I *Heart* My Big Campus

It's no secret around here. I *heart* My Big Campus.  As a Mobile Learning Expert, I get to share the love with teachers, instructional technology personnel, administration, and even students during training sessions and demonstrations. One of the greatest joys of my job is to hear the reaction from the audience, "I LOVE this!" or "This is the BEST!"  Of course, I agree- but recently, My Big Campus starting incorporating the love into its own interface in the form of little red hearts found to the right of Wall Posts, Announcements, Discussions, Blogs, Activity Feeds, and even Standards.

These little hearts hold huge potential for educators at the simple click of a button.  Of course, it is always acceptable to spread the love and click on the heart if you see a post or activity that is particularly appealing to you, but here are a few ways to make the MBC love a part of your lesson plan and pedagogy:

Announcements- Once you make an Announcement in a group, require students to click on the heart when they read and understand it. There is a number to the left of the heart that tells how many people have clicked on it, and by clicking on this number, you can see a list of the students that have seen the Announcement.  

This way, you increase accountability for students to be held responsible for these announcements. It's simple to send a quick message or find the one or two students that don't "heart" the announcement to achieve 100% accountability.

Discussions- Encourage students to "heart" any discussion posts they find worthwhile and stay away from empty posts like "I agree."  The heart implies agreement or even value with a quick click.  The actual posts themselves can be constructed with meaningful dialogue and substantial content. Use them  as a teacher to let students know when they have fulfilled the requirement for the discussion board.

Wall Posts and Activity Feed- Let students know when they have modeled good digital citizenship or written something impressive. The innocuous posts and greetings are part of the fun of a safe, social, learning network, but sometimes students post profound thoughts, helpful resources, and even sound advice for their peers. Don't be afraid to make a great example out of these responsible students- show them some love with a heart or even a repost!

Blogs- Students love to have their Blogs read! Have students "heart" a few other students' blogs, then create reaction groups based on who has hearted each blog. You can also let students know when their blog has hit the mark by hearting them as well!

Standards- You will find hearts in the Standards lists as well. These are not indicating that you are particularly fond of a standard, but rather that you are adding that standard as a "favorite" or "frequently used" standard.

Each unit or marking period, go through and heart the standards you will be using. These will show up on your favorites list and prevent you from having to drill through the standards each time to select those you are currently using. At the end of the unit, unselect them by selecting the red "X" and add in your new favorites for the upcoming unit!

There is just so much to love about My Big Campus! Sometimes it's great to take the time to elaborate an appreciation or an admiration for something we find on MBC, but with so much that is enticing to explore and interact with, it's nice to express the MBC love with a quick click. A simple, but meaningful *heart* can increase not only accountability, but also spread the good MBC vibes! 

Happy hearting everyone!! <3