A Collaborative Learning Community Open Tools for Open Minds Emerging Technology for Instruction Presented by: Khalid H. Moukali 2008 Begin Presentation.

A Collaborative Learning CommunityOpen Tools for Open Minds

Emerging Technology for Instruction

Presented by: Khalid H. Moukali

2008

Begin Presentation

Agenda

RCampus presentation.

Tour in RCampus website.

http://www.rcampus.com/

Examples about the usage of RCampus for teachers and students. ( The Implementation)

Watch RCampus Demo.

What is RCampus?

Have you ever heard about it?

What is RCampus?

RCampus is a collaborative learning community that utilizes an Open Education Management System.

With RCampus Open Tools, faculty and students can perform all their works from building websites and e-Portfolios, to managing courses, to building academic communities, to exchanging books, tutors, and other resources. RCampus is free to individual faculty and students.

Does RCampus can be used as LMS?

LMS: ( Learning Management System). CMS: (Course Management System). Yes or Not ? And Why? The foundation of a collaborative learning

community is collaboration - working together for common goals, partnership, and co-learning. In reality, for most teachers, they do not see each other teach; they do not know each others' disciplines.

Advantages

Course Management System. Website Builder. Building e-Portfolios. Building academic communities. Used for distance learning (DL). Finding books, tutors, and other resources. RCampus is free to individual faculty and

students.

Did you notice?

RCampus is totally FREE

The usage of RCampus for Students

Students can use RCampus to take online classes.

Students can use RCampus to communicate with other learners from different places in the world.

Students can use RCampus to organize their achievements by building their own e-Portfolios.

Students can use RCampus to buy books with good prices.

The usage of RCampus – for Teachers

Teachers can use RCampus to create their own online classes.

Teachers can use RCampus to manage their online classes because of its features.

Teachers can use RCampus to present several classes out of their classes at school.

Teachers can use RCampus to teach students in secure environment.

RCampus provides teachers with Free rubric building and assessment tools.

So, let’s talk about RCampus for Teaching and Learning

Because all of us are teachers or want to be a teacher, we will focus on the usage of RCampus for educational applications.

Considerations

How can we use RCampus effectively? How can we open a new account and create online classes? Does it requires a background knowledge about any specific

software? How can I do to transfer my classes materials to RCampus? How can I do to protect my online classes in RCampus? Do I need to use a separate program to calculate the students’

grades?

How can we use RCampus effectively ?

Students, faculty, faculty groups and departments can build a full website in minutes.

e-Portfolio records the tracks of the student learning process or the teacher teaching process.

Coursework and assignment management; Shared Document; Gradebook; Rubrics; Discussion board; Teams; Calendar; Email notifications.

Using Formative Assessment.

How can I open a new account?

Go to RCampus website http://www.rcampus.com/

Click on sign up.

Continued

Choose the kind of membership and then follow the remaining steps.

Continued Teachers account is different than student

account because teachers need tools to create their classes and teach students.

Students don’t have to have all of these features because they can’t create their own classes with their students’ account.

Also, teachers need special tools to evaluate their students, but students don’t.

See these difference in the next two pages.

Example- For Teachers

Example- For Students

Creating new online classes

Add class information and then press save.

Does it require a background knowledge about any specific software?

To use RCampus for your classes, you don’t have to learn about any software.

RCampus provides users ( teachers and students) with a variety of features which enable them to manage their teaching and learning.

How can I do to transfer my classes materials to RCampus?

RCampus compatible with all kinds of files such as pdf, doc, and ppt.

Therefore, teacher can upload these files into the class webpage because RCampus creates each class separately.

Teachers also can upload video, sound files, and pictures.

On the other hand, teachers can transfer their classes materials from any LMS to RCampus.

How can I do to protect my online classes in RCampus?

Students can’t use class webpage until you will provide them with:

1. Class ID

2. Code #

Also, you can lock at any time you want or you can change the code # for any class.

In addition to that, after the student register for the class by interring class ID and code #, they can’t use class tools until I accept him.

Do I need to use a separate program to calculate the students’ grades?

By using RCampus, teachers don’t have to use any further program whether to calculate the students’ grade or to do some statistical processes which show the students performance.

Also, teacher can download students’ grades as Excel file if he want to post students’ grades to the school system.

Limitations

Technology can not absolutely promise that the teaching and the learning can be improved.

Time element: the faculty have to spend extra off-campus time to set up their e-classes.

If any institute or department want to use RCampus, they have to contact the owner of RCampus because this requires special features. Therefore, this might be difficult in some cases.

Requires more effort especially if the class is new created.

References Crawford, V.M. (2007). Creating a Powerful Learning Environment with

Networked Mobile Learning Devices. Educational Technology, May-June, 47-50.  

Jalongo, M. R. (1994).Creating Learning Communities: The Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service.

Levin, T. & Wadmany, R. (2006). Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in Technology-based Classrooms: A Developmental View. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 39(2), 157–181.

McClintock, R. (1999). The educator’s manifesto: Renewing the progressive bond with posterity through the social construction of digital learning communities. New York:

Institute for Learning Technologies, Teachers College, Columbia University; http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/publications/manifesto/contents.html .

Shepard, L. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational Researcher, 29(7), 4–14.

Vahey, Ph. Roschelle, J. & Tatar, D. (2007) . Using Handhelds to Link Private Cognition and Public Interaction. Educational Technology, May-June, 10-12.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2003). Learning for the 21st Century; Assignment#2 for Emerging technology into education.doc

Thank you for your Time and Consideration

The University of AkronPresented by

Khalid H. Moukali2008

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