International Reading Association Newsletter Weekly Project: Effective Literacy Website #4

RCampus (https://www.rcampus.com) is fully web-based and only requires that you have an internet browser. It is easy to navigate and offers tutorials for the many features. In addition, it offers three editions, Enterprise, Small School for institutional use and Personal for individual use. I’ve explored the use of what they termed the ideal edition for school use, the “Small School “ feature.

Although the basic use is free, as you expand the usage of the website, you would have to pay for further services. To make it easier for the user, RCampus has taken care of all the IT work so educators can focus on providing quality educational experiences.

One of what I think is a really valuable tool, is the availability of iRubric, RCampus’ flagship assessment system. The website boasts of having the largest gallery of user-generated Rubrics in the world. Access to any rubric allows the user to preview, edit, copy, print, categorize, and bookmark. With the implementation of iRubric and the iRubric gradebook, students will have the ability, at their fingertips, to understand their grades in a meaningful way. Educators can edit the available rubrics to fit the needs of their students.

The ePortfolio system is available for students to create and organize their digital portfolio to share their work. This is great for both the teacher and student. The student can submit their work digitally and the teacher can provide immediate feedback. The student can then edit their work and resubmit their assignments.

The site allows for another venue to introduce students to projects or reading assignments. As one teacher said in a testimonial, “changing the method not the material.” The change that you make in the class is the method of presentation and not the material. Teachers can create their lessons and students can read and answer comprehension questions without having to print paper. You can save lessons for future use which is convenient for teachers. You no longer have to carry paperwork home, it can all be stored digitally.