The world of graduate assistantships and adjunct teaching can be difficult. Moving to new campuses, or back and forth between them, can mean more than empty gas tanks and shared office space. One’s digital class management systems are on different servers and, many times, they are different systems. The learning curve for learning a new CMS is not so bad, especially with Web CT, Blackboard, and Moodle. The real problem is that classwork, documents, links, gradebooks, and other important aspects of a course must be recreated, posted, and linked from system to system. What a pain.
This issue led me to seek out an independent CMS that would allow me to easily transfer and share items from any class, at any school, and during any semester. I found this freedom at www.rcampus.com. Here I can move and share documents and assignments from class to class, regardless of the campus, using convenient drop-down menus. That’s fresh! The free version is slightly limited in features, but for a relatively small investment one can create a powerful and dynamic class management system. I choose the free option because it was, well, free. The lack of RS feed blogs, wikis, and massive memory was not a problem because I wanted to use more powerful public tools like Blogger, Wikispaces, and Voicethread (note: the discussion board feature can function as a blog or a forum). Links to these sites are easily posted to the tiles on my Rcampus class homepages. Since so much of my students’ work is publicly posted on the servers for these sites, I do not have to worry about overloaded download queues in the CMS or storing documents on my personal computer. That means the CMS classrooms are clean portals from which students can access assignments, grades, and links to the course extensions.
The Rcampus messaging is convenient and I use it to create impromptu discussion threads concerning issues that come up in class. There is even an IM-style message board on each class homepage. A student can ask a question and a peer may answer it before I do. Talk about creating a dialogue and a community.
The Rcampus messaging is convenient and I use it to create impromptu discussion threads concerning issues that come up in class. There is even an IM-style message board on each class homepage. A student can ask a question and a peer may answer it before I do. Talk about creating a dialogue and a community.
One of the best features is Rcampus’ hosting of ePortfolios that work as actual websites. Each site is hosted by the personal student accounts which they can share or open to public viewing. These sites use convenient templates, and are easy to use and personalize (as is the actual classroom site). Since the ePortolios are essentially websites, they can be linked to any place on the web where the student has created work. This means the multimodal possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to see what my students create during the semester.
Wherever I find myself next semester, I can easily recycle the pedagogical tools that I want to continue to use. That is, if I don’t want to create newer, more innovative ones. Either way, it will be easy to do and, best of all, the artifacts will remain with me through my journey.
I agree about the unfortunate hassles of moving to new platforms (I recently switched from a campus that uses Blackboard to one that uses Moodle) and transferring assignments, readings, syllabi, and the like. However, I would note that some instructors who adopt an "independent" stance toward technology sometimes do so to their detriment and the detriment of their students.
ReplyDeleteFirst, instructors who go it alone may miss out (purposefully or not) on some quality programs and assistance that their institutions could provide to them, and they may make it more difficult to be helped when they do seek help. It's harder for support staff like librarians and curriculum developers to do much for you if you're the only instructor using a particular website or software.
The same sort of concern applies to students being asked to navigate and use all these different programs and technologies. Most web-based technologies require log-ins and passwords (which the students promptly forget). Undergrads aren't always as tech-savvy as we might think they are, and they usually aren't as committed to mastering "school work" programs as we are.
Obviously, these kinds of issues can be avoided by being as familiar, prepared, and consistent as possible with technology as you can be. It's when things feel "tacked on" that they seem more of a hindrance to learning than a help.
Dave, thanks for the input. You provide an important reminder to the importance of integrating the technology into the cirriculum and class culture. One way I try to foster student competence with the technologies is to use the systems in-class. Sign-ups, tutorial, workshops, and collaborations can all be done during class times, often leading to unexpected discoveries and learning.
ReplyDeleteWhat is important to me, and you appear to believe the same, is that the technology works as a heuristic rather than a hinderance. That means the text, inquiry, or learning problem must be the main objective while the technology serves as a way to generate new and different thinking about the course material.
You also voice an important shout out to the invaluable educational assistance programs that can truly improve out teaching. In fact, I am planning to attend a university workshop about ways to improve the use of the smart classroom interfaces, including screen annotations. Exciting.