GPC FACULTY DEVELOPMENT DAY Kae P' Gershon Science Department Dunwoody Campus

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GPC FACULTY DEVELOPMENT DAYKae P.
GershonScience Department Dunwoody Campus

• http//www.gpc.edu/webct/ WebCT VISTA Login

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Augmenting Your Face-to-Face (f-t-f) Class with
VISTA,

• Hints,
• Dos, and
• Don'ts.

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Augmenting Your Face-to-Face (f-t-f) Class with
VISTA,

• You may find this entire presentation is on my
  web site at
• http//www.gpc.edu/kgershon

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VISTA AUGMENTATION

• Some classes would not be well served by a
  on-line or hybrid format,
• especially the more-difficult classes
• (Phys 2212), or the more-fun classes
• (Astr 1010).
• This doesn't mean YOU can't use the resources of
  WebCT VISTA for your class.

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VISTA AUGMENTATION

• Adding this component to a face-to-face
• (f-t-f) class can add a new dimension to your
  class.
• It can also help YOU to organize (and not lose)
  your material.
• It can help YOU to keep current with your grades
  and student projects.

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INTRODUCTION

• WHY USE WebCT-VISTA RATHER THAN JUST A GPC
  WEBSITE?
• Only your students can access it.
• Your proprietary media and writings remain
  (relatively) private.
• YOU can put on the site those things that are
  relevant to ONLY that class.

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INTRODUCTION

• WHY WebCT-VISTA RATHER THAN WEBSITE?
• You have interactive parts in VISTA such as
  whiteboard and grade book.
• YOU can roll over the class to the next semester.
• YOU can download files (theoretically) much more
  easily to VISTA.

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INTRODUCTION

• DO YOU NEED TO TAKE CLASSES?
• YES!!
• Dive into VISTA I will cover most of your
  questions, though.
• Even First Look can get YOU going.
• Your campus Tech Director can help.
• Ask me I will be glad to help.

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INTRODUCTION

• WEBCT-VISTA BASIC STRUCTURE AND OVERVIEW.
• http//www.gpc.edu/webct/ Physics
• HOME PAGE
• TOOL BAR
• BUILD, TEACH, AND STUDENT VIEWS
• HOW TO LOAD A FILE

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DOs

• Things to do in VISTA to augment a f-t-f class

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DOs - START SMALL!

• Put your notes and syllabus on the home page and
  add the grade book.
• You can enter notes in Word, html, scanned pages,
  or pictures to the site.
• Add in any announcements YOU think relevant to
  the top or bottom of the page.

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DOs - START SMALL!

• Do the rest at your own pace.
• Some professors never do anything thing else
• THEIR STUDENTS ARE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THIS MUCH!

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Dos

• WHEN YOU PUT YOUR SYLLABUS ON VISTA
• your students can print out their own syllabus
  after they have lost the one YOU gave them.
• WHEN YOU PUT YOUR NOTES ON VISTA
• the syllabi and notes alone will cut down on
  copying costs, which will make YOUR boss happier.
• Students can print out your notes before class
  (paying for the copies themselves) and actually
  listen when YOU lecture, rather than writing
  furiously and missing the best parts.

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Dos

• GRADE BOOK!
• The VISTA grade book is mathematically KLUTZY!
• Its calculations are poor use Excel.
• YOU can easily download grades from the grade
  book (directions in next slide).
• YOU can use the grade book on-line away from home
  or office when your own grade book is
  unavailable.

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DOs - GRADE BOOK

• To download to Excel use the export button and
  select tab delineated file.
• Save the file by a recognizable name
  (exportPhys2212 for example).
• Then copy and paste the columns into your REAL
  Excel grade book.

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DOs - GRADE BOOK

• Columns that you add for each grade should be
  added using alpha-numeric designation not
  numeric, since you wont be using them for
  calculation. http//www.gpc.edu/webct
• You can write notes or letter grades in
  alpha-numeric columns as well as numeric grades.

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DOs - GRADE BOOK

• Students REALLY appreciate the feedback they get
  in a grade book.
• I appreciate the grade book, because
• the students will catch my errors early,
• I can enter grades when away,
• I always have a backup for the grades,
• I cant lose it.

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DOs ANNOUNCEMENTS

• General place upon home page (use the edit
  button)
• EXAMPLES
• IMPORTANT! You must check-in within the first 2
  weeks for ALL your classes!  http//www.gpc.edu/we
  bct/
• Dont use the back button!
• Specific Pop-up Announcement harder.
• I have the flu and wont be in today.

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Dos

• There are many other things YOU can do with Vista
  after the notes, syllabi, grade book but
  first
• MAKE IT INTERESTING!
• Students will come back to the site if it is more
  captivating.

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Dos to add after awhile

• CALENDAR
• YOU can have 2 types of entries
• Public (the students see these entries)
• Private (your notes and TO DOs will be unseen by
  the students)
• You should be sure that student entries are kept
  private for the student.
• You need to select this option for your students
  from the calendar options.

