system by June 30th to save & download what you have of your resume so far. If you do not do so by this date, all your work will be lost. For those that have not started their ECAP Resume, there is no action to be taken. Instead, you will use the Resume Template on the UHS Senior Portfolio to complete your resume:

www.tusd1.org/uhs/seniorportfolio

Friday, May 22, 2020

End of Year

The year is officially over - I have posted your grades and submitted my paperwork. But I'm not going anywhere, so if you need help with anything (including studying for the make-up AP exam) go ahead and contact me.

I do have one last task for you. You might already know that I am the graduation coordinator, and I am going to assume that next year graduation will be back to normal (I have no idea if that's true). That means I need some information from you. Please fill out this survey for me:

http://bit.ly/uhs2021info

I will be adding the email you submit to a Google Group to form a mailing list - please check your SPAM folder in the next week or so for an add confirmation, and mark it "not spam." I won't have access to you on Synergy next year, so this list will be my main way to get information and deadlines to you.

You can also join my Reminds. Here are the codes to text to 81010:

Last name A-H: @grad2021h
Last name I-R: @grad2021r
Last name S-Z: @grad2021z

Here is a final cat picture for you:


Friday, May 15, 2020

Grades!

First I just want to say good job to everyone that tried to take the AP exam yesterday. Some of you are done now, but some weren't able to submit your answers and will be taking the makeup. I am still available to help you practice, and I will still be scoring FRQs on AP Classroom.

Now, on to grades! I have to submit grades by end of business day on Thursday, May 21st (Monday for seniors). I am going to start posting them now, but I can change them up until Thursday. Remember, YOUR SEMESTER GRADE WILL NOT BE POSTED LOWER THAN YOUR Q3 GRADE, no matter what Synergy says. If you think I've made a mistake, LET ME KNOW IMMEDIATELY.

I want to say thank you to all of the students that had a perfectly decent Q3 grade, but chose to complete their physics work anyway. This shows the sort of work ethic and intrinsic motivation that universities and employers look for, and I would indicate that in any recommendation letters you may ask me to write next year.

If you would like to try to raise your grade in the next week, you can! You have a lot of options:

  • I'm accepting retakes of all tests, including the rotational dynamics take-home test that literally said "no retakes" on it. Just email me to request the retake of any test.
  • Turn in any missing work at all, no matter how old it is. Then when nothing is missing, you can do extra credit until you have 100% in the homework category (can't go higher though)
  • Fix labs
  • Take the optional electricity unit test. You only get one shot at that, but I also only put it in if it helps your grade.
Note that, as stated in the syllabus, I will round a grade up if nothing is missing and you are 0.5% or less away.

Please email me or use Remind if you have any questions or need any help, even after next Thursday.

And now, a cat photo.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

AP Test Update + AP Classroom Practice

This update is really for people taking the exam. If you're not, just ignore this one.

From the College Board:

Two Days Before Each Exam

• Confirm that registered students have located their e-ticket. Two days before each exam, students will receive an email with their unique exam e-ticket that includes their AP ID. On exam day, students will use their e-ticket to access the exam. If a student hasn't received their exam e-ticket by email, they can access it through their student account on My AP. E-tickets are nontransferable and shouldn't be shared with anyone. Students who haven't been receiving College Board emails still have time to confirm their contact information.

• Remind your students to complete the AP Exam Day Checklist (.pdf/513.39 KB) for each exam they're taking. Students should complete this checklist and keep a printed or handwritten copy with them for reference during testing. Completing the checklist will help students feel confident they're set up for success.

On Exam Day

• Remind students to click their e-ticket to check in 30 minutes before exam start time. Students should allot 80 minutes for each exam—30 minutes to enter their AP ID, name, and other information, and 50 minutes to draft and submit their responses. Make sure your students know their local testing time, since each subject's exam will be taken simultaneously worldwide.

• Ensure your students know what to do if something goes wrong. If a student accidentally closes the browser, their device crashes, or they temporarily lose internet access, they can quickly click their exam e-ticket again to return to the exam. They should continue the exam, and if they feel at the end of the exam that the temporary disruption negatively impacted their performance, they can request approval to take the makeup exam at cb.org/requestmakeup. Students can also request a makeup exam if they've lost too much time due to a technical problem, can't connect to their exam, or experienced some other serious disruption.

