Essential concepts, tools, and practices  (Page 8/14)

Posting a new topic on webboard

Often, as part of your assignment you'll be asked to "share feedback from your Learning Circle." This means that you will sendyour completed assignment to your Learning Circle posting it as a New Topic and you'll receive feedback from your Learning Circle, so that you candevelop your ideas further.

Other times, you may be thinking about something as it relates to the ideas in the courses and you may wish to "Post" a new topic fordiscussion so that you can get ideas from the people in your Learning Circle.

Here is how you post a new topic on WebBoard:

(To access the instructions document, click on the Word icon below. When it appears, press "Save" to your disk or computer harddrive so that you can keep these instructions for future use.)

Posting a New Topic

• Go to WebBoard by clicking here .
  You can also access the WebBoard from the Certificate of Teaching Mastery page on the TWB website at:teacherswithoutborders.org
• Now, you will be at the WebBoard Login screen.
• Where it says "Name" at the top of the Login screen, type in the Username you use for the Certificate of Teaching Mastery.
• Where it says "Password," type in the Password you use for the Certificate of Teaching Mastery.
• Click the button underneath that says, "Login."
• Take a moment to familiarize yourself with your "homepage" screen. The left side has a yellow background and the right side has a whitebackground. On the left side at the top is the name of your Learning Circle in bold letters, and there are other names listed underneath. Onthe right side of the screen is a welcome note at the top with your name, and underneath, it will tell you that you have new messages.
• Click on the highlighted words underneath the welcome message that say, "You have # message(s)." (Notice that after you click, the leftside of the page turns from a yellow background to a white background.)
• Look at the list of topics (on the left side) and click on the name of your Learning Circle.
• Topics will appear just underneath your Learning Circle's name. Click on the first topic that says, "Meeting Your Learning Circle(Assignment 2a)."
• Now, "scroll down" the right side of the page by clicking on the vertical green bar (located on the far right) and sliding it down.
• Underneath the line, you'll see two options: "Post New Topic," and "Reply to..."
• Click on "Post New Topic."
• You'll see a screen come up that has a thin box on top and a bigger box on the bottom.
• In the thin box, write the title of the topic you wish to discuss. For example you might write the topic "Creating an Inviting Classroom," ifthat's what you wish to discuss OR if you are asked in an assignment to "share feedback from your Learning Circle," then be sure to post a newtopic that says "Course #, Assignment #: Feedback for Gita," as an example. The reason you would write the course number, assignmentnumber and your name as the title of your new topic is so that the other people in your Learning Circle can respond to your work on thatassignment. Each person in your Learning Circle will also post a new topic for that same assignment but with their name in the title so thatthe others will give them feedback.
• Once you have typed the title of the new topic in the thin box at the top, you are ready to continue.
• Underneath that thin box is a bigger box at the bottom. Put your assignment into that box if you are seeking feedback from your LearningCircle OR if it is a topic for discussion (not connected to an assignment) write in that box whatever it is you wish your LearningCircle to read.
• When you're done, click on the word "Post" that is AT THE BOTTOM of the right-hand side of the page.
• An orange box on the right will come up that asks you to read your message and if you need to make changes you are instructed to go "Back"and make changes. If you are happy with your message and you are ready to "Post" your new topic and message so that your Learning Circle can readyour words, click on the button that says, "Post."
• Your message will now appear as it will be seen by your Learning Circle. Take a moment to look at it.
• When you log out and come back on WebBoard on another day, you'll see that people from your Learning Circle will have posted responses toyour topic for discussion or feedback on your assignment.
• To "Logoff" of WebBoard, look at the black bar at the top that runs across the entire length of the screen. Click on the white words that say"Logoff."