I have to say that the extent of my participation in discussion boards prior to this graduate program had been minimal. I honestly didn't really see the potential value it could bring at that time. However, I have to say that I was mistaken, and I'm glad I have the opportunity to learn from my misconception.
A discussion board is an online collaborative tool that allows a variety of users to share ideas, thoughts, tools, and sharing different perspectives on these topics. The best discussions are when each participant is open to other ideas, and not completely opposed to potential change through positive discussion on a subject.
While I am not currently teaching in the classroom at the moment, I have successfully incorporated the use of discussion forums and blogs into almost every course I've developed in the corporate sector. In fact, I was able to sell my current employer on the benefits of having a discussion forum. Since it is a smaller company, I see it was an opportunity for employees throughout the world (and at all levels of the organization) to share thoughts, ideas, issues, and ideas on how to successfully resolve them. It has worked out nicely thus far, and my experiences in this graduate program have continued to fuel me with greater ideas on how to improve the usage.
From a classroom perspective, I can see a myriad number of ways it could be invaluable. Were I teaching a course on instruction design at a local university, and students missed class, or needed a quick answer to a question after class (or office) hours, they could add a question in the discussion forums, or better yet, get a response from their classmates. I think it would not only improve the flow of information, but more importantly, improve the concept of teamwork.
A discussion board is an online collaborative tool that allows a variety of users to share ideas, thoughts, tools, and sharing different perspectives on these topics. The best discussions are when each participant is open to other ideas, and not completely opposed to potential change through positive discussion on a subject.
While I am not currently teaching in the classroom at the moment, I have successfully incorporated the use of discussion forums and blogs into almost every course I've developed in the corporate sector. In fact, I was able to sell my current employer on the benefits of having a discussion forum. Since it is a smaller company, I see it was an opportunity for employees throughout the world (and at all levels of the organization) to share thoughts, ideas, issues, and ideas on how to successfully resolve them. It has worked out nicely thus far, and my experiences in this graduate program have continued to fuel me with greater ideas on how to improve the usage.
From a classroom perspective, I can see a myriad number of ways it could be invaluable. Were I teaching a course on instruction design at a local university, and students missed class, or needed a quick answer to a question after class (or office) hours, they could add a question in the discussion forums, or better yet, get a response from their classmates. I think it would not only improve the flow of information, but more importantly, improve the concept of teamwork.