Practice Problems in AP Classroom

Remember that there are practice problems in AP Classroom, which you can access through your student account on My AP.

There are three places you can find practice problems: Assignments, Optional Student Practice, and Progress Checks. When you submit an FRQ, I will then have to grade it. I think I have found all the ones that people have submitted so far, so go take a look if you've submitted any in the past.

I will check for submitted FRQs often in the next couple of days, but if you think I've missed yours email me directly.

If you just want to see the answers for the FRQs, then submit them blank. I will "score" them as zeros, but then you'll be able to see the scoring guide.

Please email or Remind me if you need help with any AP prep. We can also schedule a meeting on Zoom if you think that would help. Please note that tomorrow the teachers are going into school to clean their rooms for the summer, so I will be unavailable for a few hours in the late morning.

Here is a cat photo:



Wednesday, May 6, 2020

AP Update + Locker Cleanout!

First, the College Board asked me to share some stuff with you. I'm just going to paste exactly what they sent:

  • Share the 2020 AP Testing Guide (.pdf/10.37 MB) and watch the overview video. The comprehensive guide will help you walk your students through exam preparation, and the video gives a high-level overview of this year's exams.
  • Encourage your students to practice with the exam demo. You and your students now have access to an exam demo. Students should use the demo to practice the different ways to submit exam responses. World language students will be able to practice with the AP World Languages Exam App beginning the week of May 11.

Next, tomorrow you'll be allowed on campus to clean out your lockers! They've divided you up into time slots to minimize the number of people on campus at once. Check all of your communication lines to find your slot (which I don't know) - ParentLink, StudentVue, ParentVue, your cohort Remind, email, whatever! If you can't make Thursday they're going to let you in on Monday too.

9-11th graders will be able to come back on Thursday and Friday of next week to get their yearbooks.


At noon on next Wednesday seniors can DRIVE THROUGH the Arcadia lot and we will give them UHS graduate signs to put in their yard/homes and they can also get their yearbooks in the Auditorium.

Thursday, April 30, 2020

Optional Electricity Test and New Non-Profit

If you have completed all of the online assessments for the electricity stuff, you can take this Electricity Unit Test. This is completely optional. You'll only get to take it once, but I'll only put in the grade if it makes your grade go up. All of the problems are taken from the previous online assessments, except I've changed the numbers or wording a little. There are 10 problems worth two points each, and it does go into Synergy as a test.

Next, Kendall Jeong has started a non-profit organization to raise funds for healthcare workers at local hospitals. Here's a description in her own words:

"It is called the COVID Warrior Project, and we sell stickers, pins and cards to raise money for local community hospitals and their healthcare workers! The current sticker I have been working will be donating all of its profits to the TMC Marks Fund, which financially supports the TMC staff during this troubling time. Here is the website for more information: www.covidwarriorproject.com"

Go check it out - looks cool!

And I forgot to put a cat photo on the last post, so here are two:




Monday, April 27, 2020

Restructuring AP Classroom and Random Stuff

Hello all! Some of you are working your way through old labs and tests and completing the new stuff on electricity - thank you! I am grading your stuff and answering your questions as they come in. Remember that there aren't really due dates for those (except the last day of school) and that no matter what, your posted grade at semester will not be lower than your Q3 grade. But it could be higher, and some of you have already achieved that.

Next thing. If you aren't taking the AP test, skip this paragraph. Some people are trying to use the AP Classroom to practice FRQs for the AP test, and it is just not working well. I am going to spend tomorrow restructuring what's in there. A lot of stuff is going to disappear for a bit, then reappear chopped into smaller "assignments" so that you can submit FRQs for me to score one at a time.

Next thing. Remember the Teen Astronomy Cafe? Well they're holding one online in a couple of weeks:

Have you ever wondered about the Universe? How did it begin? Has it changed over time? What will happen in the future? If you have, you’re not alone! For centuries scientists have been trying to answer these kinds of questions. 

To discover the answers by experimenting with the data, we encourage you to come to the next, free Saturday morning online Teen Astronomy Cafés on May 9.  It is entitled “The Expanding Universe” with Dr. Lauren Corlies and Ardis Herrold. 

