One of the best things about having an online classroom is that you can link to all sorts of great resources on the web (as long as they are not filtered by your school network). We'll if you're looking for resources on the web here's a great place to start (Google is also a great place to kick off your search...): The GuidetoOnlineSchools.com has a great resource of online classrooms.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Lots of open educational resources
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
5:12 PM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: free content, free resources, ocw, oer
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
3 Ways to Link to Audio in the Classroom
3. "add a resource", and choose "link to a file or website". Give the resource a title, and below the "Location" text box click "choose or upload a file..." Navigate again to site files by clicking browse and choose/upload the mp3 (this will show a mp3 icon on the main course page but will open the player as a new window). Instead of browsing you also can paste any mp3 URL copied from another website or from your course files to create a playable audio file (paste the URL into the "Location" text field). 
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
10:50 AM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: audio, mp3, multimedia filter, tips tricks tutorials and help
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Is the site faster?
We just upgraded our main server setup, so you might noticed some very nice speed improvements on the site. We want to know what you think, let us know in the form below!
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
11:25 AM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: latency, performance, server, sitewide update, upgrades
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Feature: get a course copy as an editing teacher
I wanted to let everyone know about a new feature on GlobalClassroom that does two things:
- Helps you protect your content by sharing content with non-editing teachers
- provides non-editing teachers the complete means to get a copy of your shared course!


Right click on the zip file in order to save it locally to your computer. Once the download is complete you're ready to restore it for your own use!
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
12:04 PM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: backup, editing teachers, free courses, free resources, non-editing teachers, restore, sharing courses, teachers
Monday, October 19, 2009
Strategies for Online Discussions - FacultyFocus
FacultyFocus is a great email newsletter I receive daily. It's got great information about how to make the most out of your online classroom (whether fully online or blended). Today I got a great article about how to best engage your students in discussion forums (one of my favorite Moodle activities).
- Cheer students on and let them know when they are on the right track
- Highlight important points made during discussion
- Question students about their understanding or ask them to clarify remarks they have made or expand on certain ideas
- Correct misconceptions/misunderstandings
- Provide direct instruction if students appear to be struggling to understand material
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
1:03 PM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: discussion forums, faculty focus, forums, tips tricks tutorials and help
Friday, October 16, 2009
What is the GlobalClassroom?
This business and the service we provide to teachers nation wide is near and dear to my heart. I love helping teachers do something novel with Moodle. I get great joy out of answering tech questions, finding and fixing bugs, and even changing a password so that a student can get going on their homework again. Without that interaction on a daily basis would be a lot less enjoyable.
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
11:41 AM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: course exchange, course sales, eschools, marketplace, passwords, security, students, teachers, upgrades
Thursday, October 8, 2009
National Cyber Security Awareness Month (some 'freesources')
Did you know that October was National Cyber Security Awareness Month? It's part of a national campaign, supported by some high profile companies and government agencies and I think we should all take a minute to brush up on our awareness. To contribute we've pulled together a few free resources from around the web and hosted them here, in a Moodle classroom (Note that the resources are pulled from Simplemoodle.com, which is free to download SCORM on various topics, including cyber security and computer usage).
- Incorporate cyber security into your computer curriculum and use the USA Today cyber security lesson plans (click here to access the USA Today resources).
- Engage parents: discuss cyber security during open houses, PTA meetings, and parent teacher conferences.
- Add cyber security tips to the school’s website.
- Advocate for district-wide curriculum on cyber security, cyber safety, and cyber ethics that can be implemented district-wide.
Posted by
Joseph Thibault
at
3:07 PM
0
comments
Links to this post
Labels: free resources, moodle, NCSA Month, scorm, security