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British Journal of Educational Technology Vol 37 No 5 2006 761-783 doi:10.1111/j.1467-8535.2006.00560.x Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJETBritish Journal of Educational Technology0007-1013British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, 20052005375761783Articles Developing a comprehensive metric British Journal of Educational Technology Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness Robin H. Kay Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Email: Robin.Kay@uoit.ca Abstract The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years, yet some researchers argue that our understanding of how to use this tool in an effective and meaningful way is minimal at best. Part of the problem in acquiring more cohesive and useful information rests in the absence of a comprehensive, theory-driven metric to assess quality and effectiveness. Based on an extensive review of the research, the following variables were used to assess traditional discussion board use: thread, location of message within thread, author (student vs. educator), subject line clarity, time of posting, response time from previous message, number of times message was read, number of words, primary purpose, message quality, difficulty level of topic, knowledge level, processing level and use of external resources. These variables proved to be effective in assessing 12 key areas of discussion board use. It is argued that this kind of metric is essential if we wish to advance our understanding of online discussion boards for both educators and researchers. Overview The use of online discussion boards has grown extensively in the past 5 years (Cooper, 2001). While this tool is viewed as revolutionary by some researchers (Hara, Bonk & Angeli, 1998; Li, 2003), others argue that our understanding of how to use online discussion in an effective and meaningful way is limited (Blignaut &

My Wordle for online Teaching module Robin Kay's Abstract 'Developing a comprehensive metric for assessing discussion board effectiveness'

From the National Gallery of Art, allows kids to play with art. Interactive, can play over art do do similar tricks like Photoshop on pictures

NGAkids Art Zone offers an array of interactive online art activities that are fun for children of all ages. Interactives such as Sea-Saws, Faces and Places, Photo Op, Dutch Dollhouse, Jungle, Still Life, and Collage Machine encourage compositional experimentation and a vivid understanding of collage and photomontage techniques; Brushster, PaintBox, and SwatchBox are painting tools that encourage free expression and visual experimentation.

An online thesaurus and dictionary of over 145,000 words that you explore using an interactive map.

Organized by the Smithsonian Photography Initiative (SPI) as a series of integrated programs, click! photography changes everything invites the public to consider ways in which photography enables us to see, experience, and interact with the world.

Bring children's books to life with interactive technology.

Shidonni is an innovative startup, developing the next generation of creative 'virtual' worlds for kids. Shidonni is providing a safe environment where kids and their parents can create imaginary worlds and animals, play games and interact with friends. Shidonni is based on unique proprietary patented algorithms and using Microsoft Silverlight.

Excellent graphics and animations of complex biological science topics as well as virtual experiments you could not do in a normal public school classroom.

FRACTIONITIS frak'sheni'tis An increase in anxiety caused by the appearance of a numeral in fraction form. Symptoms: A blank stare, avoidance of math courses and math teachers. Cure: Associate fractions with a pleasant object, such as 1/4 of a pizza.

ARKive Education is a free-to-use, multi-media resource bank for teachers and other educators. Making use of the stunning imagery available at the award-winning ARKive website www.arkive.org, ARKive Education provides downloadable, ready to use modules on a wide range of curriculum topics, suitable for geography, biology, environmental education and citizenship lessons.