4.1. Setting Up Your Interactive Schedule

Now we come to one of AUC's most unique features, and (incidentally) the one that gears the system up for use in education: the Interactive Classrooms (or iClassrooms, as they will sometimes be called). Before exploring the iClassrooms on your system, you should first customize your schedule of classes. To do this, click on the "Customize Schedule" link in the bottom left corner of the "Interactive Schedule" panel on your Start Page. This will open the scheduling dialogue.

To fill out your schedule, simply type the unique 8-digit codes (which will be provided for each of your courses) into the appropriate fields. If you do not have a class during a certain period, leave that field blank. (Please note that AUC is currently constructed to accomodate an 8-period block-scheduling school day. Other school schedule structures will be implemented in future releases of AUC.) Indicate whether or not you wish to make your schedule viewable by other students and teachers, then click "Save Schedule" -- you will be returned to your Start Page, and your Interactive Schedule will provide links to your appropriate iClassrooms.

4.2. The Interactive Classroom Main Screen

When you first enter an iClassroom, you will see a wealth of information.

Administrative information about the class itself is listed in the grey bar at the top of the room. Here you will find the name of the teacher, the room number for the class, the period(s) that the class is taught, and the names of any online aides who have been chosen for this iClass. Beneath this, you will see the four components of the iClassroom:

• ANNOUNCEMENTS: Your teacher or professor will post any important and timely announcements here, so you should always look to see. (The top line will tell you when the announcements were last updated.)

• CALENDAR/LOG: This section will list any schedule items posted for the next five days of class, notify you of any upcoming tests and quizzes that have been announced, and remind you of long-term projects which have been assigned. Once events in class have passed, they will appear in the Class Logbook, enabling you to find out what assignments and lessons you need to make up if you have missed class. To view the entire calendar, along with any event descriptions, click on "View Full Calendar."

• DISCUSSION FORUMS: This is where iClassrooms can truly become interesting. In most iClasses, your teacher will provide one or more discussion topics, which can be debated and discussed with your peers. (More information on entering discussions in Section 4.3.)

• HANDOUTS AND DOCUMENTS: Here your teacher can make available a variety of resources -- anything from online readings to multimedia files to internet resource links. If there is a lesson plan to follow, or an assignment to be completed, your teacher will inform you. (More information on using this area in Section 4.4.)

4.3. Participating in Classroom Discussions

When you enter an online discussion in your iClassroom, you will see a discussion prompt offered by your teacher. You should read that prompt for insight on the topic of discussion. To see what other students have said, scroll down and read their comments (this will also give you specific ideas to discuss and respond to). When you have done this, you can enter the debate by typing your comments into the text field provided and clicking on "Post Comment." Your input will be placed at the top of the discussion, along with your name, the date, and time.

To return to the main classroom screen, click the link in the top right which says "Back to" and the name of the iClassroom.

4.4. Viewing Online Assignments

Viewing and working with assignments and handouts in an iClassroom is very similar to working in your own file manager (Sections 3.1-3.5), but without the ability to modify and add files (unless your teacher has given you special permissions). You should note that some handouts and assignments provided by your teacher will require special web-browser plug-ins such as QuickTime and RealPlayer. Your teacher, of course, will tell you where to find any plug-ins that you need.

4.5. Getting the Most Out of an iClassroom

Having covered all of the features in the iClassroom, the most important thing we can tell you is this: your iClassroom is only as good as you, and your teacher, make it. If your teacher provides you with good content and resources, and you take part in the debates actively, using the iClassroom system can be fun and rewarding. If, on the other hand, no one enters into the online discussions, and your teacher only updates your iClassroom once a month, there's not going to be much to do.

This being the case, you should try to participate in the iClass discussions as much as possible. If there is content which your teacher could put online that would be useful or interesting to you, let that teacher know! (Teachers are still getting used to web technology, and will appreciate whatever advice and support you can give them.) And, of course, take advantage of the resources in the iClass -- check your assignments in the logbook when you miss a day of school, and you'll be able to catch up much faster. (Do the online assignment from home, and you might not fall behind at all!) And most important, let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions, by sending e-mail to auc@mbhs.edu! With your input, AUC can become your creation as well.