| About HomeSqool |
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What
is HomeSqool?
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HomeSqool is
an online service, brought
to you by SqoolTechs, LLC,
that provides instructional tools for the
purpose of
“Supporting Quality Online
Opportunities
for Learning”.
Specifically, HomeSqool
is a virtual
learning environment, built on Moodle open source software, that
allows homeschool instructors to create interactive websites to either
support face-to-face instruction or to deliver instruction completely
online. HomeSqool provides a wide variety of tools that support most
instructional and learning management tasks.
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How
is HomeSqool pronounced?
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“HomeSqool” is
pronounced just as “home school ”. Sqool
is an acronym that stands for "Supporting Quality
Online Opportunities
for Learning”.
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How
much does HomeSqool
cost?
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All HomeSqool
accounts are provided free of charge and are supported through
the ads placed
on your web pages. Following the beta phase of our site, you may choose
to purchase a subscription which will provide you with an “ad
free” account or you may continue using your free,
ad-supported, account.
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How
long will my account
be active?
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Free HomeSqool accounts
will be active as long as they are being utilized. Accounts will NEVER
be disabled due to summer vacation. Accounts will be considered
“inactive” when HomeSqool staff is unable to
contact the account holder, using the email address of record, for 10
days.
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What
tools are included in a HomeSqool account?
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The following
tools and features are currently available through HomeSqool. These
tools have been grouped into the following
categories. It is important to note that many of the tools fit into
more than one category as homeschool instructors can utilize them in
multiple ways.
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Web Tools
- Web editors
- Web page templates
- Hyperlinking Tool
- Built in Navigation/Menus
- Site/Course Search
- Education Search Engine
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Classroom Management Tools
- class calendar
- choice (poll)
- groups
- workshop
- electronic “drop box”
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Web 2.0 Tools
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Learning Activity Tools
- assignment
- database
- editable glossary
- lesson
- journals
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Assessment Tools
- grade book
- multiple quiz formats
- automatic scoring of multiple choice and
true/false questions
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Communication Tools
- chat
- forum
- internal messaging
- news announcements
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Do I have to use all of the tools? |
No.
You decide which tools to use and add them to your classroom
by
selecting from a drop down menu. For example, if you don't
want
your students to use blogs, you simply don't add the blog tool to your
class. You can also add a tool but hide it from student view
until you want them to use it. Here is an example: You
want to use the chat tool for a literature group discussion at a 11:00
on Monday. You can set up the chat in advance, but hide or
turn it off
from
students view using the hide (eye)
editing tool. Then, on Monday At 11:00, you un-hide the chat
tool, or make it
available for students to access by again clicking on the hide editing
tool.
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Is
HomeSqool difficult or time consuming to learn?
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No. HomeSqool
has an
easy to use interface. Once you understand the basic editing
tools, you can quickly build your first virtual classroom.
Easy
to follow training videos (coming soon) and written user guides are
provided
for
every tool in HomeSqool. In addition, a searchable database of the
most frequently asked "how-to" questions is provided. If you
have
advanced technology
skills,
the sky is the limit to what you can do with a HomeSqool virtual
classroom. Here are a few of the simple editing tools that
you will use to create your virtual classroom:
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Can
HomeSqool save instructors time?
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Yes, HomeSqool
makes
instructors more efficient. Here are a few examples.
Automatic
grading of objective items and automatic entry of scores into the
online grade book reduce the time that instructors spend on assessment
and
grading tasks. Units of instruction created with web-based
resources can be re-used with other students and shared with other
instructors. Announcements, homework, and other information can be
quickly
posted for all students. Web-based resources can be easily
added
for students working at different levels, thus making differentiation
of
instruction possible.
Traditionally when instructors want to integrate a new technology, they
must learn to use a new software program. Since instructors use one
interface for all tools, less time is devoted to learning new software
programs.
See also:
Can
I use my existing
instructional content?
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Can
I use HomeSqool as my educational website?
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Yes and No.
