Online Discussion Forums: Connecting to the Text

I actually got the idea to add an online component to my literature circles when I was reading Kist (2010).  In his book, The Socially Networked Classroom, Kist brings up the idea of using blogs and wikis as a forum for discussion of lit circle books.  He even gives a specific example on page 84, describing requirements and grading criteria.  While I chose a discussion forum as the most effective medium for my groups, my requirements are similar to Kist's example.  Students are required to make a minimum of one original post and two responses each week.  I provided them with sentence starters to guide their thinking, and each response must use the word because.  Once they have met the minimum requirements for number of postings, students are graded on the quality of their posts.  I use the Reading Literature BC Performance Standard to assess their contributions.  I am finding grading the discussions very interesting so far, because students who shine in written work and face-to-face discussions are not necessarily the stars in the online discussions, and vice versa.  The online discussion forums have given my students yet another way to demonstrate their learning, and so their marks are more truly based on their understanding of their novel.

Online Discussion Forums

This is my second year experimenting with Moodle in my classroom, and I am constantly discovering more and more things that it can do.  Even so, I know that I have only scratched the surface.  My latest Moodle endeavour has been setting up and running online discussion forums as part of my literature circles.  Each week students are responsible for reading the assigned chapters of their novel, completing two paper reading responses of their choice, participating in a face-to-face discusison group, and joining in an online discussion group.  I have worked with my class on structures, expectations, and social responsibility in an online forum, and they have class time to compose their posts and responses.  Students with internet access are also able to post from home, and I have posted a link to the Moodle site on my class website.

I set the discussion forums up with help from our district tech helping teacher (to whom I will be greatly indebted by the end of this course), and we worked together to iron out the few wrinkles that have come up so far.  This is the third week of online discussions, and, knock on wood, things are going smoothly.

The first week, students were really excited to chat with their group members online.  Most posts had little to do with the novels, and consisted mostly of lol's and emoticons.  But after some reflection, goal-setting, and added structure, the second week was much more productive.  Students knew how to log in, post, and reply, and they knew that they were accountable for their posts, both in terms of social responsibility and Language Arts marks.  Discussions were much more focused and purposeful the second week, and I am excited to see how the third week goes.  I have attached a sample discussion thread from week two of the The Daring Game (by Kit Pearson) discussion.  Names are blotted out for privacy reasons.  Please ignore the spelling and punctuation.  That is an issue for another day...

I think that the online component of these lit circles adds another opportunity for students to express and develop their learning.  It is a motivating format, and allows students who are more introverted or slower processors to shine, when they might not be able to in a face-to-face discussion.  Students can take the time to think, and to carefully formulate their responses, as they are not required to respond to a post instantly.  I believe that my lit circles are richer and more widely differentiated for learning style now that they include this online discussion component.  Students are assessed on three different ways of demonstrating their understanding of a novel, and they are learning skills that will help them to be comfortable taking the online courses that are very likely in their futures.

I am posting this at school, and I don't have my text books, so I will add a post connecting this to the readings on another day.  In the meantime, I am looking forward to seeing how the online discussion forums mature throughout this session of lit circles!

Voicethread

The first time I ever made a Voicethread was when I created my Autobiography of a Tech User for this course.  I had a lot of fun using it, found it pretty easy to figure out, and was pleased with the results.  I saw plenty of possibilities for using Voicethread in my classroom, and when I searched the site, I saw many examples of student and class-created Voicethreads.  I had a few concerns, though, because in order to sign up, students would need an email address.  Even if we bought the edu license, students would still each need an email address.  Teaching ten year olds, I am not going to be responsible for managing 24 email accounts. The tech helping teacher for my district said that Voicethread could be used within Moodle, and that using google, there was a way to have one email address broken up into many, and that the students could not use these accounts for sending or receiving email.  I don't know the details, but this would eliminate some of my concerns.  Also, the Voicethreads would then only be visible to other people within the Moodle classroom, so students could create and comment in a contained environment.  There is a teacher in my district doing a pilot with Voicethread within Moodle, and when that is over, it will be opened up to other people who are interested.  I am going to wait to use it with mu students until I can do it in the secure environment provided by Moodle.

In the meantime, I am still excited about Voicethread as a tool.  I downloaded the app onto my iPhone, so I can easily create Voicthreads wherever I am!  I made one to introduce division with remainders to my students, and they were quite positive about the presentation.  They said it was fun and interesting, and they paid more attention because it was different.  I will post the link here.

