Although I've blogged about the switch to New Schoolwork several times in the past few months, I noticed that there are a few teachers still assigning schoolwork in the old interface.
As we prepare for the upgrade to My Big Campus, we need to remind all teachers that the launch of the redesigned My Big Campus website on June 1 also means the end of Old Schoolwork.
That's only a few days away, and we don't want you or your students to lose work in progress.
First of all, effective May 27, you will no longer be able to create quizzes or assignments in Old Schoolwork. All new items must be created in the New Schoolwork interface.
If you are still using Old Schoolwork, here are the steps you must take to avoid losing access to grades, templates, and student submissions:
- Export your grades before June 1. After that date, grades for schoolwork assigned and submitted in the old interface will be gone permanently.
- Migrate any quizzes and assignments you want to reuse in the future.
- Retain copies of submitted assignments (student-created videos, documents, presentations, etc.). Download and save submissions before the end of May.
Have questions? Send them to support@mybigcampus.com.
I have a couple of new features to tell you about today, one in Groups, and the other in Bundles. I also have news about another update we'll be rolling out shortly, and some information on some ongoing maintenance tasks as we ramp up the performance and security on the My Big Campus website.
Upcoming maintenance this Thursday evening
Earlier this year, we added our millionth user to My Big Campus, and we expect to grow even more quickly in the coming months. To accommodate our growing population, we are working behind the scenes to upgrade servers, data centers, and bandwidth to handle the increased demand for My Big Campus. We're doing this while most schools are on summer break, to minimize the impact on teachers and students.
Like any major construction project, there may be some temporary slowdowns while we reroute traffic. Our next planned maintenance will take place Thursday evening, so we can relocate some servers. I thank you for your patience while we get My Big Campus ready for the next million users and beyond.
Add Group Resources to your Bundles
Now, let's talk about Bundles. Along with Library content, personal files, schoolwork, and other types of content, you'll see a new option on the Content page when you're editing a Bundle. If you're importing courses from Moodle or Angel, this will make it easier to convert those courses into Bundles.
You'll find the option in the Select type of content dropdown list. Select Your Group's Resources, then type a few letters in the search box to find matching items.
Note that you can only add resources from groups where you are the Group Owner.
Auto-approve Group Membership requests
The next new feature was requested by MBC Coaches and other trainers, who needed a way to add group members from outside their district, without having to approve each new member manually. This is especially useful for conferences and professional development sessions.
Group owners can now create an Auto-Approve Code that they can send to trainees, inviting them to join the group. Create a shortened URL for the group at http://www.mbcurl.me, then add the URL and the access code to the group home page. Project or print the page showing the group information so attendees can view it easily:
Users who visit the group page will see an option to Join with Code. When they click that link, they can copy and paste the code from the message into a form. As soon as they click Join, they'll be added to the group.
Both these updates are live now.
Coming soon: Technology standards for Bundles
The other exciting announcement is that in response to requests, you'll soon be able to link Common Core and State Technology standards to your Bundles. My developers are finalizing and testing the code now to make this happen. When this goes live, you'll see an announcement in the MBC Release Notes topic.
What's next for My Big Campus?
We've got a busy summer ahead, and I'll do my best to keep you updated on new features as they move from development into testing. If you've got requests for new features, this is a great time to share those with us. Feel free to post a comment with your ideas and wish lists, and keep watching my Blog for news and updates.