Yes, you can use HomeSqool as your classroom website,
however, keep in mind that in order for anyone,
(parents, students, other instructors) to access
your classroom, a login is required. This makes your
classroom
more secure and protects student privacy. We recommend that
non-student visitors to your website be assigned visitor privileges.
Visitor privileges allow them to see most of the information in your
virtual classroom, but not post any information. (This is a
simple procedure explained in the User Guides.)
Many instructors choose to maintain an educational website that doesn't
require a login. They post
information for the general public on those pages and provide a link to
their
virtual classroom. This is a good solution
to
guarding student privacy while letting the general public see only what
you want them to see.
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I teach several different subjects.
Can I have a virtual classroom for each of the subjects that
I teach? |
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Yes.
instructors
may create as many virtual classrooms as they need to best meet the
needs of their students. When students login to HomeSqool,
the start page will list all the classrooms
for all of the subjects that the student is enrolled in. When
a instructor logs in to HomeSqool, all the classes that they teach are
listed on the the start page.
After your first classroom, or master classroom has been approved, you
will be given the
right to create as many subject area classrooms as you need.
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| Compatibility and Hardware |
Can
I use my existing instructional content?
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Yes!
Virtually any
file type (images, PowerPoint, Flash,
Shockwave, Word
Processing documents, Spreadsheets,etc.) can be integrated into your
HomeSqool virtual classroom. This allows existing
content
and resources to be utilized saving you time.
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Can
I move my content from another VLE to HomeSqool?
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Yes! HomeSqool
is SCORM
(Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
compliant. It simple terms, this means that the content is
shareable and reusable from one VLE to another simply by importing or
exporting a zip file.
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If
I close my HomeSqool account, can I take my content with me? |
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Yes! Since
HomeSqool is SCORM
(Sharable Content Object Reference Model)
compliant you can export your content to a zip file and move
it to another SCORM compliant
VLE. Unlike some web-based
education-related services, your content is not locked into a system.
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What
hardware and software do I need in order to use HomeSqool?
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All you need in order to use
HomeSqool is a web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape
Navigator, etc) and an Internet connection. The following plug-ins are
recommended: Shockwave, Flash, Java, and QuickTime.
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| Educational
Benefits |
How
does HomeSqool benefit students? |
Today's
students are digital learners who are best engaged by using technology
in a social community. Students genuinely enjoy learning with
HomeSqool. HomeSqool allows students to learn
anytime and any place. Calendars,
announcements, and assignment postings help students to stay organized.
The Web 2.0 tools allow students to create
learning artifacts for an audience of peers.
instructors can use HomeSqool to effectively differientate instruction
for students working at different levels. The grouping tools
allow instructors to easily provide resources based on ability level.
Students see only the resources that the instructor has provided
for them.
See also:
What
is Web
2.0
interaction? |
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How
does HomeSqool benefit instructors? |
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There is no software to
install and no servers to maintain when using HomeSqool.
Instructors can use free HomeSqool
accounts with no impact on family budgets.
The HomeSqool suite of tools makes instructors more efficient and
make
good instructors even better.
Many of the tools will assist you with learning management
tasks. A HomeSqool account provides a secure way to
provide
learning activities for students 24 hours
and day, 7 days a week. For example, you can easily post a class
calendar, assignments, links to reference
materials,
links to web-based activities and learning games, and unlimited web pages.
The
HomeSqool Community will allow instructors to share resources and
ideas. Groups of instructors working
together to
improve student learning, can use the HomeSqool suite of tools to
develop a shared vision, work and learn collaboratively, and visit and
review each other classrooms. Instructors
can locate other home school learners for cooperative
projects.
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| Educational
Technology |
What is Web 2.0 interaction?
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Web
2.0 is a term often used to describe the
transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a
full-fledged computing platform serving web applications to end users.
Many experts believe Web 2.0 services will replace desktop computing
applications for many purposes, especially those related to educational
technology. Web 2.0 is also often referred to as the "read-write
web" because users are no longer merely reading the content provided on
websites but are often creating content for others.
Specifically, HomeSqool provides Web 2.0 interactive tools including
blogs, wikis,
chat, podcasts, and discussion forums.
