![\"Going](\"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/etec522sept11\/files\/2011\/10\/images.jpeg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nStarting with WebCT, modules are presented for the entire course, along with other course related resources, such as the assignment dropbox. \u00a0The main feature is the discussion thread, which can be expanded to include every response to a topic, or targeted so that a student can quickly look at current replies to one’s own posts. \u00a0individual students stand out. \u00a0However, about a month after the end of the course, all of the information disappears (or goes we know not where) and while it is possible to save an entire thread of discussions, it is usually formatted in in .txt, which may not be able retain rich text, hypertext links or font changes. \u00a0Also, often the My Grade do not get updated, making it an unnecessary feature for WebCT.<\/p>\n
As we have discovered with the ETEC 522 blog, there are several improvements to class discussion: daily updates can be sent to your e-mail, discussion threaded from each post while all of the course material can be reached through hyperlinks. \u00a0One improvement, yet to be used so far are the video comments option in our response boxes. \u00a0All in all, the blog format we use for this course looks snazzier, and as Prof. Vogt points out in his Reverberations in the Blogosphere<\/a> post, what we write here has a chance of being read by people not enrolled in the course, a ripple effect months or even years after the course ends. \u00a0Some disadvantages with this way of blogging are that it is more difficult to keep track of changes or comments on posts, once someone’s post has be bumped down to an Older Posts page, it is less likely to be looked at as e-mail updates do not name who is posting what, only referred to as the collective ETEC 522 instead of individual students.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n