My Big Campus, from Lightspeed Systems, is an online service that allows schools to create an engaging, collaborative online environment.I’ve been using it since September and have been exploring new features and how it works with my students.We just had midterm exams here, and My Big Campus is an excellent resource to use with students for big exams or projects.First, the calendar feature allows you to add events, reminders, due dates and more and your students can subscribe to the class calendar to stay current. Setting study reminders a couple of days before exams, or a due date reminder a few days before a project due date, is a great way to help your students stay on schedule.
The conversations feature is a great place to hold virtual study and help sessions. It can be in real time, or can be done as you and your students have time to connect. Students can post questions as they study and get help from the teacher or classmates. Teachers can hold study groups and review sessions. This is also good for schools when there are snow days and cancellations, as classes could still “meet” and learn.The Schoolwork section is where you can assign work to your students and where they find their assignments. It also keeps track of what is graded and what still needs to be graded. I assigned review work before the midterm exam using this feature.
I also used the files and resources section to post links to review web sites and videos, as well as upload some review materials.
My Big Campus lets educators and students to get organized and keep on schedule, communicate and collaborate with each other, and share resources, all in one place.
My Big Campus is turning out to be a very useful and powerful tool for me and my students.
I’ll be exploring more features each month.
David Andrade is a Physics Teacher and Educational Technology Specialist in Connecticut. He is the author of theEducational Technology Guy blog, where he reviews free educational technology resources for teachers, discusses ways to use technology to improve teaching and learning, and discusses other issues in education.
He is also a professional development trainer and presenter at conferences, helping educators learn new and innovative ways to educate students. He is also a Discovery Education STAR Educator and member of the CT DEN Leadership Council.
Disclaimer: The information shared here is strictly that of the author and does not reflect the opinions or endorsement of his employer.