Please note that owing to ongoing concerns about COVID-19, this event is online and not in-person until further notice.

To participate in our online Teen Astronomy Café,  sign up by May 6 at http://www.teenastronomycafe.org to reserve your spot. On Friday, May  8, we will send you an email on how to connect to the May 9 café through zoom.

Times: 9:30am until 11:30am. (We start on time.)

More information at: http://www.teenastronomycafe.org


Have questions? Contact: Dr. Connie Walker, Director of the Teen Astronomy Café program at cwalker@noao.edu.

And last thing: Ms. Braun has a project you can help with:

COMMUNITY SERVICE OPPORTUNITY

Smiling Messages Project

The project that brings smiles to Seniors

So many are feelings the challenges of COVID-19. Many people in our community are experiencing feelings of sadness, fear, isolation or depression. One Senior community is truly suffering during this time of Social Distancing. Seniors living in Assisted Living Communities are and have been quarantined in their rooms or apartments for quite some time now and this is having a tremendously negative impact on them.

Smiling Messages Project has been created to bring smiles to the faces and hearts of Seniors and to help them to know that they have not been forgotten! It can even do the same for you!

Here’s how you can help:

Make a beautiful, colorful, cheerful card – maybe include an inspirational quote or a picture of yourself dancing or with a pet. Something that would make you smile if it was sent to you.
Mail your card to:

Beth Braun
c/o Esperanza Dance Project
PO Box 90064
Tucson, AZ 85752

Your card will then be delivered to various Assisted Living Communities throughout Tucson to brighten the day of many Seniors!

It’s easy and fun!

If you have questions please email me at Beth.BraunMiscione@tusd1.org

Monday, April 20, 2020

New TUSD Zoom sign-in

TUSD has contracted with Zoom as an official company user, so now sessions hosted by TUSD employees will need a TUSD sign in to access. Here's how you do it:




Friday, April 17, 2020

Zoom Now By Appointment

Hello everyone. I've been getting like one person coming to Zoom office hours every two weeks, so I'm cancelling the set times an going to an appointment system. If you want help with something over Zoom, just email me or message me on Remind and we'll set up a time.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Tests are Done

Happy Monday everyone! I finally finished grading all the tests, and they are now in Synergy. Three things:

  • If you emailed me your test and it's not in Synergy, LET ME KNOW. I looked through my whole email but I don't see any more.
  • If you want your test back, EMAIL ME. I will send you a PDF back, but only if you ask.
  • Yes, you can retake this test. You can also retake the SHM test from February. Email me.

Some of you have been asking about your grades, so here is the policy again:

Your quarter 3 grade will also be your quarter 4 and semester grades UNLESS YOU INCREASE your grade.

So, if you are happy with your Q3 grade, you don't need to pay any attention to what is in Synergy any more. It would be nice for you to finish the content, and if you choose to never make up the test or lab from before break I will remember that and will not write any recommendations for you next year, but just dropping everything now won't bring down your grade.

If you want to try to bring your grade UP from your Q3 grade, you can. I have put "missings" in for everything that is left so you can see how far you have to go. Right now, in Synergy, is where your grade would sit if you did nothing at all for the rest of the year. As you complete stuff, that will go up. If you get it higher than your Q3 grade by the end of the year, you will get the higher grade. If you don't get higher than, or even up to, your Q3 grade, you will get your Q3 grade.

Note: I eliminated the Ohm's Law lab picture submission in the online stuff. All that's in there now are the re-doable Google Forms multiple choice things.

And now, today's cat picture:

Thursday, April 9, 2020

Small Grade Update

Hi all, small change from yesterday. While I am keeping track of your Q4 grade in Synergy, I will post your Q3 grade as both your Q4 and semester grade, unless you increase your grade.

Some of you have asked if this means that you really don't have to do anything the rest of the semester if you're happy with your Q3 grade. Sure. But if you blow off the rest of the year with no good reason (I've talked to some of you that have darn good reasons), don't ask me for a recommendation next year. And not learning anything in 4th quarter means you will start behind in August, which isn't really a big deal in my class but may really hurt you in other classes.

Cat picture: Bruce watching me grade tests at the dining table all day today.

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Friday Holiday and Grade Clarification

Happy Wednesday everyone. Officially Friday is a holiday, so if you contact me on Friday I might not get back to you super quickly. I am also cancelling Friday's Zoom office hour.

