Blog Update #1

Due to the power outage that Carleton University experienced a few weeks ago, a backup emergency plan should be established in order to help students resume learning and to help submit lab assignments in case the power would happen to fail again. There are many different group collaboration tools existing today and for this suggested backup plan it, would be necessary to take advantage of them.

• Dropbox is a file hosting service that students can download for free and have up to 18 GB of cloud storage. Through this service, the TA can share a folder with all the students who attend their lab and save all the lab powerpoint presentations to this folder. The students and TA can also use this folder to submit and grade work. If the TA set a deadline time or date to submit the assignment, students would not only be graded on the assignment but also a grade would be given on submitting the assignment on time which would substitute for the attendance mark given in the lab.  
• Skype could also be useful depending on the difficulty of the assignment. Skype is a free VoI  service that is available to communicate to others over the internet through video. Most students have updated computers with webcams built in. If the TA decided a time, those students could connect with the TA on Skype for a taught lesson. Skype has a screen shot option where the students would be able to see the TAs screen as he or she goes through the steps of how to complete the assignment. 
• Facebook is another great available resource. Most students currently have a Facebook account. The TA could create a group and invite every student in the lab to join. If the students have any questions about the assignment they could contact other students, or the TA.  This could also be used to submit work. 
• If there are any questions or concerns about the lesson, the TA's personal email should be provided to the students so they can contact them at anytime.