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Vol. 9, Issue 3, February 2009
Like many ESL teachers in higher education, I teach under the umbrella of continuing education departments. Because my students are not matriculated, they do not have access to the same technology as registered students. Online course management systems (CMS), such as Blackboard or Moodle, are not always accessible to continuing education students, but are now used by many universities and colleges. A CMS allows teachers to upload materials, have discussions, administer tests, and post links – among other things. Basically, it is an on-line environment designed to supplement traditional face-to-face teaching. But if you do not have permission to use your institution’s CMS and really want to communicate with your entire class, what are you to do? You could just create an e-mail group, but an earnest discussion would clog up everyone’s inbox. I say go “CMS lite.” What is it? Why do I recommend it? How I have used it. I look forward to sharing my technology/Web/Internet discoveries with you. Feel free to contact me with your your discoveries at Webbing In at: dialogue@nystesol.org. Eugenia "Debbie" Coutavas received a B.A. in History of Art with a minor in photography from the University of La Verne in Athens, Greece, and an M.A. in TESOL from Hunter College. In addition to teaching for more than ten years, Debbie was also the Web site coordinator for Hunter College's IELI Web site. |
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