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hillaryparrish

What are Discussion Forums and How do They Enhance Learning? - 21 views

technology education classroom pedagogy

started by hillaryparrish on 05 Jun 14
  • hillaryparrish
    #1 hillaryparrish on 05 Jun 14
     
    In your first Diigo Group post, please summarize your understanding of the Discussion Board and discuss how you could use this in your classroom to deepen learning.

    A discussion board enhances communication within a group typically in an online class and is used for sharing ideas on a particular topic and discussing different points of view. Sometimes after one reads other students' posts, readers discover ways to accomplish things in education that they may have never thought of. Because the discussion board is online, it is available at all times which makes it easy for posting even for students that work. With a discussion board, no certain person necessarily stands out from another. Each person has the ability to speak their mind unlike in a classroom setting where some people may be afraid to raise their hand. When using a discussion board, students may read over their work before posting to ensure that is sounds intelligent and to make sure all words are spelled correctly. There is also time to discuss their thoughts with others if students are unsure of themselves. In the event that there was a need, two groups of students could be merged in order to discuss topics together which would give an ever more vast amount of knowledge base contributed to the board. Students can share resources, ask questions, share skills, give advice, etc. In order for a discussion board to be effective, rules such as proper internet etiquette need to be established up front. Extrinsic motivation such as a grade tied to the discussion may be needed in order to get all students to participate. The teacher needs to make sure all students understand the process of logging in and posting and what is expected in each post. The questions that are asked need to be diverse with no specific answer. In other words, they do not need to be "Googlable." Students need to be able to add some of their previous knowledge in with the answer.

    I like the idea of Diigo. I personally do not like reading on the internet and still order real paper or hardback books because I write in my books. With Diigo, it is much easier to read online because I can go back to the important points more easily. I doubt my students have nearly as much trouble reading online because they have grown up in a society of most things being online.

    Do you hear that groaning sound? Oh, that is the sound of my high school students if I ask them to read an article. They rarely read directions, but an article, Mrs. Parrish? That is just too much work. So, the way I would use Diigo in my classroom is in an unit that I call, "Is that a real website?" I have a list of sites that students go to and based on previously learned skills, students must decide whether or not the site is real. I will have them add sticky notes (shared only with me, not the class) in places on the sites that demonstrate that the site is real or not real. I will also have students use Diigo as just a place to bookmark. This will be so they can make a Resources page when doing research. If they choose to make highlights, that is their choice. It will be a lot easier to find those sites later especially since we have a program that wipes everything off the computers everyday (including the history).
  • Sean Getchell
    #2 Sean Getchell on 08 Jun 14
     
    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.
  • Lucretia Human
    #3 Lucretia Human on 09 Jun 14
     
    The discussion forums are a method to gain interaction among students and teachers without the pressure that some students face in a traditional classroom. Discussion forums are reflective in nature and allow students to read others perspectives and then consider a response.

    Since there is a greater propensity for students to interact with one another compared to a face-to-face setting, class community is enhanced. There is more cohesion among students, with a higher degree of trust. The rate of questions and inquiries increase between students and teachers, due to this greater sense of community. Also the students feel their voice in valuable and applicable to the needs of the of the group.

    The student has a greater response time, which in turn means a more thought out or researched response, adding to the educational experience and helping the student take ownership of your own learning. This also leads to students feeling a sense of empowerment that guides them to greater motivation, interest and participation.

    I teach in higher ed in a face-to-face setting, however all my classes have discussion forums on our LMS, even my Histology and Embryology classes. I have learned that students will present questions and comments in a discussion forum that they will not in class. Each classmate brings a different perspective to that question and thus the students gets a variety of explanations, helping them to deepen their knowledge of the subject. In the Histology class, my discussion forums consist of case studies. The case studies have a condition that we have discussed in class, but maybe have not reached all conclusions to. The students find that using the knowledge they obtained in class and added new knowledge, through research or other students comments, that they remember and can apply the information better and easier.
  • noramedrano
    #4 noramedrano on 10 Jun 14
     
    What are Discussion Forums and How do They Enhance Learning?

    Discussion forums are meeting places where people that are working, sharing, or debating on the same topic could interact. Discussion forums allow people to comment as many times sort of in-class discussion, but online. Many students are shy or do not like to be embarrassed in class in case they do not know the correct answer (This was me in grade school). This online forum allows all students to discuss without having to be in public.

