While most districts are encouraging their instructors to have some sort of web-space for their classes (I hope), I feel like many teachers are reluctant to dive in for fear of the unknown. By unknown, I’m referring to not knowing how to use proper coding (or programs which do it for you), being afraid of the internet, or even exploring possible site which allow an easy space for website creation and utilization. WELL HAVE NO FEAR…CLASSJUMP IS HERE! ClassJump.com is a FREE website, for teachers, which allows the teacher to take advantage of a number of tools which support instruction and communication to students. Once a teacher has registered for a free account they’re practically good to go!
Creating classes is very intuitive and the instructions are clear and concise. Accessing the calendar to post assignments, announcements, and documents (yes documents!) is easy! Here students can view assignments from the day or download a set of instructions for a homework assignment. Given teacher permission, students can also use the message board feature to respond to questions or topics posted by the instructor or a classmate.
Personally, my FAVORITE features are the Subscribe for Updates, Email the Instructor, and Send Documents. These features increase communication as well as efficiency. The Subscribe for Updates feature allows students (and parents) to submit their email to be notified whenever something is updated to their class’s website. It proves very convenient for students who are absent, so they can be kept informed if something new is happening in class. The Email the Instructor feature allows students to send an email to the instructor. In my case, that email goes directly to my SmartPhone so I can provide instant feedback. The Send Documents feature is very similar to a DropBox where students can upload digital assignments and send them to the instructor. For me it resembles a watered down version of WebCourses or Blackboard.
Personally, I have had much success in using ClassJump. Check out my page for my classes: www.classjump.com/Ophaug. Feel free to browse around, check out some of the features and definitely let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
-Mark O.
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