Bulletin Boards versus Topics

Your Bulletin board is a snapshot of your class and should be used to post general class information that remains static through the duration of the class. This can include:

• Description of classroom and your objectives

• Classroom policies and procedures

• Parent information

• Quick links like how to build a bibliography, use the scientific method, etc.

• Classroom specific content like photos, videos, etc.

Topics should be used for a specific unit or area of focus for a class. This can include:

• Units of study

• Curriculum

• Assignments

• Field trips

• Classroom activities (e.g., debates, presentations)

Bulletin boards are designed for static content related to your class and Topics are better suited for organizing different units and areas of study. For example, the Bulletin board for a Biology class may include the syllabus, grading rubrics, and laboratory policies. And the class may include separate Topics covering Mammals, Amphibians, and Birds.

There are also a few differences in how Bulletin boards and Topics function and the features available:

• Import materials: You can import Topics from other classes and school years, as well as import topics other teachers have shared in the Topic Bank. For Bulletin boards, you can import most content from your own classes in the current and previous school years.

• Number of content types: Topics allow teachers to use content types multiple times. For example, if you need two separate video sections in a topic, you can drag the Video content type onto the Topic twice and add different videos to each instance of the video widget.

• Add assignments and LTI: Assignments and LTI can be used with Topics. Assignments and LTI are not available on Bulletin boards.

How you use your Bulletin board and Topics can change based on your school level. There is no right or wrong way to use your bulletin board and topics but these are the most common ways these are used for each school level:

Lower schools

Lower schools tend to have Parents instead of Students logging into the online classroom so the information housed in your bulletin board and topics will be geared more toward parents then students. Parents are going to be interested in upcoming classroom events, news, and photos. Teachers teaching PK-2 grades may find they need to utilize the Bulletin board more to provide parents with one, easily accessible place for all classroom information. As students get older, they will need to add more topics around things like handwriting, math, spelling, etc.

Middle schools

During Middle school, in the lower grades, you may still see a lot of Parents logging in instead of Students, however at this level, students are becoming more independent and you may find yourself relying more on Topics instead of your bulletin board. You may use your Bulletin board for very basic information like upcoming classroom events or announcements. You may also have a small list of downloads for things like permissions slips or other things that Parents may need to be aware of and download. Depending on how your school is set up, you may find yourself with Topics for each subject(ie, English, Math, Social Studies, etc.) or you may find yourself with Topics that follow specific subjects you may study throughout the year(ie, Boston tea party, To kill a mockingbird, etc.)

Upper schools

By Upper school or High school, students are logging in on their own. Teachers will primarily be using Topics and may have little to no information on their bulletin board. Topics can be set up for each unit of study and can include downloads, links, and assignments for each unit. Teachers can use LTI with Topics to link students to resources in other LMS systems.