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What is a virtual learning environment?
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A
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is a web-based software system
designed to facilitate instructors in the delivery of online
educational experiences for their students. VLEs provide a set
of teaching and learning tools designed to enhance a student's learning
experience by integrating technology in the learning process. VLEs can
be used to teach courses entirely online or to support face-to-face
instruction. VLEs are sometimes referred to as Course
Management Systems (CMS) or Learning Management Systems (LMS) or
Managed
Learning Environments (MLE). Some common commercial VLEs
include BlackBoard and WebCT. HomeSqool
is a virtual
learning environment, built on Moodle open source software.
It has been configured to meet the needs of home school instructors and
students. It allows instructors to create
interactive websites to either support face-to-face instruction or to
deliver instruction completely online. HomeSqool provides a wide
variety of tools that support most
instructional and learning management tasks.
You
may also be interested in the answers to following FAQs:
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What is an integrated instructional
interface?
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This is a term that we have
developed and coined to describe HomeSqool. An
integrated instructional interface is a computing platform that
provides all instructional tools merged together into a single system, accessible via the
Internet through one login. Through our years of
working with instructors, we discovered that one of the biggest
frustrations that instructors report is the need to remember many
different usenames and passwords for
many separate programs to perform many necessary instructional
tasks. The HomeSqool vision is to provide all the
instructional tools that instructors need in one place with one login.
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What is the learning theory behind
HomeSqool?
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HomeSqool is
built using Moodle open source software. Moodle was designed
to address the 4 major principles of the social constructionist
pedagogy. These principles are summarized below:
- People actively construct new knowledge as
they interact with their environment.
- Learning is most effective when constructing
something for others to experience.
- Learning occurs on many levels when people
are
a part of a learning community in which learners are constructing
things for one another and are collaboratively creating shared
artifacts with shared meanings.
- The processes of reflection and metacognition
are stimulated through participation in a learning community.
Simply stated,
HomeSqool provides the tools for learners to actively
construct knowledge through interaction with a social learning
community.
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| Training
and Support |
Are
user guides available to help me learn to use HomeSqool? |
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Yes.
When your first virtual classroom has been approved, you are
provided with access to the Instructor
Information
area. This
area links you to user guides for all of the tools available in
HomeSqool that will help you get started. The Instructor Information
area also provides you with access to the HomeSqool
Community where you can share ideas and resources with
other instructors.
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Do you provide on-site training in the
use of HomeSqool?
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Yes.
The SqoolTechs Team offers a wide variety of training options
to address the needs of home school groups and instructors. Details are
provided on the SqoolTechs
website. We are also available to present at home
school conferences. Please contact us at admin@sqooltechs.com
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Can SqoolTechs host a VLE for my home
school consortium?
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Yes. The
SqoolTechs Team offers a wide variety of hosting options to address the
needs of home school groups. Details are provided on the SqoolTechs
website.
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Are there presentation or training
materials available for HomeSqool?
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Thank
you for spreading the word
about HomeSqool! Currently,
we have the following
free online workshops that could be used in a presentation or training
about HomeSqool. To access these workshops, it is necessary to to
create
a free account.
As
we develop more presentation
materials, they will be posted here.
You
may also be interested in the answer to following FAQs:
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Security and Policies
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What
is the HomeSqool Privacy Policy?
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Click here
to view the HomeSqool Privacy
Policy.
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What
are the HomeSqool Terms of Service?
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Click here
to view the HomeSqool Terms of Service
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What
kind of security measures are used to protect my content and
information?
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We
protect your content by performing hourly backups of all your
files and database information. Content creation is protected
by
user name and password through our secure login. In
addition,
all files uploaded to the site are scanned for viruses and malicious
software.
See
also our Terms of Service and Privacy
Policy.
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How
does HomeSqool protect children's privacy? |
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We don't collect
information from children or allow
children to create accounts on HomeSqool. Instructors are
responsible for creating student accounts and enrolling students in
their classes.
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My
question isn't in this list. How can I get it answered?
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Please email your question to admin@sqooltechs.com
. An answer will be returned to you by email.
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