My non-LMS toolkit repertoire would consist of the following tools:
Edmodo (www.edmodo.com)
My main non-LMS tool would have to be Edmodo. Edmodo brings together many of the elements of a classroom in the real world to the virtual world. Students can modify their profile, make posts on the class wall, interact together in small groups, and much more. I can connect to other educators online and collaborate with classrooms from across the globe. I can attach, link, and share just about anything through Edmodo. Assigning homework and deadlines is really simple and notifications pop-up warning students of impending assignments coming due. Edmodo’s gradebook is functional and is very flexible. Edmodo’s limitation is that users can’t interact via video conferencing but otherwise is a great V-classroom.
Weebly (www.weebly.com)
Another option as well as a great tool to use for resource collection/course file hub is Weebly. Through Weebly, I can create the course resource site and have links that will disperse to all the course related content my courses require. This can address Edmodo’s other fault in that one can’t create a page other than Facebook-like walls. Depending on whether one pays for the Pro version of Weebly, one could store videos on the site as well. Weebly can also make for a decent course delivery system as well. One can also use Weebly to create ePortfolios with their students.
Screencast-o-matic (www.screencast-o-matic.com)
This tool will help to make presentation/instruction videos and bring the teacher back into the “room” so to speak. Students can also use this tool to submit a powerpoint presentation online by presenting their powerpoint as they record and submit the recording. The possibilities to what can be done with this tool other than a simple instructional video is something, one should look into. The downside is the free version doesn’t allow for editing and recording time of 15 minutes so either pay for full version or work with the constraints.
Kahoot! (https://kahoot.it)
Kahoot! Is a great tool for participation and a good way to do some informal assessment of classroom learning about topics or just to build in some class group activities. Being able to quiz students in a relatively safe (no pressure) situation and gathering relevant data that can guide where one needs to revisit content is a very fun and useful tool.
Conclusion
One could create an interactive non-LMS course using a combination of the above tools with occasional uses of other tools depending on the course being delivered. This toolkit is a great starting point to achieve many of the requirements for assessment, course delivery, and community.
Edmodo (www.edmodo.com)
My main non-LMS tool would have to be Edmodo. Edmodo brings together many of the elements of a classroom in the real world to the virtual world. Students can modify their profile, make posts on the class wall, interact together in small groups, and much more. I can connect to other educators online and collaborate with classrooms from across the globe. I can attach, link, and share just about anything through Edmodo. Assigning homework and deadlines is really simple and notifications pop-up warning students of impending assignments coming due. Edmodo’s gradebook is functional and is very flexible. Edmodo’s limitation is that users can’t interact via video conferencing but otherwise is a great V-classroom.
Weebly (www.weebly.com)
Another option as well as a great tool to use for resource collection/course file hub is Weebly. Through Weebly, I can create the course resource site and have links that will disperse to all the course related content my courses require. This can address Edmodo’s other fault in that one can’t create a page other than Facebook-like walls. Depending on whether one pays for the Pro version of Weebly, one could store videos on the site as well. Weebly can also make for a decent course delivery system as well. One can also use Weebly to create ePortfolios with their students.
Screencast-o-matic (www.screencast-o-matic.com)
This tool will help to make presentation/instruction videos and bring the teacher back into the “room” so to speak. Students can also use this tool to submit a powerpoint presentation online by presenting their powerpoint as they record and submit the recording. The possibilities to what can be done with this tool other than a simple instructional video is something, one should look into. The downside is the free version doesn’t allow for editing and recording time of 15 minutes so either pay for full version or work with the constraints.
Kahoot! (https://kahoot.it)
Kahoot! Is a great tool for participation and a good way to do some informal assessment of classroom learning about topics or just to build in some class group activities. Being able to quiz students in a relatively safe (no pressure) situation and gathering relevant data that can guide where one needs to revisit content is a very fun and useful tool.
Conclusion
One could create an interactive non-LMS course using a combination of the above tools with occasional uses of other tools depending on the course being delivered. This toolkit is a great starting point to achieve many of the requirements for assessment, course delivery, and community.