VIDEO TK--Based on the text in italics (its the 4th of July here and the fireworks at my house are out of control--the noise makes videos nearly impossible tonight and tomorrow).

Scholar is different than any other teaching and learning platform I have worked with in the past. It can take a little while to get your bearings with the platform. In my mind, Scholar is a bit like an LMS, offers some of the social media sharing capabilities of Facebook, works a bit like a Twitter feed, demands a bit of the mindset needed when working in a website building platform, and is a bit like a word like a word processing program, all rolled into one.

Scholar offers a bit of the best from a lot of different sources, which is handy. However, it can be a bit tricky finding your way around.

Here are a few tips I picked up during my first stab at Scholar after feeling pretty clueless for longer than I would like to admit:

1) Watch all of the video tutorials before beginning any work on the platform. You can find them here:

http://cgnetworks.org/scholar/tutorials

You can find the link to these tutorials in the library but it can be easier to access straight away from a bookmark.

2)  In Scholar, you create all of your documents inside the platform, whether its an update, share, or a Scholar Creator document. This allows you to insert links, pictures, audio, video, all within a streamlined document, much like you would do in webpage building programs like Wordpress, Squarespace, or Weebly. YOU WON'T be uploading your work to Scholar in the same way that you might have done with other LMS platforms. Keep that in mind while working on projects. Scholar is part of the process of creation, not just a tool to upload your work.

3) I like to create my work in saveable documents outside of the learning platform. This has become a habit for me because of the many times I have lost written work. However, this approach doesn't work quite as well in Scholar. You may cut and paste text but it can be a bit clunky, and links and attachments need to be manually inserted.

4) When creating an update, responding to a fellow participant, or working on your Scholar Creator project, the toolbars that run along the top of the box are your friends. Scholar has a lot of the same features as many word processing programs. Hover over the buttons and get acquainted with everything that is available BEFORE posting an update or a Creator project.

5) There is a learning curve to Scholar--its OK if you don't get it right away!! Ask us for help!