Using Online Forums in the Classroom

[Zaimejs]

New here... first post.

I'm working on writing my Master's Thesis on the use of online forums in an English curriculum. I'm looking for your personal stories and/or publications that you know of that could help me get a grasp on this topic.

Thanks!

Zaimejs

[jessicakim]

Search for pertinent articles on the NCTE website (National Council of Teachers of English).

One common idea you will find is that you have to set up ground rules before letting students use a forum/discussion board.

My district uses Blackboard.com which has a discussion board function. I've never used it with my students but other teachers have found it a useful tool to keep a discussion from class alive and rolling (to revive it the next class period).

[openstage]

I've been using forums in my 8th gr English class for the past 2 years. The forum looks almost identical to this bulletin board, and was created with the same software. My experience with this has ranged from being the best work I've ever done for students, to potentially damaging to our class community. Some of my students will write and say more on these chat bds than in class. And some of the work is inspiring. On the other hand, there have been rude, insensitive and cruel comments made in the interest of expression that I needed to censor.

Sometimes students use the board over vacations to keep in touch, chat about books and movies they like. I love to see when kids post their writing and then get feedback from other kids. It shows a certain degree of trust and the students who respond are always supportive, even if the writing needs major work. There have also been a few odd developments with this. Such as the time when the students wanted to have a weekly topic where they could rate my teaching, specific lessons and activities.


Overall it's been a positive experience, but I do need to keep tight controls over the bd. I keep very specific rules about what can and cannot be said. I require everyone to post with their true name so there are no "sniper attacks." The bd is closed to the outside world so I don't need to worry about identity. I also set it up so that all registrations need to be approved by the teacher. From time to time, there are numerous automated "spambots" that attempt to register as a user. They are harmless because all registered users need to get clearance from me first, but still it's a nuisance to get these fake sign ups.

You can see a preview of it on my website: [url="http://www.farrarsclass.com/"]http://www.farrarsclass.com/[/url]
To see it click the link called "2 Cents Cafe"

Good Luck!