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Dos to add after awhile

• MAIL WHITEBOARD
• THESE ARE DEDICATED TO ONLY THAT VISTA CLASS.
• THERES NO JUNK MAIL (even GPC mail)!
• Students will have quick and easy communications
  with you and each other outside of class.

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Dos to add after awhile

• DISCUSSIONS AND CHAT ROOMS
• Students can form groups to study together
  on-line.
• These are great for lab groups to prepare for a
  lab.
• YOU can assign students to groups for outside
  work.

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Dos to add after awhile

• PUT PRACTICE OR OLD EXAMS ON VISTA
• For multiple choice exams YOU can use the quiz
  tool and VISTA will grade them for the students
  or for YOU, if you wish.
• For problem exams, as in physics or math, an old
  exam can just be loaded as a file onto your site
  for the students to print out.

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Dos to add after awhile

• REFERENCE LINKS
• EXAMPLES OF NEAT SITES
• http//nightskylive.net/ Night Sky Live
• http//www.gpc.edu/webct/ VISTA log-in
• http//www.gpc.edu/gpcdun/ Dunwoody
• Galileo
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/ OWL Writing Lab

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Dos to add after awhile

• POWER POINT LECTURES
• These load as easily as notes but take a lot
  longer to do so.
• Only add .ppt files if you capture the slides
  into WORD and load as notes.
• Students cannot follow lecture as well with the
  printouts of slides as with the notes.

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Dos to add after awhile

• POWER POINT LECTURES

• Even if you use light backgrounds for .ppt
  in-class lecture, change to a dark background
  before you load in VISTA
• It shows up better on the computer,
• Dark slides dont print-out as well as notes, and
• Students are more likely to printout and use the
  notes rather than the slides.

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DONTs

• Things NOT to do in VISTA to augment a f-t-f class

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DONTs

• DONT TRY TO DO A WHOLE SITE AT ONCE START
  SMALL!
• Dont begin just before the start of the next
  semester.
• Start NOW for your next semester.
• Ask for one of your classes to be given a
  template so as to be available for your use.
• You dont have to allow students access until YOU
  want them to see the site. You need to ask for a
  section first, anyway.

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DONTs

• Dont put too much on the home page.
• If you have a lot of files pertaining to the same
  thing, (research papers for example) put them in
  an organizer or a learning module.
• Dont depend on VISTA being up at a specific
  time. That will be the time it crashes. Allow a
  range of dates for access.

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DONTs

• Dont use the back button! It can cause the
  computer to freeze or worse.
• Use the breadcrumbs at the top of the page.
  http//www.gpc.edu/webct/
• Write and load your material by topics, not
  chapters! Texts change.
• Dont depend on the grade book to work properly.
  Just use it to store data. It is fine for
  storage and notes.

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DONTs

• Dont put real, graded tests on VISTA these
  are not easy to handle without experience.
• The assignment lock-box may work for you, but
  it doesnt work well for me. I have students
  email me assignments as email attachments in
  VISTA, if necessary.

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DONTs

• DONT continue if you are NOT having fun, or even
  if you are not feeling challenged, at the very
  least.
• WHY BOTHER?
• We all get paid the same either way.

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PROBLEMS

• VISTA Down-times and Slow-times.
• Slow file loading.
• Slow file downloads for large files.
• ALL classes remain on your list from ALL
  semesters! - http//www.gpc.edu/webct/
• YOU have to put semester updates in each separate
  class every semester. (No class crossover in the
  class sections)

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GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR FIRST CLASS IN VISTA
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HOW TO GET STARTED

• 1. check with Technology Training
• http//www.gpc.edu/training/ to find classes on
  your campus
• 2. Ask your on-campus Technology Director (Mr.
  Young on Dunwoody) for help.

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HOW TO GET STARTED

• 3. Ask if there is a WebCT VISTA template from
  the publisher for your textbook.
• VISTA ONLY! Just WebCT doesnt work!
• You can use this for the bones for your class.
• You can then add your own notes, etc.
• A publishers template is NOT very useful if you
  already have your class built.

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HOW TO GET STARTED

• 4. Check to see if your department has developed
  a template for your class. This will work even
  better than a publishers template.
• 5. If there is no publishers template, ask for
  a Vista template for a class you teach a lot and
  start playing around with it.

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HOW TO GET STARTED

• 6. Ask people who do VISTA to help and make
  suggestions. Often they will be happy to let you
  use their templates.
• 7. Enjoy playing with VISTA and QUIT working
  when it gets to be work.
• VISTA can be as much fun as most computer games!

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THE LAST THING TO DO

• Working on VISTA can be very hazardous to your
  health.
• YOU will spend so much time sitting at the
  computer that YOU will gain lots of weight and
  lose lots muscle tone.
• I HAVE PROVEN THIS THE HARD WAY!
• GET OUT AND EXERCISE!

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THANK YOU!ANY QUESTIONS?