Media Policies and Agreements
Canvas:
Many Rise Out sites have an online component through a site called Canvas. This is where the course facilitator posts the week's readings, videos, discussion questions, writing prompts, and other material. This helps everyone -- facilitator, student, and parents/guardians -- keep things organized in one place, and also prepares students for college, where it is now the norm for every class to have an online component.
Before class begins, the student will receive an e-mailed invitation to enroll in the Canvas class, and their parent/guardian will receive an invitation to join as an observer. (Students and parents/guardians MUST use separate email addresses to log into Canvas!) Both must confirm this invitation by clicking on the link provided; students then log in each week to view new content. Skipping this step, or delaying it until late in the semester, will make it hard to keep up with class discussions.
YouTube:
It has come to our attention that some families' parental controls block most or all of YouTube content. Most Rise Out classes use the occasional YouTube video, and some classes ask that students watch an hour or more of YouTube content every week.
We realize that many of our high school students have younger siblings, and that employing strong parental controls is one way for families to monitor and control young children's internet use. Unfortunately this makes it difficult for high schoolers to be full participants in the course, since our group discussions often revolve around videos assigned during the week. If possible, please allow your teen to have YouTube access through your firewall or internet filtering program, and/or arrange for them to have supervised time at another space, such as a public library, to complete the week's assignments.
streaming video:
Several Rise Out classes make heavy use of movies and other multimedia. Free videos are posted directly to the course web site. Occasionally, we ask you to rent a movie online for two or three dollars. This will be noted under "course fee" in the class descriptions.
Unfortunately outside sites add and drop content on an ongoing basis, and it's not always possible to predict in advance which movies will be available, on which sites, for a specific cost, during the week we planned to watch them. If a movie suddenly becomes unavailable or becomes unusually expensive, we will adjust the schedule accordingly.
We appreciate your flexibility and understanding.
slack:
Rise Out’s Slack platform is a protected, invite-only space (not visible to the internet at large, similar to Discord) where students can socialize outside of class. Participation is completely optional, and not required as part of any class.
We use our Slack for four purposes:
A place to discuss class material. There is a separate channel for each Rise Out class. We only meet on Zoom for an hour a week, so Slack is a good place for overflow discussions. (But again, participation is optional and voluntary.)
An informal social space for all Rise Out students to get to know each other, whether or not they are in the same classes. We have channels to discuss video games, comics, movies, and food, silly channels like "the room with one beat" (where you can only post in one-syllable words), "beasts" (in which a bot provides you with one random cat fact each day), and other channels where we do polls like "what is the best Shakespearean insult of all time?"
A more serious space to discuss important issues, including politics and world events. We have themed channels like history, technology, and mental health, as well as many channels to discuss topics related to education and homeschooling, including college planning.
A direct message option, for students who would like to have 1:1 conversations with each other or with their teachers.
According to Slack's own Terms of Service, students must be at least 13 years old to participate. This covers the vast majority of Rise Out students, but in a handful of cases, if a student is still 12, they must wait until their 13th birthday to join.
By checking “I have read Rise Out’s media policy” at the time of registration, you (the parent/guardian) give your child permission to participate on our Slack platform. If you do NOT wish for your child to participate on Slack, but must click the box to complete registration, please email info@rise-out.com immediately after registering. All other students will be sent a Slack invitation after their first course begins. They may continue participating on the Rise Out Slack even after they stop taking classes or age out of the program.
General Media:
We realize that time constraints and technical glitches will inevitably impede some students from watching everything assigned by the date it is due. If you find yourself in that situation, don't stress! Please come to class anyway: group discussions constitute the core of every course.