Using classcentral.com was my first experience with online classrooms. It seems to be a rather comprehensive software system for educators and I was able to learn most of the basic features required to implement an online class.
I created three courses: Geometry, Algebra, and Calculus. For each course, I created two sections-- general and honors. I then developed and posted some assignments, projects, and quizzes. Once an assignment is created, a teacher can associate that assignment with a particular section, multiple sections, or an entire course.
There are several features of this course management system that I find particularly impressive. The calendar feature seems to be of great utility. Once an assignment is created and linked to a class, it is automatically posted on the calendar associated with that class. One may then access any assignment by locating its due date on the course calendar and clicking on the assignment of interest. A course calendar can be displayed in summary form or in detailed form and the range of time can be easily manipulated to span from one day to one quarter or more.
Another feature I like is the rubrics feature. Creating rubrics for assessment purposes has been widely used by many educators in recent years. Classcentral has a rubrics development area that will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a rubric for a particular assignment. In creating a rubric, three options are available: creating one from scratch, revising an existing one, or building a new one by using a template from one already in existence. What's more, there is an extensive gallery of rubrics already designed by others which are easily accessible via a search engine. For example, I tried to search for a rubric appropriate for grading math assignments. I typed in the keywords "math homework". Instantly, 394 hits were there for my inspection. Sometimes, it is best not to "reinvent the wheel."
For an educator to really understand the full utility of classcentral, he or she must actually use it on a daily basis. This is true for most expansive software packages. I have only scratched the surface of all that is possible with this program. Browsing through classcentral's directory of tools, I found a several interesting features. Classcentral has a sister website, The Book Exchange Network, that allows students and educators to fine cheaper book deals and sell their used books online. Classcentral also has an area devoted to forming student clubs. The service offers free websites to all student clubs and organizations. What's more, if a student club already has an existing website, classcentral allows its tools and services to be integrated into any existing website. One final service of note is an online tutor search. Students may be able to obtain the service of a qualified tutor by identifying the subject area of interest and their place of residence. Professional tutors can make their services available through classcentral with relative ease by posting a profile that includes their qualifications and hourly rate for tutoring services. For example, I located three people who posted their tutoring services for algebra and live in close proximity to my hometown.
Why is classcentral important for the classroom? The answer to this should be fairly obvious. Classcentral IS a virtual classroom. Instead of being limited to standard books, chalk, and a blackboard, educators can incorporate technology and create an online classroom, making use of the entire worldwide web as their primary source of information. Web quests and web scavenger hunts are becoming increasingly popular. TeacherTube is making unique, informative, and engrossing videos of all sorts available to anyone with access to the web. The digital age is in full force, and educators must make concerted efforts to change their entrenched, "old school" teaching practices and incorporate the latest computer technologies into their repertoire.
How will it impact student learning? Students today to not learn the same way they did a few decades ago. Most do not have the attention span to learn things in a traditional way. The uninterrupted use of cell phones, ipods, music videos, the internet and other technological apparatus and media demands that teachers take steps to keep students interested and engaged. Many of my high school students do not know their times tables and refuse to make flash cards to help memorize them. Perhaps I need to change my standard assignment from using flash cards. Perhaps I should instead incorporate technology, making use of online classrooms and internet offerings. I noticed that TeacherTube has "rap videos" dedicated to learning the times tables. There are also a multitude of computer games available on educational sites devoted to basic arithmetic skill development. Such games incorporate speed and entertaining graphics as they quiz students and help them acquire proficiency in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
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