Per an email about an hour ago, it turns out that even though the sound test and sound lab were from before the closure, I can't have it affect your quarter grade. I don't think that's fair, but that's how it goes. This doesn't really do anything to anyone, though, since you all have been awesome about emailing those to me anyway. If you still haven't made up the test or sent me the lab, though, I guess you could just blow them off and there aren't any real consequences. However if you do that we have been directed to send your name to administration, so they know who is not really prepared for next year and they can keep an eye on you.

I am still inputting everything I said I would input, but it will be recorded as a quarter 4 grade [edit: it won't post, but it will be in Synergy], which can't bring your semester grade down below your quarter 3 grade. If you want to INCREASE your semester grade from the quarter 3 grade, you can totally do that. You can do the new stuff and make up stuff from last quarter - I'll take it all. I want you guys to get the best grade you can and/or want.

You may see your test grades popping up in Synergy - I'm about 1/4 of the way through them. I'll send you PDFs of your graded tests probably sometime next week so you can decide if you want to retake them.

And finally, cat photo:

Monday, April 6, 2020

Sound Labs + Synergy Updated

Today I put the online assessment grades into Synergy. I will check those every few days to keep them updated; please let me know if you think I missed you.

I also found the setting that lets you change your answers on the online assessments after you submit, so you can just go back in and change your answers instead of completely resubmitting the form.

I finally finished grading the hard copy labs some of you turned in before break. You will be getting a scanned PDF copy of your graded lab by email, Remind, or Synergy soon.

If I never got a hard copy or electronic copy of that sound lab, it now says "missing" in Synergy. Since this was work from before the closure, it WILL affect your semester grade. Please send me pictures of your labs if you haven't already. There are no late penalties.

Tomorrow I will start grading your sound tests. Since these are also from before the closure, they WILL affect your semester grade. The sound tests are the last thing that will affect your semester grade.

Today's cat photo:

Friday, April 3, 2020

Online Content Done! + Info on AP Tests

I have finished online content and assessments at http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html . Remember that this content is self-paced - I will never count anything late. There are little Google Form assessments at the end of each underlined content section. Those little assessments count as homework. There is one picture of one lab you need to send me. There are no other things you HAVE to do for a grade. I will make an optional unit test later, but I want to get your labs and tests from before break graded first.

The College Board released more information about AP tests today. You can read all about test dates and how tests will work at https://apcoronavirusupdates.collegeboard.org/students. See my AP Review Resources page for more details about the Physics test in particular.

Note: when you look at the times, look at the "pacific" time because without daylight savings time Arizona is always at GMT -7, which right now is what they're listing as "pacific.". For example, the AP Physics 1 test will be at 1 PM our time on May 14th. They ask students to be online ready to go half an hour before the test start.

Next week we are having a UHS Wellness Week - see flyer below.


Thursday, April 2, 2020

School/District Updates

I received two important announcements today. Please read through these:

A message from the CCCC

ATTN JUNIORS AND FAMILIES:

Future Senior Meetings – All Juniors and parents should plan to attend!

These events are replacing the annual Future Senior Night that prepares students and families for the college application process. Since we can’t meet in person, a series of meetings will be hosted online.

It is really important that ALL juniors and their families attend these meetings as the following will be covered:

• Things to consider when researching and deciding on colleges to apply to
• The college application process, specifically how this works at UHS
• Financial aid & scholarship opportunities
• What you can do prepare for applications and senior year

Meeting dates/times are assigned by your last names because of restrictions with the number of people who can attend a virtual meeting. Each part of the alphabet will have 2 sessions available to attend (you do not need to attend both, we are just offering two dates for flexibility). To join a meeting, click on the link about 5-10 minutes before it starts.
_______
Juniors with last names that start with A through G – choose 1 to attend


Monday, April 6 at 10am: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/362983165…
OR
Monday, April 6 at 6pm: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/687282516…
_____


Juniors with last names that start with H through O – choose 1 to attend


Tuesday, April 7 at 10am: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/733661013…
OR
Tuesday, April 7 at 6pm: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/785609865…

____


 Juniors with last names that start with P through Z – choose 1 to attend


Wednesday, April 8 at 10am: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/192893820…
OR
Wednesday, April 8 at 6pm: https://tusd1.zoom.us/j/628902917…


If you know a Junior family that does not have access to a computer or internet, please email Mrs. Palos so that she can give you instructions on how to call in via phone.