Division Voicethread

After we watched it, discussing and practicing as we did so, my students worked in pairs and used the iPods that are on loan to another class in my school to create similar presentations using an app called SonicPics .  It works very much like Voicethread, but without the social networking part, since the presentations are saved on the individual iPods.  I am going to try to email them myself, and then upload them onto Moodle so that my students can easily view and comment on each others'.  The kids had a lot of fun making the presentations, and I found that they clearly demonstrated how much they understood about solving problems with division with remainders.  New ways of demonstrating learning tend to be fun and engaging, whatever they are.

I am not sure how legitimate my concerns about students publishing their work on an open social networking site are.  I think that before I did anything like that, I would have to involve students and parents in a conversation about security, safe practice, and the purpose behind it all.  Will Richardson (2010), in Blogs, Wikis. Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, says that by publishing their work to a wide audience, students are empowered, learn that their voices matter, and expect that their voices will be heard.  This seems like a lesson that students, if they are to become active, responsible members of a democratic society (which is our eventual goal for all children), desperately need to learn.  Perhaps we, as adults, need to put aside our trepidations, teach digital safety and citizenship, and help our students dive into a world where their voices count.

Getting Started

The past two weeks have been full of experimentation, learning, and remembering new passwords.  I have signed up for Google Reader (first I had to learn what RSS was) so I can follow my classmates' blogs.  My tech-savvy little sister also told me a few other blogs that I should follow.  I got a twitter account, but have yet to activate it by confirming my email address.  I have practiced making Voicethreads, both on my computer and on my iPhone, and have showed them to my principal in the hopes that she will pay for my class to have the educational version (I think she will), because a number of parents in my school have specific, valid concerns about privacy and security.  I have attended a session on using Moodle, and, after almost being able to set up groups and wikis for my class, am about to meet with the tech helping teacher to "crystallize" my Moodle knowledge.  I have revamped my lit circle unit plan and assessment to include an online discussion component.  I have listened to podcasts on CBC Radio's website.  I also updated my school's library website. So I have been busy delving into the Web 2.0 world, improving my comfort level in order to increase my use of these exciting tools in my classroom.

Inquiry Project Proposal

Over the course of this term, I will be working hard to increase my own comfort level with Web 2.0 tools, so that I can incorporate their use safely and effectively into my classroom practice.  

Web 2.0 Tools

Although this list will likely change over the course of this project, as learning is a fluid process, here is an initial list of Web 2.0 tools that I would like to explore.

• Wikis

• Online discussion forums

• Voicethread

• Podcasts (listening)

• Podcasts (creating)

• Prezi

• Museum Boxes

•  Socrative Survey Tool (on ipods) 

Rationale

I would consider myself an “intermediate” teach user.  I am always up for trying something new in my classroom, but I have concerns about online security and digital citizenship.  I have had mixed results with my use of technology in the classroom, and still have found that my most effective teaching takes place in low tech settings.  My goal for this project, then, is to find technological tools that lead to effective use of student time and rich, authentic learning experiences in a secure, engaging setting.  Students are excited and engaged by technology, but I want their use of Web 2.0 tools to be purposeful and meaningful, and not just technology for technology’s sake.  My hope is that the tools that I have chosen will engage students in meaningful, interactive, and collaborative processes of constructing, refining, and demonstrating understanding.

Goals

My goals for this project are linked to my use of technology in the classroom. 

·         I want to increase my own skill and comfort level with Web 2.0 tools, so that I can more effectively integrate their use into my classroom.

·         I want to investigate classroom applications for Web 2.0 tools that lead to rich, meaningful, and curricularly linked learning.

·         I want to explore ways to teach my students to be active participants in the Web 2.0 world, while staying safe, responsible, and respectful.  

Introduction

I am writing this blog as part of the course requirements for LIBE 477: Special Topics in Teacher Librarianism.  The course is challenging me to increase my knowledge and comfort level with Web 2.0 tools, so that I can incorporate their use into my Grade 4/5 classroom practice.  I am enthusiastic about the places this assignment will take me and my students over the next two months, and I think that I will see clear changes in the way I approach the use of technology in my classroom.

This blog will be the place where I reflect on my experiences and my learning, and where I post evidence of my learning.  The first Web 2.0 tool that I have experimented with is Voicethread, and the results, posted below, will help to elucidate my lifetime of experiences with and attitudes towards technology.

http://voicethread.com/share/2624557/

Join me on my journey!