疫情相關&線上課程公告

為什麼選擇線上學習?

• 教育部倡導「停課但不停止學習」。 ACES認同健康與安全是我們的第一優先考量，第二順位則會是孩子們的學習。 在這困難的時期，我們將竭盡所能地繼續他們的學習而不中斷。
• 目前並無法確定「停課」會持續多久，如果我們獲得保證這種情況是只會持續兩周的話，我們也許會暫停並將課程延期，但是現在的情況很難確定。唯一我們可以保證的是ACES會持續提供高品質的英文學習，我們希望線上課程將會只是暫時性的。

為什麼選擇Zoom?

 我們選擇Zoom而不是其他包括Google Meet的平台，是因為在測試及考量一些選項後，它對我們的上課環境以及教學方式是最好的產品 

• 我們的課程是基於老師和近30位學生們同時的互動，只有Zoom提供我們需要的控制以確保一個流暢的學習環境
• 視訊及聲音品質是非常重要的，因為要讓學生能夠清楚的看到老師，並模仿老師的嘴型動作以及配合老師的發音。
• 能清楚的聽到和看見學生們對我們來說很重要，能讓我們對學生有關他們文法或發音上，給予精確和真實的回饋。
• Zoom會議室錄音和影像的品質是明顯優於其他平台。
• Zoom平台對學生們使用上來說是最簡單的，使用者不需要擁有任何帳號，甚至如果使用電腦者擔心數位安全時，不會硬性要求使用者下載相關軟體。

你們的隱私對我們來說是非常重要的。我們需要能夠清楚記錄上課內容，以至於當有學生遇到技術上的問題，仍然可以跟得上課程進度。ZOOM讓我們是唯一能紀錄並保持加密還可分享給需要的個別學生上課內容的。當然，就像平常上課時一樣，我們也鼓勵大家在家自行進行錄音，以便學生做額外的練習。

Zoom安全嗎？

你們的擔心同時也是我們的關注! 在2020年初期，Zoom顯露出一些實際和重要的令人擔憂現象，不過，當我們研究查探Zoom時，發現這些情況都已被Zoom修正了。我們覺得在那個時候(2020年4月)教育局做了一個很好的決定，但是，所有的這些憂慮既然已被修正了，你們可能擔心的事有：

• 中國的數據中心。之前，Zoom會議室並未做加密保護，而且數據資料都是全球性(包括中國)透過數據中心處理。於 2020年6月，Zoom公司將所有數據轉換為端到端加密。 這意味著只有ACES和受邀的學生可以看到上課影像。 甚至Zoom本身也無法解鎖來查看我們的課程(包括我們課程的錄影)。更多資訊可參見https://Zoom.us/en-us/trust/security.html
• “侵入視訊通話，從而造成干擾的行為”和不請自來的參與者。 Zoom會議室均受到密碼保護，所以，只有同班的學生們可以參與，其他人都不行，除非受邀請的人提供連結給他人。 另外，作為會議主持人，我們要求所有學生們都開啟視訊功能，以確保他們在課堂上有專心。 任何未受邀参與的人都將被移除以維護安全。https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/blog/3003757

我們希望家長們給予這個線上教學的機會。 第一堂課肯定不會完全順利，但是經驗顯示，使用線上學習三天之後，學生們將會調適得不錯。 ACES也將在5月28日後重新評估。感謝您的耐心理解與配合。

Why Go To Online Learning:

• The MOE has proclaimed, “Stop going to school, but don’t stop learning”. We, at ACES, agree that while health and safety will always be our number one priority, our next priority for our children is their education. We will do whatever we can to continue their learning during these difficult times.
• We do not know how long this will go on. If we had a guarantee that it would only last two weeks, we might have suspended classes, but there are no guarantees. The only thing we can guarantee is that ACES will continue to provide high quality English learning. We hope this will only temporarily be online.

Why Zoom?

We chose Zoom over other platforms including Google Meet, after testing and considering several other options because it is the best product for our class environment and teaching style.

• Our classes are based on the interaction between the teacher and up to 30 students simultaneously. Only Zoom provides the controls we need to ensure a smooth learning environment.
• Video and audio quality are important for students to be able to see the teacher clearly, to mimic his/her mouth movements and match the sound of the teacher’s voice.
• Hearing and seeing students clearly is important for us to give accurate and real feedback to students about their grammar and pronunciation.
• The audio and video quality of Zoom meetings is significantly better than any other platforms.
• Zoom is also the easiest to use platform for students. Zoom doesn’t require users to have an account, and it doesn’t even require users to download the APP when using a computer if they are concerned about digital security.

Your privacy is very important to us.  We need to be able to record classes, so that students who experience technical problems can still keep up with class material. Zoom allows us to be the only ones who can record the meeting, keep it encrypted and share it with individual students who need it.  Of course, just like regular class, we encourage you to record the audio on your own for additional practice!

Is Zoom secure? 