Questions? Email Ms. Palos at megan.palos@tusd1.org


A message from District about food pickup:
Good morning,

We are thrilled to share the the Arizona Department of Education has approved the waiver to allow parent/guardian meal pick-up so children do not have to be present to receive meals effective today, April 2. Below is the process.

Parents/Guardians will be asked to provide one of the following for meal pick-up to the TUSD Grab and Go employee:

1) A student ID card, report card, or other school issued documentation with a child’s name such as enrollment, class schedule, IEP etc.

2) Show a video call home to show their children at home.

3) For children not enrolled in school: documentation with a child’s name and date of birth such as a medical document.

4) If none of the above is available, staff will ask for the parent/guardian’s name, child’s name and school (or date of birth if not enrolled in school) which will be logged by staff.

*Staff providing the meals will not be collecting or touching any of the documents, they will just just need to be shown the information.

Thank you!

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

About halfway done with online content

Happy Tuesday everyone. I am about halfway done with all of the online content; there are 5 little content assessments up and 4 left to go, plus an optional test.

Keep sending me those labs from before break and making up any tests you missed. I also have a retake available for the SHM test; email me if you need any test files.

Today's cat picture:


Monday, March 30, 2020

Next Assessment Up

If you haven't heard, this morning the governor announced that schools are officially closed for the rest of the year, so at least we know that :/

The Electric Potential section at https://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html is now ready, with an assessment at the end.

The rest of the sections have some things in them, but are not complete. I do not recommend going beyond Electric Potential at this time.

Today's cat picture:

Friday, March 27, 2020

3-27 Update: New Zoom Code and Times

Two updates today:

1. Open office hours on Zoom will now be 1-2 PM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If you can't make those times, email me to schedule a different time. I also have a new meeting code:

https://zoom.us/j/6593917841

2. I added FRQ quizzes to the AP Classroom. I only added ones that cover material that will be on this year's test, and match very closely the format of the actual test. If you submit any FRQ (quiz or progress check) on AP Classroom, email me so I can go in and grade it. It doesn't send me a notification on its own.

On the weekend I will not respond as quickly as I have been this week. I intend to treat the weekend like a real weekend, and you should too. So have a good weekend :)

Obligatory cat photo:

Thursday, March 26, 2020

3-26

Not much to talk about today.

I finished the next section of content (Coulomb's Law) in http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html and there is an assessment for the topic ready to use.

The College Board released some FRQs for home use that had previously been secured, so I will go through and Modify the AP Classroom tomorrow.

Here is your next cat photo. Have a good day!


Wednesday, March 25, 2020

3-25 Update

Hello again everyone! I don't have a lot for you today. Keep on sending me those labs from before break and requests for tests at lisa.volkening@tusd1.org or miss.volkening@gmail.com.

I ran my first Zoom meeting for office hours today. A few people asked physics questions, but mostly we all chatted. Please remember that the Zoom meetings are COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY. I am treating them like office hours in college - they are a time when professors are in their offices, and you can just walk in and ask them things. So my Zoom meetings are times when you can hop into Zoom, ask me things, then leave again. Or you can hang out and talk to whoever is there. Just remember that I am recording the Zoom meetings, and if I figure out how I will also post them.

I am still adding content to the electricity unit remote learning page. I don't have anything more fully completed yet, just bits and pieces as I find them.

Here are some questions I heard today that I can answer:


  • How do the online assessments work? Are there due dates?
The online assessments are like homework. There will be one for each content topic - it is a link to a Google form. You can repeat any assessment as many times as you want, and although there is a "suggested due date" I will not count anything late, ever. So complete them at your own pace, whenever you want, but do them in order. Again, I only have one up right now.
  • Will there be a unit test?
Yes, but it will pretty much work exactly like the little "homework" assignments I just described. You can even repeat it.

  • Will there be a final?
If we don't go back to school at all, yes, there will be an online, cumulative final, but it will be OPTIONAL. You would only take it if you thought it would help your grade.

