I find myself relying more and more on the web interface of myBCIT to communicate with my students. It's especially useful for weekend courses as there's a long period between classes. With nearly 100% Internet access in homes and libraries, I can be assured of 'being in the face' of each student during the week. I've gone into a variety of details in this blog over the last few years.
Your Weekends Belong to You (Again)
Sent on August 14, 2005 by Dennis Hurd
This is just a quick note to say that teaching your class seemed very
special. I think generally several students drop out of classes during
a term but not this one! Yours was also the first class in which
there was nearly perfect attendance. (It's okay King ... we're not
angry.) This goes to show that, as a whole, you were a hard-working
group of individuals. Although you come from a variety of backgrounds,
it was a pleasure to see your dedication. There's not a single student
that I'm not proud to have met.
Message boards free us from paper and allow classmates to read each other's responses. A grade book feature allows each student access to their data online whereas that information used to exist only on a worksheet in my briefcase. I can upload files and photos for sharing. The security factor is very important as the information is available to no outsiders.
An announcement feature shows information right on their screens after login. This is a perfect way to add a homework reminder, restate a key point, or just provide a group message without resorting to email. I can't help but take each course very seriously, and luckily, most other BCIT instructors do too. The first words of this entry 'were announced' after arriving home from yesterday's final class.
