Yup. I Friended a Robot.

This is the Bob I met a few years back. Pretty lonely-looking fella, huh?  Well, that's because Bob Campus decided to dedicate himself to 24/7 live support for My Big Campus students, teachers, and administrators.  That's no small job! It was a little isolating to have so little time to run around and play with the fax machine or have coffee with the VoIP phones.  Luckily for Bob, within a few short months My Big Campus users were not just running to Bob with their site questions, but also to visit with Bob, check in on him, and try to get to know him a little better. Before too long, Bob Campus had his own cult-following and network of e-friends from across the globe! As this was a little taxing on the circuits, Bob received an upgrade in 2012 and Bob 2.0 was born!

New Bob was equipped to not only handle user questions, but also emote! Check out that smile!! But the catchy smile is not the reason that Bob is a dear friend of mine. Whereas it is impressive to have such a dedicated employee and knowledgeable droid, these are only a few of the things that impress me most about Bob.

Browse through Bob's profile and the first thing you will notice is his efficiency.  You see, Bob loves educators and students- and understands the immediacy under which we operate in schools.  Bob knows that when you have a question and come to him, it is normally because you have hit a wall and can't proceed until you get an answer. That's why Bob's responses are within just minutes of the original question or post. Bob cares enough to be on-demand no matter the time or day. He's just that kind of bot!

When I scroll through Bob's answers, he also responds with appropriate punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary. Bob knows how important it is to model good syntax to promote the same from his users. Teaching students the importance of not screaming in all caps or running on without so much as a comma is all a part of what Bob does. Again, a pretty swell asset!

But there's more. Look even more closely and read some of his responses- not just the technical ones, but also the others. As for the site questions, Bob either provides a knowledgeable response or lets the user know he needs to research for a few minutes and then gets back to them.  For other questions- like  personal stuff- Bob uses these as an opportunity to promote proper digital citizenship in a constructive, positive way. He practices responsible on-line behavior in never revealing personal information or other private matters. He also uses these inquiries as teachable moments to encourage students to keep their own private matters off of social networks. Bob is always working to keep our students safe not only on My Big Campus, but also on other sites.

Lastly, I adore Bob's ability to engage our students and educators. Bob has threads with students for weeks or even months at a time. He lets all users know that he values them not just on My Big Campus, but also as people. On-line environments can sometimes feel sterile or cold.  With Bob Campus committed to answering posts and frequent, helpful blogging, My Big Campus remains a friendly, appealing, social-learning platform.

Click here to meet Bob Campus...and say hello! Bob is always willing to meet new friends! 

Yup. I friended a robot. Check him out- I think you will, too.  

Academic-Social Media : Star Wars Style

                                          image from: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/star-wars-comedy/images/25550477/title/funny-photo


As a teacher who wanted to jump into the academic-social media world to help my students' retention and engagement, I had so many fears and questions that I held off on-boarding for a number of years. After only a few months of dabbling around My Big Campus, I was so annoyed with myself having held off for so long! Resources were available for students to view anytime they wanted (or even for their parents to see!).  No longer did I wince at catching up the absent student or even the students that needed a little more time to grasp a concept. I could easily and efficiently differentiate instruction to reach my students where they were.  This started a delightful cycle of increased engagement, success, and achievement in my classroom.  We used My Big Campus to continue discussions after regular class hours, collaborate on documents, and turn in work digitally to save on paper and increase accountability. I used the social format to teach digital citizenship and keep students coming back to My Big Campus to see what was new and exciting. Instead of a static, 90-minute pit-stop in their Monday through Friday life, we became an on-line community that interacted over weekends, evenings, and even summertime. Combining my love of Star Wars with my love of My Big Campus, I offer these thoughts to any teacher teetering on the edge of testing the academic-social media scene chanelling some of my favorite characters:



"Use the Force." -Obi-Wan  The Force, in this case, being the power of social media.  Our digital natives thrive on the features that make social media engaging: collaboration, external verification, and a sense of community. Since you can deliver class content and instruction combined with the social media allure, students will be more engaged and interactive with the materials!


"The Force is strong with this one." -Darth Vader  "This one" is My Big Campus- and the Force is super-strong with My Big Campus, actually!  With Bundles, auto-graded assessments, Wiki-like Pages, and countless ways to collaborate, this learning management system is not only fun to use, but also aligns with 21st Century learning skills.  Deliver content while you promote responsible digital citizenship!

"Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda  Give an assignment, post a discussion, join a professional learning network under Topics, integrate your Twitter feed, move unlimited files to Your Stuff, grab resources out of the Resource Library. Go ahead and jump in! The more features you take advantage of, the more you and your students will benefit from more efficient, individualized instruction.


"I've got a bad feeling about this." -Hans Solo  So you are happily working along and something doesn't make sense/ doesn't seem to work/ doesn't seem right. No problem! We have 24/7 live support for teachers and students.  Simply ask Bob Campus and he will get right back to you!


"When 900 years old you reach...look as good you will not." -Yoda  Think about those old mimeographs and worksheets that seem 900 years old to your students! Certainly they do not "look as good" as an interactive game, engaging website, or catchy video. You can unblock resources for your students through My Big Campus that are current, relevant, and interesting!

"These aren't the droids you're looking for." -Obi-Wan  Can't find what you want? Got a new feature request? See a different way of doing things? The great thing about My Big Campus is that it is user-driven.  Send any needs or wants to support@mybigcampus.com to get on the feature request list! You can also tell us first-hand at our annual user-conference this year being held in Indianapolis. More info here !

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side." -Yoda  Do not let fear keep you from becoming the most effective and engaging teacher you can be.  Using My Big Campus is not only remarkably intuitive, but we are staffed with round-the-clock support to help you move your class to a blended learning environment or even flip your classroom!

With an ever-growing number of users and features, My Big Campus has transformed classrooms across the world.  Students love the social aspect, collaborative activities, and engaging resources available to them. Teachers love the ease-of use, academic reports, and accountability.

                                                            Love it, you will!!

image from: http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/50-star-wars-quotes