This online, self-directed course is designed to jumpstart your high school career in a few ways.
- Completion of 6 of these online modules will result in the acquisition of 6 credits toward your high school diploma.
- Completion of 6 of these online modules will brush up your existing skills for managing your learning through Google Workspace.
- Completion of 6 of these online modules provide you with new knowledge that will be valuable to you as you navigate your senior high courses.
- Completion of 6 of these online modules will earn you a new Chromebook which you will receive in September at your CESD high school. The Chromebook will be yours to keep forever.
Here is a video introduction Mrs. Baragar recorded (in 2022; a new 2024 video is coming this spring) to explain this program. She covers the difference between the task-based courses and the project-based courses.
She also discusses some of the specifics for each of the 10 courses to assist you in making your choices.
A tour of the Google Classroom layout for students is also offered in this video.
She also dropped a couple “Pro Tips” for students as they make their selections for this opportunity!
Instructions as to what students need to do when they complete a course are demonstrated.
Finally, at the end, she addresses the question “What kind of Chromebooks are we going to be getting?”
How do I Register?
You will fill out this form to register for this program and select your six courses. The form will open in April to allow you to register. If it is not time yet to register, the form may bring up a message that states that the form “is no longer accepting registrations”. This does not mean that you have missed your chance. It’s what the form defaults to when it is not accepting registrations. It will open on April 22, 2024, and you’ll be able to register.
The registration form for 2024 closes on June 12. No registrations will be accepted after 11:59:59 on June 12, 2024.
Who is the Teacher for this course?
Michelle Baragar, our CESD Coordinator of Educational Technology will be teaching this course in summer, 2024.
I am super excited to be able to teach the Jumpstart High School course for summer 2024. For those who haven’t yet met me, I grew up in the Olds area, attended Reed Ranch as a child, graduated from Olds High School in 1992, and began my teaching career in CESD in 1996. In 2001, I took a position in Strathmore, and spent seventeen years teaching Computer Technology at the junior high school there. In 2017, I completed my M.Ed with a specialization in technology and I am now working on my Doctoral degree in Learning Sciences where I am researching AI in K-12 education. I love working as the Coordinator of Educational Technology for Chinook’s Edge School Division. The bulk of my work is now with teachers, so I am super excited to engage with teenagers again for the month of July. I genuinely love all things “techie”, and am a self proclaimed nerd.
This is going to be an awesome course, with loads of flexibility for the students who will be joining me this summer, and I am so looking forward to meeting all my students (it feels so good to say that!) later this spring. Prior to our start date, we will connect via Google Meet (students will be emailed the Meet link) so that students (and parents, if parents wish to join us) can meet me, ask some questions, and we can discuss the course content to assist students with getting started!
Can I do it at my own pace, or is there a Google Meet lecture requirement?
You are entirely free to complete these 6 credits at your own pace. There will be opportunities to connect with Mrs. Baragar via Google Meet, if you require those types of supports. There will be no mandatory synchronous lectures.
The deadline to complete all six one-credit course modules is July 24, 2024. This date is set by Alberta Education, and all marks for Jumpstart must be entered by this date. We do not have the leeway to give extensions with respect to the earning of the Chromebook.
Where will I find the lessons and tasks?
All modules will be delivered, completed and assessed using online in coordination with Ed Puzzle. After you’ve registered, you will be enrolled into the learning management systems that correspond with your selections.
The video lessons in these courses will pause intermittently to ask you questions about the content being covered. Sometimes the questions will be directly related to the video you are watching, other times, you will need to think critically about your response. You will need to watch each video and respond to all the questions when they are presented.
Mrs. Baragar can see who has watched the videos, how many times each video was watched, and if the video was only partially watched. She can also see if you have not watched the videos. Mrs. Baragar can also see your answers to the questions.
Can I see what content each module covers?
Absolutely. We have listings of the task-based and project-based modules on this website. If you are seeking further details, this printable booklet may assist you in making your selections.
I think I’ll take the modules in the fall or winter semester…
These modules and the opportunity to earn a new Chromebook by completing the tasks is an offer that is only available this summer. We cannot guarantee a repeat opportunity next summer, so now’s your chance!
Do I need to actually complete 6 modules?
In order to earn a new Chromebook, you will need to successfully complete 6 modules. The deadline to complete all six one-credit course modules Is July 30, 2022 at noon.
If you do not complete 6 modules in July, you will receive the credits for the completed modules, but will not have completed enough to earn the new Chromebook.
What Kind of Chromebook Will We Get?
It’s impossible for us to be able to state that with certainty as the supply chain challenges impact technology as well. We will state that the students who participated in the pilot of this program were very pleased with the devices they received.
I earned a Chromebook last year. Can I do it again?
Unfortunately, no. There actually aren’t enough courses to constitute 12 high school credits!
If you registered last year, but didn’t complete six credits, you are welcome to try again. Last year’s completed courses don’t count though, you need to do all six courses in one summer session. You can’t retake courses you’ve successfully completed, so you’ll need to select six courses that you have never completed if you wish to try again.
Photo: 2021 summer pilot students received their brand new Chromebooks TO KEEP FOREVER!
