Integrating the Internet into the Classroom
Facilitator:
Michael Krauss, AES, Lewis & Clark College


How to Use the Workshop Discussion Page

Please print out these instructions for reference.


To create an account (you only need to do this once):

  1. Login to the Workshop Discussion Page.
  2. Click on "Create Account". You will see "Welcome to WebCT."
  3. Click on "Create myWebCT".
  4. Type the information in the spaces provided. NOTE: When you create your account, in the WebCT ID box, append your teaching area to your last name. Ex.: joneshistory or smithscience or harrisesl. When you post comments, others will be able to see your teaching area. If we have a large group, you may want to prioritize which discussion comments you read. Knowing a person's content area may help you decide which comments to read first. Let's try this and see if it helps make discussions more efficient!

  5. **Right now, write down your WebCT ID and your password**. You will need it for the next step. You will also need it each time you log in to the Discussion Page.

  6. Click "Continue". A dialogue box will come up, asking for your "name" (this is your WebCT ID, for example, joneshistory or harrisesl) and your password. Enter the information and click "OK."

  7. You will see "Course Added." Click on "Go to course." You should arrive at the "Workshop Discussion Page."

    If you forget and don't add your ending, e.g. "esl" "science" etc, when creating your WebCT ID, just begin the process again and create a new account for yourself. It doesn't matter if you have more than one account---just be sure and remember the WebCT ID and password of the account you intend to use.

    WebCT ID and password are "case sensitive". For example, if I log in with "Joneshistory" rather than "joneshistory", it won't work.


To access the Discussion Page after you already have an account:

  1. Go to the Workshop Discussion Page. Click the "Login" button. Enter your <name> (your WebCT ID) and <password>.
  2. Click on the "Bulletin Board" icon.
  3. You will see a list of Topics. Click on the topic you want to see.

To read the instructor's assignment and post an answer:

  1. Click on the Topic you want from the Topic list.
  2. Click on the bold link at the top of the list with "instructor" underneath. This will be the initial question to be answered for that particular Topic.
  3. To write your response, click on "Reply" or "Quote" ("Quote" will include the text to which you are responding; "Reply" will not). You may delete part of the quote. You may also type responses between lines of the quoted message.
  4. Click in the "message" box. Type your response (sorry, there is no spellcheck).
  5. When you have finished, click on "Post". To see your posting, click on "Update the listing" under the "Compose Message" button located in the tan bar. Your response will be marked "New".

To read comments by other participants and to post an answer:

  1. Click on "All Messages" to see both old and new messages. To see just the messages which have been posted since the last time you accessed the Discussion Page, click on "Show Unread".
  2. Choose a Topic from the pull-down menu (or click the "Discussions" link and then choose your Topic). Click on the message link you want to read.
  3. To write your response, click on "Reply" or "Quote".
  4. Click in the "message" box. Type your response (sorry, there is no spellcheck).
  5. When you have finished, click on "Post". To see your posting, click on "Update the listing" under the "Compose Message" button located in the tan bar. Your response will be marked "New".

To start a new subject (thread) within an existing "Topic":

(Note: The terminology used by WebCT can be confusing. "Topic" refers to the broad category, e.g. "How I Use Computers" or "Sites to Share" and corresponds to my assignments. "Subject" refers to something you choose to talk about within a given "Topic". Participants can create new "subjects," but only the instructor has the ability to add a "Topic." Clear as mud?!)

  1. To begin a discussion on a new subject within an existing "Topic" use the "Compose Message" button located in the tan bar. Be *sure* you are in the correct "Topic" (you can change Topics from the pull-down menu at any time before you post).
  2. You *must* enter a subject and message before posting.
  3. Type your comment in the box, click "Post" when done. (You can "Preview" and then click "Edit" to revise your comment before posting.

To move among messages, there are two methods:

  1. To read messages in random order: click on the name of the poster.
  2. To move sequentially through "threads" (a message and all of its responses--these are indented), use the "Previous Thread" "Next Thread" to move between threads and "Previous Message" and "Next Message" (to progress through the messages in a single thread).

NOTE: DON'T type lengthy postings directly into the Discussion Page. If you happen to move off the page or have a computer glitch, your work will be lost. If you are going to invest substantial time in a post, type it in Word and copy/paste to the Discussion Page.

To get help, click on "Help" in blue bar at the top of the page.

If you have problems with the Discussion Page, or if any of these instructions are not clear, please Email me at krauss@lclark.edu so we can resolve the problems and I can edit these instructions. Thanks!


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Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 6/30/02