Classroom Groups
Dana Wheeles
University of Virginia
1491
The NINES Classroom is available for students and teachers as an online hub for research and conversation online. It is a complement to the NINES Community section, where users may create exhibits, bibliographies and discussions to share among small groups or with the World Wide Web. This guide offers a tutorial for making and managing a Classroom Group, as well as a section on ways to make use of it in class.
How to create and manage a Classroom Group
An example of a Classroom Group page
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When you set up a Classroom Group, you will be able to select whether your content and conversations are private to group members only, or available for others to read. You can upload and share your syllabus, create online assignments for your students, and encourage discussions on various topics, all in one central location.
To create a new classroom group, you will need a (free!) account with NINES. Once you are logged in, you can go to your My9s page and click 'Create A New Group' from the right-hand sidebar. There is also a handy link from the main Classroom tab that allows you to start up the Group Wizard right from that page.
To create a new classroom group, you will need a (free!) account with NINES. Once you are logged in, you can go to your My9s page and click 'Create A New Group' from the right-hand sidebar. There is also a handy link from the main Classroom tab that allows you to start up the Group Wizard right from that page.
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Starting the Exhibit Wizard
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The Wizard will ask you for the title of your class, as well as a description of the course. Just below the description, you are offered the choice of sharing the membership list with all viewers, or restricting it to group members only.
Be sure to consult the Group Type drop-down menu, to make sure you are indeed making a Classroom group. This will be the default option if you are starting from the Classroom page, but those using the My9s prompt will likely see it preset to Community. |
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Sample Group in process
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Once you have filled in some basic information about your group, you are ready to click 'Next'. This will take you to an optional step in your group's creation: inviting new members.
If you already have email addresses for your students on hand, you can plug those addresses into the bottom blank (one per line). If you have already asked your students to create accounts in NINES and you know their usernames, you can also list them in this dialog - but this is rarely the case. If you don't have that information ready just yet, have no fear! This step is purely optional and can be skipped for now. Once your group is set up, you'll be able to go back and invite people whenever you like. |
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