And finally, during the Zoom office hour today, some of you extracted a promise from me to post a picture of one of my cats whenever I made a blog entry, so here you go. This is Charlie, who currently has a little spot on his elbow that needs to heal, so he is wearing the Donut of Shame to keep him from licking it. Have a great rest of your day.


Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Office Hours and First Content Up

Office Hours!

First, you all can email me or text through Remind ANY TIME. I will get back to you pretty fast, if not right away. Emails: lisa.volkening@tusd1.org OR miss.volkening@gmail.com.

On the survey you took, the overwhelming preference for Zoom office hours was 12-2 PM, so I am scheduling my first Zoom meeting for tomorrow at 1 PM. I will do this for the rest of this week and see how it goes. You can jump in at any time from 1 PM to 2 PM, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and ask for help with anything. It works from a browser, the Zoom app, or you can download the desktop client. To join, just click this link:

https://zoom.us/j/825074462
Meeting ID: 825 074 462

I have also added it to the calendar, which is at the bottom of of the desktop version of this blog. If you use Google Calendar, you can actually add my class calendar to your calendar by going here and choosing to add it.

When I have less to do, I will probably make the Zoom meetings longer, like whenever I am at my desk. That way people will be able to jump in and talk to me whenever they want. For now, if you really need to talk to me outside of 1-2PM, and email isn't good enough, let me know and I can schedule a supplemental time. I really am just at home, working for the length of a workday, then still at home, but doing not work things. I can cut a piece out of my "workday" and move it to whatever time is best for you if that is needed.

First Online Content Ready!

I have put up the first bit of content at https://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html . It is actually what we would have done in a modular + sequential day, so it is a lot. I don't have the assessment up for that yet, but I will sometime today.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO RUSH THROUGH THIS. This whole unit would have been done by April 21st if we were in school, but now you have until May 21st. So take your time, feel free to put off physics to leave more time for AP review, family, work, etc. I will not be offended.

Reminder: If you still plan to take the AP test, your stuff is here: http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/ap-review-resources.html . I would be totally okay if you put off the electricity content in favor of AP stuff.

What I'm Currently Doing

Over the next few days I will continue to add to https://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html, answer your questions as they come in, update the calendar with suggested due dates, and send out make-up and retake tests to those that ask for them.

Next week I will start grading your labs and tests, then sending you PDF scans of yours so you can see what you got right/wrong.

Again, if you have any questions, at all, contact me.

Also, here is my cat Bruce, who refused to move for like 10 minutes while I was trying type this up.

                                                       




Monday, March 23, 2020

The Plan Going Forward

I just sent a message through Synergy to everyone in my classes and their parents/guardians. Here is the message again, and it is also on its own page (check the tabs at the top of the blog) so you can find it again easily.

If you did not get this as an email, it means that we do not have your email in the Synergy system, or that it is incorrect in that system. Be aware that that means you may be missing emails from your other teachers too.

_ _ _
This is a form letter going out to all of the students in Ms. Volkening’s AP Physics 1 class. It is written for the students, but it is also going out to their parents/guardians. Please read the whole thing – students, please take the survey at the bottom after reading this. This letter, and all materials referenced and put out in the future, will be at volkeningphysics.blogspot.com . You should bookmark that and check it often. There is also a place to follow the blog by email at the bottom of the right side panel (on the desktop version). I will also post on Remind whenever there is an update. 

I do not know how long schools will be closed, so I am planning for us to be gone the rest of the year. If we come back before that, great! We will cross that bridge when we come to it. But let’s assume for now that we need to mop up the semester remotely. Here is the plan. 

  1. 1: Old Business: 
Many of you missed the last unit test and need to make it up. I am going to let you take that at home. I know that there will be a lot of temptation to cheat, so I would like you to take it with someone else in the room with you. It does not have to be a parent/guardian - just someone that can attest that you didn’t go on your phone or talk to your friends while you were taking it. I will email you the test, you write your answers on a piece of paper (you do not have to print out the test an write on it – that seems like a waste), then you take pictures of your answers and send them back to me along with contact information for the person that was supervising you. I will acknowledge that I received it, then you destroy your answers and delete the test. I foresee all kinds of problems with this system, but I also don’t see a way around it, so...yeah. I can also send tests through the actual mail if needed – let me know if you need that. 
Most of you also need to turn in your Speed of Sound in Air Lab. Just email me pictures of the relevant portions of your lab notebook. The sections you need to turn in, as well as instructions for an online simulator to get data if you missed the lab entirely, are at http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/2020/03/lab-speed-of-sound-in-air.html . 

