Welcome to Educ 5560:

Current Research and Issues in Science Education

Syllabus

Reading Assignments

Final Paper Using WebX Discussions Link to WebX Grades

How To Use Web Crossing (WebX) Discussion Forum

These guidelines provide step-by-step directions for some ofthe common tasks in the Web Crossing discussion forum. You can read through this page in order, following each step of the guidelines,or you can click on a specific task in the list below. (The contents of this page are adapted with permission from Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis' web page http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/webx/index.html. You may also want to access her other technology tips through http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/guides/index.html.)

Registering to use Web Crossing

  1. Go to Web Crossing Login Page at http://www.d.umn.edu/webx
  2. When you first visit WebX - try using your UMD email login name and password. If that does not work - Register as a WebX user. To do this, click on the Register button (no need to fill in your name and password -- you will do this when you get to the next screen).
  3. The "Register" button takes you to a New User Registration screen. Enter your name (use your first initial and full last name with no capital letters, e.g."bmunson"); Choose a password and enter this; then enter your preferred e-mail address.
    CAUTION: You can choose the same password as your UMD e-mail password. However, if you connect to Web Crossing from a non-UMD computer, you are passing this information across the Internet in an unsecure form. Chances of anyone finding this information are slim, but be aware of this. If you choose a password different to your UMD one, PLEASE be sure it is one you will remember!
  4. Click the Register button. Bingo! You are now a registered user. Next time you log in to Web Crossing, you will need to enter your name and password again, but do not need to register again. Instead, after typing in your name (your email name!) and password (please remember it!), click on the Login button and enter your name (first and last) and password.
  5. You will then be taken to a list of Web X folders. Click on my name (Bruce Munson) and then select the folder for our course.

back to the top

Logging in to WebCrossing once you are a registered user

  1. Go to Web Crossing Login Page at http://www.d.umn.edu/webx
  2. Enter in your login name and password.
  3. Click on the Login button
  4. This takes you to a list of UMD faculty folders. Select the one marked Bruce Munson
  5. From there you choose the folder for our class (Educ 5560) and then can add your summaries and comment on others in the sub-folders numbered according to the group you were assigned for that set of readings. As in any discussion, on-line or not, please be respectful of others in your comments. A general rule to follow is only post comments that you would be willing for all current or future employers, family members, and friends to see!

back to the top

Changing your password

You can change your password at any time if you wish. (However,to do so, you need to know what the password is that you want to change!) If you forget your password we will have to wait until the UMD webx expert can help us reset your access to the site. So please remember your password. To change your password:

  1. Go to Web Crossing Login Page at http://www.d.umn.edu/webx and log in.
  2. Click on the preferences button:
  3. This takes you to a screen showing all the preferences set by default for you. You can experiment with changing these later as you become more familiar with Web Crossing. For now, scroll down the page to near the end where you will see spaces for you to change your password:
  4. Enter in your new password in the first box, enter it again in the second, and enter your old password in the third box.
    CAUTION: You can choose the same password as your UMD e-mail password. However, if you connect to Web Crossing from a non-UMD computer, you are passing this information across the Internet in an unsecure form. Chances of anyone finding this information are slim, but be aware of this. If you choose a password different to your UMD one, PLEASE be sure it is one you will remember!
  5. Scroll down to the end of the page and click on the Set Preference button:
  6. You will get a screen saying "preferences updated" and a showing you your new preferences. Click the OK button.
  7. Important! - Please do not change your preferences in a way that makes it difficult for me to know who submitted a summary.

back to the top

Posting your summaries

  1. Once you are in the WebX folder you will see a list folders named after the professors teaching the courses. Click and open the folder named Bruce Munson. Inside of the Bruce Munson folder you will see four folders titled for each of our class sessions.
  2. Click and open the folder for the upcoming class session, ie. "1st Class Session". Inside you will find the folders titled by readings. Click and open the readings folder to which you have been assigned.
  3. In this folder you will find the summaries and comments that have been added to that folder up to the current time. You can also add your summary to the folder.
  4. To add your summary to the folder you will need to click on the "Add Discussion" button in the group of buttons available. This will give you a box for entering your summary or comments. Please type in a brief title that includes your name, for example "Bruce's summary of Aikenhead." Then you can either type in your summary into the box under the phrase "New discussion description" , or paste in your summary in if you have written it earlier in a word processing program (If you paste in summaries, type the summaries with a space after each paragraph. Usually formatting is lost when information is pasted into WebX.). After you have entered your summary and click on the button marked "Add Discussion.." Your summary will be posted as a new "discussion" in the folder. Other people can then respond to your comments or post their own summaries .

back to the top

Providing Feedback and Reactions to Summaries

1. Open the folder containing summaries of the readings you have also read.

2. Select and read a summary. At the bottom of the summary you will see a group of buttons that are available. Use the button titled "Post Message" to give your feedback and comments on the summary you just read.

3. If someone else has already given feedback about that summary, you can either use the "post message" button to post your own comments on the summary OR you can reply to the feedback someone else provided by using the "reply" button.

back to the top

(Return to Educ5560 Home Page)  
(Return to Munson's Home Page)