    Forums enhance learning as they engage the students using the Internet, which now a days is very famous amongst young people. These forums allow the "boring" assignment to become interesting to the student and in return, are more open to share ideas, comment on other's ideas, share experiences, discuss, and debate more on a specific question or topic because they feel comfortable and do not have to do it in public. This will enable that shy student to collaborate, feel like he/she is heard, and allows those students that always want to answer or participate to allow others to be heard as well.
  • Cynthia Rios
    #5 Cynthia Rios on 10 Jun 14
     
    A discussion board is an online tool which allows group communication. There are many benefits of using a discussion board in classrooms such as building connections and class community by promoting discussion. It allows students who don't really participate in a traditional classroom to have a voice and share with their classmates. Discussion boards also provide time for thoughtful and in-depth reflection or responses. Students are given more time to review the work of others, think about and compose their thoughts before contributing to the discussion. In order for discussion boards to be successful, it is important to establish and communicate ground rules about writing expectations, rules of netiquette, and how students will be evaluated. Perhaps even more important is ensuring that students are engaged with questions that promote discussion.

    I see many possibilities of how I could use a discussion board in my classroom to deepen learning, but what seems to stand out in my mind is using it as online literature circles. Literature circles provide a way for the students to engage in critical thinking as they read. Students work collaboratively to construct meaning through structured discussion and extended written and artistic response. Each student would be able to post what they have been assigned for the week and group members could respond to the posts. When reading a novel, students also do a lot of journaling which they share with the class, and we have an in-class discussion. But with the use of a discussion board, all that could occur online, and even the shyest students would able to participate. It is a very exciting possibility for me next year.
  • Benjamin Caulder
    #6 Benjamin Caulder on 11 Jun 14
     
    I have used discussion boards quite a bit in my classroom. I have primarily used the "Forum" feature in Moodle. I also started using Penzu, which can have a discussion board functionality. My understanding of a DB in its simplest is as described in much of the reading, a way to move a classroom discussion to an online space where everyone can have a voice, regardless of personality.

    I have attempted to use DBs to deepen learning in several ways.

    1. As a warmup question before the meat of the lesson. It can be an open ended question sparked from the previous day's lesson. It can be an open ended question that leads into that day's lesson where the students can share their thoughts and opinions before the content influences them (followup can easily be at the end of the lesson to see if their thoughts have changed).

    2. I have used them to completely replace a class discussion. Instead of asking students to discuss in class, I ask them to discuss online, commenting on several other posts. The key focus here is to not reply with, "I agree." or similar. The original comment and followups must extend and question.

    3. I have used the DB to be meta-cognitive. I often ask students to think about why they think the way they do, how the subject in question affects/challenges their beliefs.

    Though not asked, here are the problems I have come across with DBs.

    1. Grading is just about an impossibility. My curriculum is massively full (not my choice). I usually am only able to grade their participation, not the quality of their participation.

    2. Participation is hit and miss. Despite the the quality of the question, the quality of the subject matter and the grade attached to participate, a certain percentage of students will not participate.

    3. "I don't have a pencil" excuse... instead of pencil, the excuse is their tablet is dead, they don't have their charger or they don't have their tablet today. I have attempted to overcome this by allowing them to work off their smart phone, but the quality of their writing drops to pathetic when I do that.
  • crystallee530
    #7 crystallee530 on 13 Jun 14
     
    Discussion boards are used to aid in the extension of classroom content. It provides every student the opportunity to voice their opinion on various topics in which them must apply higher order thinking skills. When discussion questions are posed correctly students are answering questions in which they must apply knowledge learned from inside and outside of the classroom. The openness of topic discussions will offer students multiple perspectives to consider while also forming their own perspective.
    I would use discussion boards towards the end of a unit. I would love to see how students can make the connection between numerous concepts throughout a unit. The timing of the discussion board will allow students to review what they have learned and if needed they can research their areas of weakness. The discussion board would not be optional; every student must participate within a certain time frame.
  • natalie_cepeda
    #8 natalie_cepeda on 14 Jun 14
     
    In your first Diigo Group post, please summarize your understanding of the Discussion Board and discuss how you could use this in your classroom to deepen learning.

    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.

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