Online school doesn’t have the same social aspect in-person school had.

“It seems like people like to have a lot of freedom to do whatever they want.” Personally, he feels that the benefits of a mandate outweigh the drawbacks, though a lot of teachers may disagree with him. Powers feels that the culture at Foothill would not respond well to a camera mandate. They feel that a camera mandate would be invasive. “It’s about knowing not everyone has the same things as you and just keeping that in mind generally,” they say. They state how a lot of times a student’s Zoom background and learning environment reflects their family’s income. “It kinda connects everyone even when we’re far apart.”Īnother anonymous Foothill Tech student disagrees. Rebecca Trauner ‘23, says that while she can see both sides of the argument, she believes that a Ventura Unified School District (Ventura Unified) camera mandate is a good idea. Foothill Tech students are divided over the controversial policy. He mentioned student engagement remarking, “the issue necessarily isn’t that people don’t have their cameras on it’s that they don’t speak.” Camera mandatesĬertain districts in California, like Lakeside Union in San Diego County, have camera mandates that require students to turn their cameras on for Zoom lessons. For Wieners, keeping his Zoom camera on is about making a good impression on his peers and getting to know Foothill Tech.Īs for others, Wieners doesn’t care if his peers have their cameras on or off. He transferred from Ventura High School following his freshman year. Gus Wieners, class of ’23, is having a unique Foothill Tech experience. Powers tries to look at it from the student perspective, if he was a student he’d say that not having his video on would be a good social buffer. Some veteran teachers actually preferred that their students keep their cameras off. Powers recounts how at staff meetings earlier in the year Zoom camera etiquette was a hot topic to debate. “When I see someone out there and I can see them I feel like we’re kind of in it together,” says Powers. He’d like it if everyone had their cameras on but he understands the reasons why a student might choose to have their camera off. Powers only has a handful of students who turn their cameras on. He has a backup computer, a backup tablet and a whiteboard in case all else fails. After some technical failures at the beginning of the semester, Powers is now ready for the unexpected. He teaches classes “Khan Academy style” on a Wacom tablet. When online school was announced, Powers invested in technology to make his classwork. Challenging the teachersįoothill Tech math teacher, Wayne Powers, holds Zoom classes from a room in his home flanked by his two dogs, Max and Lily, in the background. 24, 2020, Associated Student Body (ASB) proposed Zoom Participation Day to encourage students to show their faces to their teachers.

To get into the Thanksgiving spirit, on Nov. Suddenly, a full school day of socializing is confined to an hour trapped in a little square.ĭuring this pandemic, it has been hard for teachers to connect to their students, especially those who don’t have their Zoom cameras on. Students can attend online classes from any kind of learning environment. High school classes are no longer confined to a classroom at Foothill Technology High School (Foothill Tech). September 25 Butter and Fold: The perfect place to satisfy your pastry cravings this fall.September 26 Just how deadly is stormwater runoff?.September 27 Girls' volleyball beat by Bishop Diego 1-3 in hard fought game.September 27 Bioluminescence: Wonders of the bright blue ocean.September 28 FDP-TV: Season 2, Episode 3.September 29 ArtWalk: Showcasing Ventura's creative crowd.September 30 Walk to End Alzheimer's: Photo Essay.October 4 Girls’ tennis triumphs over Providence 11-7.October 5 Arctic Monkeys rocks Los Angeles with their long-awaited “The Car” Tour.October 6 Hidden heroes: The story of Johnny Garcia.October 6 Recap: Girls' golf bested by Camarillo.October 8 Girls' volleyball bested by La Reina on Senior Night.October 9 Introducing Dragon Athletics: Girls' volleyball.October 9 The Dragon Press Crossword: Back to School.October 11 Cartoon 111: Thank you Dragons!.October 11 Love Ventura's annual Serve Day.October 12 Voice of the Dragon: What are the teachers of Foothill Tech reading?.October 12 Opinion: Free periods make the perfect balance.October 12 The Dragon Press Crossword: Halloween.

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