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Introduction to Nicenet |
Overview | Conferencing |
Class Members | Documents |
Class Schedule | Essay Drafts/Peer Reading |
Sending Messages | Link Sharing |
Personal Messages | User Profiles |
Log into Nicenet |
Overview of Nicenet |
Nicenet is a course management tool provided courtesy of Northwestern University that we will use in the English classes. Like all programs it has advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages are (1) that it is free; (2) that it provides an easy way to communicate with other students and teachers; (3) that it allows users to saves copies of messages and to easily send messages to other members of the class; and most importantly, (4) that it expands the usual syllabus by offering immediate access to updated assignments.
The main disadvantage of Nicenet is that it does not have its own Help feature. You will need to rely on the following general instructions, information from your instructor, and the experiences of you classmates when you need help using Nicenet. If something doesn't work, don't panic; there's always more than one way to accomplish a task online. E-mail or telephone your instructor, post a message to the class on one of the discussion forums, or e-mail a classmate whom you think might be able to help you. Be sure to read the following instructions completely and carefully and refer to them first when you need help with Nicenet. In general, we will use Nicenet to post and share documents, primarily reading responses, drafts of essays and peer readings of those essays. At first it will require time for everyone to learn to use Nicenet, but it will quickly become routine. Students have found the process of posting and responding to essay drafts easy to accomplish once they gain familiarity with Nicenet. |
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Class Members |
In the "Class Members" section of Nicenet are listed all the names and e-mail addresses of people registered in a particular class. |
Class Schedule |
All the assignments will be posted in this section with advance notice. Although a printed syllabus will be distributed during the first class meeting, this schedule will elaborate on the assignments and provide detailed instructions about what to do with the assignment and how to turn the assignment in. You can set Nicenet to display all the assignments chronologically or just the upcoming ones. The assignments will sometimes say “Turn in on-line” or “Associated Conference.” Please check the assignments carefully and read them completely. Last, remember that the assignments will also be posted to the class web site.
While draft essays will be posted to the "Documents" section, peer readings will be e-mailed to both the writer and the instructor. Do not use the “Send comments to the writer” feature in the "Documents" section to submit your peer readings because that reading will go only to the writer and you need to send a copy of the peer reading to the instructors. |
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Sending Messages |
Nicenet has a list of the members of the class under "Members."
Usually you will want to limit your message to a few people. Click the names of those you want to send messages to. Do not add names to the box which sends messages to “Others in Nicenet.” Once you have checked the names of those who will receive your message, move the screen to the topic and message box. Copy and paste the message if it is long one and click on Send Message.
When the message has been successfully sent, your first name will appear at the top of the screen along with a confirmation message. This is also true for the people getting the messages. Additionally, messages you send will be archived in the "Outbox," a link to which appears at the top of the sending message screen. Depending upon how you have set up your user profile, you will also get a copy of your messages sent to your regular e-mail account. Caution: If Nicenet closes down before you see the red message confirming that the message has been sent, the message has NOT been sent. Because of this problem, it is a good idea to have a copy of your message saved as a word processing file so it can be resent once you log back into Nicenet. |
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Conferencing |
This forum enables students discussion of topics related to the course. We will use both Nicenet's conferencing utility and the class bulletin board, which is linked to the "Discussion" item in the class web site menu. Sometimes the conference topic is associated with an assignment in the "Schedule." The conferences in Nicenet are asynchronous--that is, they are not in real time; the conferences operate like a newsgroup or message board. Nonetheless, students can respond to each other's comments, and the entire class sees all the messages, which allows for a type of class-wide or large-group conversation.
Conferencing in Nicenet also enables small-group discussion and collaboration. Small groups of students can work together in a separate conference in which you will be able to discuss topics and make comments that are pertinent to that particular conference, though not necessarily pertinent to the the class as a whole. |
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Documents |
This section will be used for essay drafts. The easiest way to send the draft to the correct document section is through the Schedule. In the Schedule under particular assignments, there is a link that reads “[Turn in on-line].” This links to the correct draft section. Be careful of where the draft is turned in because this can be very confusing.
The best way to turn in an essay draft is by pasting a copy of the file from a word processor and pasting it into Nicenet. You will need to have both Nicenet and the word processor running for the following procedure. To copy and paste a file from a word processor into Nicenet:
Nicenet will confirm that the document has been added and where it has been added. Your first name will appear in red and the message will say the document has been added. This should send the document to the correct document section. If you don't receive this confirmation message, then the document has not been added. To double-check that your document was posted, go to "Documents" and select the section you need, such as "Essay 1 Drafts." If the essay is not there, either Nicenet did not post it and you will have to try again, or you have sent the essay to another area. You may delete or edit these documents. Notice to AOL users: If you are using AOL, you will need to work via a web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, to copy and paste. |
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Essay Drafts/Peer Reading |
When you are assigned a draft to peer read, it is a good idea to make a copy of the essay that has been posted, paste it to your word processor, and save it as a file. You could also print a hard copy of the essay.) You will find in easier to read the essay and comment off line.
To copy a file that has been posted to Nicenet and paste it into a word processor: When you are commenting on a classmate's draft, it useful to copy sections of the essay—a few lines or a paragraph—to clarify the peer reader’s comments. Also always begin the peer response by saying whose essay draft you are reading. |
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Link Sharing |
Links that are related to a class assignment or to the class are listed here. Nicenet will inform you when a new link has been posted. Some of the websites will be Harper’s library, Harper's Writing Center, and our class web site. |
Personal Messages |
This is Nicenet's version of an e-mail application. When you send a Personal Message, it will be sent to only in Nicenet, unless you choose to have a copy of the Personal Message sent to your regular e-mail account. |
User Profiles |
You can modify, or "edit," your user profile. You should always be sure that your name and e-mail address are listed so that you will be included as a member of the class. Also, you will find it useful to set up your profile so that you will receive copies of messages in your regular e-mail account. That way, you can receive class messages without having to log into Nicenet every time you're using the Internet. |
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