This article discusses how online discussions can benefit a classroom in many ways. In fact studies have even shown that online discussions provide some of the greatest improvements for student learning. Graham and Hodgson also mention how online discussion boards can help a group of diverse students come together to "become more affluent with the language of mathematics" or any other subject, for that matter. I think that online discussions for classrooms are a great idea, because just as the article says, it is a good way to have students collaborate with their peers on their own time. It also gives students the opportunity to get together and share their answers and ideas on electronic forums with groups that contain less people, for groups that have more people tend to come to less agreements with each other. And because online chatting and electronic forums are so popular nowadays, teachers/professors may see that students are more likely to participate in online discussions, not to mention how convenient they can be for students who have regular access to computers.
Questions:
1. Would you use electronic discussion tools in your own classroom?
I would definitely use online discussion boards in my own classroom, because speaking from experience, I know that they are and can be very helpful, whether you need answers or perhaps have answers for someone else. I think that they are great because they allow students to use it whenever they need to, which is something that can be very beneficial, especially for those who have super busy schedules. I also think students are more likely to ask questions on online discussion boards, thus allowing students to have a better understanding of certain things, rather than holding back their questions in an actual classroom and moving on without fully understanding something.
2. Do you think everyone can truly benefit from electronic discussion tools?
Yes and no. I think that if someone has regular access to a computer with internet access then they most definitely can reap the benefits of online chatting for class discussions. On the other hand, someone without regular access to a computer might not reap those benefits and online communicating for class discussions may be more trouble than it is worth for them. This is where electronic discussion tools in the classroom becomes beneficial for all the students in the classroom, because everyone will have access and the inconvenience of having to access a computer with internet is no longer an inconvenience, for the necessary tools to access online communicating will and should be provided in a classroom that uses such discussion tools.
No comments:
Post a Comment