How do I use BSD?

Teacher Center
1

I am a Google Classroom user. I deliver and manage instruction with Google Classroom. My school district is saying that I must use BSD for online learning. Other than coding what does BSD do? I am not interested in giving my students coding assignments when they really need to be reviewing for their AP exams.

Can I upload videos? How can I make BSD more meaningful for my students without using the canned coding projects?

2

Hi Lena, welcome to the BSD Community! Thank you for reaching out!

With the rise of distance learning around the globe, we’re working with many non-coding teachers who are adopting BSD Online tools alongside LMS platforms like Google Classrooms. I’ve included 3 of the most common use-cases below:

1. Custom, sequenced presentation of classroom materials
One nice feature of BSD Online’s classroom dashboard is that it allows teachers to present their existing material as a cohesive experience. By uploading your own content to a classroom on BSD Online, students can transition seamlessly from one resource to the next. As opposed to with a shared folder of documents, you have control over the sequence in which your students access the information.

2. Tracking student activity and progress
Once your material is hosted on BSD Online, you will be able to track exactly where your students are in real time. The image below shows 3 sample students:

Screen Shot 2020-04-09 at 3.32.54 PM

  • The green, yellow, and gray dots next to the student avatar correspond with active, inactive and signed out respectively.
  • Each progress bar shows the students’ current positions in real time. Han is not in the classroom, Alicia is on page 1 of a custom PDF, and Clark has finished an assignment.

3. Linking to external software
Finally, many teachers use BSD Online a centralized hub for linking to various online resources. Feel free to check out this support video for a detailed walkthrough of this process as well as a template classroom portal that you can use.

3

I already built the student portal. My students do not want to use it. They feel that logging into BSD is an unnecessary step since they already have direct access to Google classroom. What else can I do with BSD?

4

Thank you for the follow up! I can absolutely appreciate your position.

You have an established workflow for your AP students on Google Classrooms already. Since you won’t be using guided technology projects, student progress tracking or the classroom portal, BSD Online feels like an extra step in your process.

The BSD team is dedicated to helping in any way we can while our teachers make the transition to distance learning. We’ve just sent you an email containing a link to schedule a live session with a BSD coach for support that is more personalized to your situation.

5

DSB is a new course I am using to teach Game Design to my MSers. Struggling a bit with how complex the code is introduced to students and how fast the students are working through the lessons. I feel I need to slow them down and have them explain their understanding (ie assess them). How to you all assess your students?

6

Hi Cindi! Just making sure your concerns are properly addressed. Please message us on chat or you can send us an email at support@bsd.education.

Read this post to know more! What’s the difference between “New Conversation” and “Report an Issue” on the chat support?