WEEK 18 – POTCERT – CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND FACILITATION

I use Blackboard as my LMS at MiraCosta and Palomar College.  At El Camino I use Etudes as the LMS.  I really like the options available with Blackboard and really like the mashup option for quick instruction videos.  I am still learning all the options in Blackboard and continue to update my knowledge.  I also teach a community education class that has no LMS options.  Therefore, I have been looking for a way to engage this class online.  So I have implemented the use of blogging with an eportfolio.  I have just started this and am learning along with my students.  I have had my students use Weebly, as it is completely free.  Here is a Weebly guide for students to get started:  http://help.weebly.com/beginners-guide.html

I teach medical billing and coding and the medical education field has started to utilize eportfolios so students have a professional post for employment that can include resumes, certificate posting, achievements, and learning over a time period.  Students can also link their eportfolio with social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or more importantly Linkedin.

The blog site is also a way we can have open dialogue, collaboration and reflection.  This site allows students to be in charge of their “own” learning with more creativity.  We can use the blogs for weekly reflections, group projects, interactive discussions and building a learning community.

I also explored some LMS sites and found this site to be full of great information and they also offered MOOCS.  https://www.canvas.net/

To have a place for my students to build their own eportfolio helps them advance in their careers and allows the class to communicate and grow together.  I find this option for open LMS to be really exciting and full of possibilities.