e-learning experiences

Salter’s article “Making use of online discussion groups” (pages 5-10) outlines some advantages and disadvantages of discussion-board type technologies, as well as some strategies for implementing this technology in the classroom. One of the advantages that stood out to me is the idea that online discussions can provoke deeper thinking by giving students more time to reflect and compose their response. In terms of improving writing skills I believe online discussions could be very useful in the classroom, since publishing or posting messages online gives students practice in writing for a wide audience in a variety of ways. Maria makes a similar point about how technology can enhance writing skills in her post on wikis.

Another important point Salter raised was the need for clear instructions, guidelines for use and marking criteria that must be spelt out to students in the beginning. If students do not know how to use discussion boards or are unsure what is expected of them chaos could ensue, so I think establishing what is expected early on is essential if this is to be used in the classroom. One of Salter’s suggestions that I would hesitate to implement, though, is the idea of anonymous posts, since I think this could create tension if criticisms were made anonymously of students’ work, for example.

If I had the opportunity to use discussion boards in my classroom, I would probably do so with an older primary class, ie stage 3. Before doing so I would definitely discuss the idea with my students to make sure everyone was comfortable with the technology and that it was relevant to the curriculum.

From url: http://www.nofanalone.com/blog/archives/2007_03.html