Rule Number 1. Create a Dedicated Space for Study. Stay in a Quiet and Comfortable Place that is Well-Lit
It is essential to have a dedicated space where you can study every day. Stay in a peaceful and quiet environment so that you can hear everything your teachers and classmates share during online classes. Also, sitting in a quiet and comfortable place keeps you relaxed and sharpens your mind because it improves concentration.
The place must also be well lit so that you can easily read your notebooks and textbooks. A bright room will also help your teachers and classmates can see your face clearly through the webcam during online classes.
Here is a quick and easy tip to look good on your webcam. Never put the light behind you when you face the webcam; going against the light will cast a shadow on your face, and no one will see you. Instead, position yourself where the light source is directly in front of you. One right way to get good lighting is to simply use a lamp and place it in front of you or face towards a window.
One more thing, avoid viewing at a bright screen in a dark room because it can cause eye strain and give you a headache. Always use your computer or tablet in a well-lit room.
Rule Number 2. Tidy Up Your Study Area and Keep it Free from Distractions.
Tidy up your study area and remove all distractions:
Put away your toys and unnecessary gadgets
Move aways your pets
Send your brothers and sisters to another room
Stay away or turn off the TV, Radio, and Music Players.
A clean and tidy room will help you stay focus and looks good on camera. While A messy room is embarrassing and can be distracting to the classmates. The neatness of your background will also be a part of your deportment grade.
Rule Number 3. Wear Your School Uniform
Students are required to wear their uniforms because we want to instill discipline in them and train them to act like professionals when they attend an online meeting. According to Forbes magazine's 8 Cardinal Rules of Running A Virtual Meeting, - professionals must "Work from home, but dress for work." This is what they have to say:
"You will work better if you are dressed for it. On top of that, people on the other end of your call will take you more seriously. The bottom line, if you want to be treated like a professional, follow your team's dress code even while working from home. This is super important in sales meetings and cardinal in interviews."
Wearing a school uniform will develop the habits of proper grooming and good appearance when working with others online. When they grow up and become professionals, their presence will create good impressions with their clients. And people who create good impressions are more persuasive and successful.
Rule Number 4. Be Prepared
There are three things you need to take care of when preparing for our online school
First, prepare your body and mind
Second, prepare your school materials
Third, test your computer equipment.
4.1 Prepare your Body and Mind for School
Get enough sleep for the night so that your mind is clear, and your body is rested ready for study when you wake up. Also, always take a morning shower. A morning shower will wake you up and make you more alert by improving your blood circulation.
If you are in the morning section, have a good breakfast, and if you are in the afternoon section, have a hearty lunch so that you will have enough energy and not go hungry during class.
4.2 Prepare your School Materials
Always prepare your notebooks, pencils, rulers, textbooks, and modules before classes. Arrange your digital assignment and files so that they are easy to find. We suggest arranging them in an easy-to-access folder and labeling them properly so that they are easy to find. When prepared, you are less stressed and more focused because a prepared person knows what to do.
4.3 Always Test Your Equipment
Do not wait until the last few minutes before the class. Always test at least an hour before your online classes begin. Test your computer, check your tablet, test your internet connection, and test your apps beforehand. We will go with this in more detail in our next video: The 11 Technology Rules and Responsibilities of a Franciscan.
Rule Number 5. Show up! Always Attend in Your Online Classes
The great Saint Mother Teresa once said, "Just show up, and things will happen." The great American director and actor Woody Allen once said, "80 percent of success is just showing up."
Just like in a regular classroom, your attendance is essential in the online classroom. To become a successful student, the first step you must do to always show up for class. When you attend your class, you learn, develop your skills, and form good habits that will make you an excellent student. This is also an excellent opportunity for you to see you, teachers and classmates, every day.
Attending your classes also teaches you two important values: commitment and consistency. When you have commitment and consistency, you will become a reliable person, and people will trust and respect you. When you have commitment and consistency you develop good habits that will make you successful in life.
Rule Number 6. Be Attentive
When you are in an online class, always focus on classroom conversations and activities. Do not talk while the teachers and your classmates are talking. Listen and learn from them. Take notes with your computer or your notebook so that you can review them later. If you want to speak or participate, click on the "raise your hand" button and wait for the teacher to call you. When it is your turn to talk, always stay on topic, don't talk about irrelevant things.
Be as active as you can and always join class activities like games, recitations, and discussions. If you are active in your online classes, you will learn a lot, get good grades, and enjoy your studies.
Rule Number 7. Be Respectful
In both the real and online world, you need to follow the golden rule: "Treat others the way you want to be treated." If you are kind and respectful to your teachers and classmates, they will also treat you with kindness and respect.
What are the things you must do to be respectful and kind? Here are a few guidelines
First, no yelling during class
Wait for your turn
When you want to say something, raise your hand or press the "raise your hand button."
Do not say bad words, only kind words.
Always encourage your classmates and support them.
If your classmates make mistakes, tell them its okay, we learn from our mistakes.
If a classmate hurts your feeling, forgive them because we all make mistakes.
Always wait for your turn. Always wait for the teacher's approval.
Be a good listener when others are talking.
Respect the opinions of your classmates even if you do not agree with them. If you need to disagree, do so respectfully.
Remember to say "Please" and "Thank you" when asking for help from your teachers and classmates.
Rule Number 8. Be Honest
It is easy to cheat online, you can just search for something on Google, and you can answer any question. However, as a Franciscan, we trust you to be honest because it is the right thing to do. Accomplishing something feels good and helps build your self-confidence. When you cheat, you are telling yourself that you do not believe in your own abilities. You may get a 90% in an exam, but deep in your heart, you did not earn or deserve it. Cheating is no different from lying or stealing. Every time you cheated on a test and submitted it, you tell the teacher you did it on your own, lying. Cheating is stealing because you are taking someone else work and claiming it as your own.
If it becomes a habit, cheating also leads to failure because it discourages you from working hard. Without honest effort, you will never develop the critical values of persistence, hard work, and sacrifice - important values you must have to become successful in life.
Dishonest people like corrupt politicians who steal money from our country were once students who cheated. Do not be like them. Someday when you become leaders yourselves, be honest leaders so that you can change the Philippines for the better. You are Franciscans, the future of the Philippines.
Rule Number 9. Be Diligent
Diligence means determination and hard work. Your purpose as a student is to learn so that someday you will use the knowledge and values you gained from your teachers to make your dreams come true. So do your very best to become a good student.
Listen attentively to your teacher
Submit your assignments and projects on time
Review your lessons daily,
Practice your equations, practice your reading, practice your speaking, practice your skills, practice practice practice
Participate in your school activities
If you do all this, you develop good habits, good knowledge, good values, and good skills. Essential values that will help you become successful in whatever career or business you choose someday. All successful men and women in the world are diligent because they are determined and work very hard.
Rule Number 10: Always Ask an Adult for Help
If you have any problems, concerns, or questions with your lessons, or your device or your app, feel free always to ask your teacher, daddy, or mommy for help. If you want to know how to do something online, the teacher will be there to help and advise you, ask them during online class or send them a private message. Its also okay to have an adult besides you, helping you during class.