Are your students often confused about just what needs to be done each week? Here’s a fabulous solution by Linda Foss from the English Department here at Centralia College.
Linda uses Angel and has her courses organized by week. When a student opens a folder for a week, this is what they see (from week #3 of an ENGL 101 course):
Do you see the calendar-of-the-week across the top of the screen! This is so terrific. Important things are highlighted – there are even pictures!
And yes, I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a pain to create this each week, but I’m sure all the teachers out there will recognize how many student questions this will elliminate. I think if you do a time-benefits analysis, this “bit of pain” will really pay off.
How does Linda do this? I’ll assume it’s like this. First, she figures out what *is* going on each week. Then, in Word, she creates a table that has 1 row and 7 columns. Still in Word, she fills in each cell with text, images, and a fill color, as needed. Once the table is set, it’s a simple screenshot and she’s got the image saved. [ I might recommend using Windows Vista/7 Snipping Tool! –KB ]. With the image saved, create a folder within Angel, click on the Settings link for that one folder. Within the Settings, you can add words or IMAGES that will show when the folder is opened.
Need help figuring this out, give Kathy Brooks a call at ext. 673, main campus.