PE5_My Big Campus, Part 2

I had a really good time the last two weeks using a couple of google.doc pages to communicate with my students.  If I wanted to give them instructions, all I had to do was have them click the doc that was already on their own google.doc page, and it was accessible any time they wanted.  Well, My Big Campus is already set up to do what I was doing on my google.doc and sooo much more.  And it’s a “secure” online environment, with in-place “appropriateness” monitoring, so I don’t have to worry about things I’d otherwise need to worry about but forget sometimes when I’m all excited about teaching something.

Tutorials

In fact, all that "sooo much more" could be a little intimidating, but MBC has a fund of very clear and easy tutorials.  Everything you could want to do has a step-by step video listed right there on the "help" page.

Let’s start with “Groups,” which seem to be very quick & easy to create if the kids are in the system—but I’m not sure if our kids are already in the system, or how that works yet.  (Can’t wait for that training!)  There’s a group wall, as well as individual walls, and a group 

Group Members Page

message system (basically, a closed email—so, do I have to put all my students in the same course in the same group so they can communicate with kids from a different period?), and the teacher gets all the messages listed on her message board.  There are group discussions and activities, which can, individually, be private to the group or on public view, at the teacher’s discretion.

Grading an Assignment

Assignments look very easy to post, and you can simply upload attachments from your computer, or access items from either the teacher’s personal “Collection” or from the public “Library” (which is where I’m going for my third posting).  Assignments can then be submitted, and graded, online, with a very easy grading form.  I’m thinking I could not only limit time spent commenting as I grade, but continue using the numbered comment system I began using last year—and just have the comment list right there where the kids can access it.

Last night I was thinking about an assignment I wanted to work on, but I couldn’t, because the document I needed was on my computer at school.  Not a problem with MBC; each teacher can keep “Private Files” that can be accessed wherever you’re online!  So if you want to post an assignment with an attachment from your files, but you’re at home, you still have what you need.

Group Home Page

 I have to say, my biggest concern with a system like this has been how much time it costs to keep up.  But I spend a lot of time doing such upkeep without such a system; I think it may even out.  And I know, from my experience with my son, that having assignments posted online is really helpful for parents.  Well, I’m looking forward to trying it.