Discussion boards are reflective in nature. They force students to read other perspectives and carefully consider a response
Contents contributed and discussions participated by natalie_cepeda
WPI Teaching with Technology Collaboratory - Benefits of Using Discussion Boards in You... - 4 views
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During a classroom session, not all perspectives can be heard due to time. In discussion boards, everyone has the ability to respond and reflect on the opinions of others. Reflecting is a benefical strategy because it allows for learning to occur. What strategy do you implement for reflecting?
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Cynthia, that is a great idea to keep a reflection journal for every day use. It even allows students to go back and see any changes in their own thinking or opinions. The literature circles are a great way to involve all group members by having enough jobs for them to complete one. Even if they get the team Illustrator, the student still has to share why they drew that and what significance it has to the project.
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Cinthia, I need to get on the ball with an online Discussion Board. My students would benefit tremendously! The use to posting their thoughts online is more engaging than just writing a summary paper on the chapter they read.
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The social aspects of the face-to-face classroom are very intimidating for many students, especially for ESL speakers, new students, and those who are simply shy or quiet.
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Has this experience happened to you in a previous class where you hinder your comments and ideas to everyone because you do not want to receive a negative reaction?
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Cynthia, I understand your feeling. I once took an English class where we just sat in a circle and discussed classical literature. I honestly had no idea what was going in the play even though I would read and use resources like Spark Notes to understand what was going on. I did not like going to the class because everyone else knew what the professor was discussing and would make good points. I hardly spoke a word and would only speak when the professor called on me. The classroom environment has a lot to do with whether a student is going to feel comfortable or be shy.
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Sean, I agree with your claim that it depends on the student. Much like the assessment on whether a student is ready for online learning. Some students feel like they can tackle online learning while others refuse. So yes, every student has their own comfort zone.
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As students reflect upon what they want to write in a discussion board posting, they often integrate research or class readings with which they are familiar. This occurs much more frequently in discussion board postings than in face-to-face discussions, largely because of the extra time a student has to think about their response
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In teaching, I have used a similiar strategy called the Wait-Time Response, where instead of demanding students to answer on the spot they have allotted time to actually think. The extra time that discussion boards allow is a powerful teaching tool. What is your view on the claim provided on the website?
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Cinthia, hearing the story of your story is music to my ears! I am glad that even though the student was not able to express vocally their thoughts were heard on Discussion Boards. Another personal testimony that Discussion Boards help students express themselves.
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natalie_cepeda
From personal experience, I have had a couple of classes that embedded Discussion Boards on Blackboard into the curriculum. These classes in my opinion established powerful ongoing class discussions "outside" of the actual classroom walls. In the Discussion Boards, we were required to respond and interact with other peers throughout the week and semester.
As I am learning more about Discussion Boards, I have learned that Discussion Boards are an online tool such as Diigo that allow individuals to share information (articles, files, images, and websites). Not only can an individual share information, but they can also collaborate with other individuals. What do I mean by collaborate? Discussion boards allow individuals to ask questions, share ideas (maybe different opinions), and have more time to actually reflect on a topic instead of just shouting out an answer.
As a 6th grade ELA teacher, I see myself using Discussion Boards to help deepen critical thinking on the class novels we read together. This year I did not have an "online" Discussion Board; however, I did have a Discussion Board on my "wall" in the classroom where students responded to the pose question and commented on others responses. The reason I did it "offline" was because of time, knowledge, and parent consent. Yet, this class and better understanding of Discussion Boards will help me to utilize this concept to my students while reading to analyze and expand on our class novels.