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.There are some really great features about My Big Campus that make it an extremely useful tool.It is very well designed and easy to use. I was able to get up and running in a very short time and there is plenty of support and help available. “Bob Campus” is a help “person” that you can post your questions on his wall and then he will reply with an answer. You can also scan the wall for other people’s questions and the answers. He also has a blog that has some great tips and ideas for using My Big Campus.The Students love using it. It is so much like what they do on the computer for fun, with discussions, links and more. It makes their live easier with the calendar, schedules, assignments, and resources all in one place.Features like blogs, pages, document sharing, wall posts and discussion boards, messaging, online quizzes, and calendar are familiar and powerful. They work similar to other social media and class management systems, are easy to use, and are powerful learning tools.These features make My Big Campus a great way to provide support to students and continue learning outside of the classroom, such as over vacations or on snow days. A class could be held online using these features.It is also a safe, secure system. Only you and your students can see and access your class pages and resources. This helps students feel more comfortable sharing and discussing online and eliminates the worry about outsiders joining in when not wanted.My Big Campus is easy to use, powerful, and full-featured. I am constantly finding new features and ways to use it.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.