Your concerns were our concerns as well!  Early in 2020, many real and important concerns over Zoom emerged.  However, as we researched Zoom, we found that all of those had been fixed by Zoom. We feel like the MOE made a good decision, AT THAT TIME (April 2020), BUT all of those concerns have since been fixed.  Possible concerns:

• Data Centers in China.  Previously, Zoom meetings were not encrypted, and data was processed in data centers globally (including China).  In June 2020, Zoom switched to end-to-end encryption for all data.  This means only ACES and the students invited can see the video.  Even Zoom itself cannot unlock the encryption to view our classes. This includes recordings of our classes. See more at: https://Zoom.us/en-us/trust/security.html
• “Zoom bombs” and un-invited participants. Zoom meetings are all password protected, so nobody except students in your class can join unless they are given a link by someone who was invited.  Also, as the meeting host, we require that all students have their video on to make sure they are paying attention in class. Any non-participating guests will be removed to maintain security.

https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/business/blog/3003757

We ask that parents give this a chance.  The first class will certainly not be totally smooth, but experience has shown that students adjust well after 3 days of using Online Learning. ACES will re-evaluate after May 28. Thank you for your kind cooperation.

Dear ACES Parents,

We thank you all for your patience and effort since mid-May when we had to take our classes online due to Covid-19 Level 3 restrictions. It has taken a big adjustment for our teachers, staff, parents and students alike. It hasn’t been easy, but I must say we have all responded with resiliency and adaptability. It is important for us to find ways to maintain our learning paths during these times of difficulty.
親愛的ACES家長們您好：
由於疫情三級警戒，ACES不得不由實體轉為線上課程，我們很感謝大家自五月中旬以來的耐心及努力。對於所有的老師及櫃檯老師、家長和學生而言，都是一個非常大的調整。這非常不容易，我們都是以彈性和適應的態度來應對。在這非常時期，找到方法去維持學習的途徑對我們來說是非常重要的。

Since the lowering to Level 2, some classes have been allowed to return to the classroom providing that we can space student 1.5 meters apart, in accordance with government regulations for after-school learning centers. Each ACES branch has had to adapt to its unique conditions due to these spacing requirements in the classroom. While at some branches, we have larger classroom spaces and have been able to return all of our students
to in-person, in-classroom learning, some branches are more restricted by the Ministry of Education’s spacing guidelines and have had to remain online or a combination of in-class and online learning. As time goes on and it becomes clearer that these guidelines are not likely to change soon, we will do our best to ensure your children can come into ACES and have class in-person at least part of the time, as we all know that in-person learning is more effective for most students. For classes that can meet the spacing guidelines, we will return all students to in-person learning. For classes that cannot fully meet the spacing guidelines, we will use a rotation schedule, with some students in person and others watching at home online. While not ideal, this is the best we can do while still abiding by the guidelines. We, again, ask for your cooperation and understanding.
疫情降為二級後，政府對補習班和課後班有規定；教室內學生彼此須間隔1.5米的距離。在符合政府空間限制原則下，有些班級學生可回到教室內上課。在這個要求之下，每間分校都必須針對個別教室的實際狀況來做調整及適應。然而有的分校有較大空間的教室，可讓班上全部學生回到教室上課，有些則受限於教育局對空間的管制，仍需繼續維持線上課程，或是綜合實體和線上方式學習。在這段時間過程逐漸顯示出，這些政策並非短時間內就會改變，我們都知道實體的學習對大多數學生來說更有效的，我們將盡最大的努力，讓您的孩子能夠回到教室上課 (或至少部分時間可以回到教室)。對符合空間限制原則的班級，我們將會讓全部的學生回復到現場當面學習，對於無法完全符合空間限制原則的班級，我們將會採用「分流到班表」用輪換方式上課，也就是說一部分學生到現場當面學習時，另一部分就在家線上學習，然後依「分流到班表」替換。雖然這並不理想，但這是在政府指導原則的限制下，我們所能做到最好的方式。我們再次請求各位家長們的配合與諒解。

A few notes about our classes at this time. For safety reasons, parents will not be allowed into the classrooms nor to linger in the lobby area of the school. Rest assured that we thoroughly sanitize and disinfect every surface in the school at least twice a day. Also, we strictly enforce the recording of temperatures upon entering the facility each day. Masks must be worn at all times by everybody in the school. For this reason, no eating will be
permitted in the school.
關於我們的課程有幾個注意事項；基於安全性原因，家長不可進入教室，或是在學校的大廳或進入區域內逗留。請安心在校內我們會每天至少兩次全面消毒和殺菌各種接觸面。另外，我們每天嚴格執行進入校內時的體溫紀錄登記，校內的每個人都被要求無論何時都要戴口罩。因為這些緣故，校內也禁止吃東西。

Safety will always be our number one concern for our children. Their education remains a very high priority, and at ACES we will continue to strive to fulfill both safety requirements and educational needs to the highest of all standards.
安全永遠是我們對我們的孩子們的第一考量，他們的教育也要維持高度優先，在ACES我們將繼續努力滿足安全要求和教育需求兩方面的最高標準。

Rick France,
President 總執行長 , ACES English