  1. 2: New Business – AP Test 
If you are going to take the AP test, please read the page here: http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/ap-review-resources.html . If you are not taking the AP test, skip that. 

  1. 3. New Business – The Last Unit 
We have one more unit to cover: Electricity. Historically this has been students’ favorite unit, and I strongly feel that it is one of the more useful units in terms of your future life in modern society, so we are still going to learn (some) of it. But this will be difficult under the circumstances, so modifications are being made. Here is the general plan: 
 -Content will be posted online at http://volkeningphysics.blogspot.com/p/electricity-unit-remote-learning.html . These will be a combination of videos, web pages, simulations, etc. I will make some of it and some of it will have been made by other people. 
-After each topic, an online (probably multiple choice) assessment will be posted, sort of like the Plickers we would have done in class. You need to complete all of the assessments at some point. Those are your “homework grades. 
-There will be one lab in which you will use an online simulator to take data. You will then graph that data, linearize it, and find the equation of your best-fit line, just like you’ve done many times this year. You will send a picture of your graphs to me for the lab grade. 
-There will be an online assessment for you to complete. I am still thinking about the details for this, but you will probably have the opportunity to retake it multiple times if you want.  

All of the above will have suggested due dates, but they will be work at your own pace. There will be no late penalties. I may nudge students that show no progress at all for extended periods, however. 

I will be holding live “office hours” periodically where students can jump into a public Zoom meeting and ask me whatever they want. Those meetings will be recorded and posted on YouTube, then posted on the blog, so keep that in mind before you jump inI will be using data from the survey at the end of this letter to choose the times for these sessions. UHS is putting together a master schedule of everyone’s office hours to try to keep them from overlapping. 

Students can also email me questions or ask questions through Remind. If it is very specific, I will just answer directly, but if I think other people might benefit I will create a video tutorial or other response and post it in the relevant portion of the blog. 

  1. 4. Last Thing – The Final Lab 
Usually instead of a cumulative final test at the end of the year, I have assigned a final lab. If we never return to school, this will be cancelled and I will create an OPTIONAL cumulative, multiple choice final. Students can just not take it and keep whatever grade they have earned from their other work, or they can take it in an attempt to increase their grade. I will not allow the final to drop your grade. 

If we do return to school with enough time, I will assign the final lab instead, and everyone will need to complete it. I will send details if it looks like that’s what will happen. 

Tools I Intend to Use 
I am hoping to use Zoom for office hours. You should go see if you can set it up at https://zoom.us/ or download the app. You do not need a webcam for this – I don’t have one myself. You can join using just audio, either with a microphone on your computer or your phone. I think you can even join by dialing in with a regular, non-smart phone. I will be asking about your ability to join Zoom in my survey at the end of this letter. If you can’t/don’t want to join Zoom, that’s okay; just email me your questions and I’ll respond later. 

I also want to use Microsoft Teams and Forms for the assessments, but I need to see if you can log in. You actually have an account already, but probably didn’t know about it. Please go try to log in. Here’s how: 

login: [matric#]@s.tusd1.org (be sure to use the "s") 
password: your TUSD password 

This should bring you to a page with a bunch of icons. Choose “Teams,” then look for your AP Physics 1 class. If you get this far, comment in the chat so I know you made it. 

Staying in Contact 
I am using volkeningphysics.blogspot.com as the main info source. I will send a message on Remind whenever I update the blog, but I won’t send content on Remind. If you still want to join Remind, text the relevant code to 81010: 
Period 1: @volkening1 
Period 3: @volkening3 
Period 4: @volkening4 
Period 5: @volkening5 
Period 6: @volkening6 
Don’t know your period? Use @volkening 

Finally, the Survey 
Students, please complete the survey at https://bit.ly/PhysicsRemoteSurvey . Thank you. 
Sincerely, 
Lisa Volkening 
UHS Physics 
Lisa.volkening@tusd1.org or miss.volkening@gmail.com