Online Discussion Forum

Step one: Preparation

Here are some ways to prepare yourself and your students to participate in an online discussion:

• Decide if you will join an already established discussion or if you will start your own. Social networking tools, such as Ning (www.ning.com), allow you to set up a discussion board at no charge.
• Clarify the audience for the online discussion. Will they be communicating with students in their school? In another school? With the general public?
• Be explicit about internet communication skills and etiquette. Many people, especially younger people who are used to the internet as a casual mode of communication, “speak” in a different idiom online than they might elsewhere. Make sure your students are aware that this is a class project, that people from all over the world might be reading what they have to say, and that they should frame their responses accordingly. Set clear guidelines about the style and tone of language you expect them to use.
• Show students an example of an online discussion before they join one themselves. Have students read the full text of an online discussion, either by printing out the conversation or by giving students time to read the discussion online.

Step two: Participating in an online discussion

Here are some ways to help students participate in an online discussion:

• Have students brainstorm their responses in their journals before entering them into the discussion forum.
• Put students into teams to write a single response. This allows students in your class to engage each other in dialogue, and helps them formulate a thoughtful contribution to the online discussion.
• Have your students identify their school in their posts, preferably using a three letter code attached to the poster's name. For example, if you teach at Springfield High School, have your students add SHS to the end of their name when posting. This will help you keep track of your students' comments online.
• Show students how to title responses so that the intent of their posting is clear simply by reading the title.
• Have your students focus on one particular thread.
• Have them spend some time reviewing the posts that have already been made before making their own, and then have them report to the class on the thread that they reviewed. This is a good way to showcase the different viewpoints that have been shared online so far.

Step three: Debriefing the experience

After participating in an online discussion, have students respond to one or more of these prompts in their journals and/or in a class discussion:

• How was participating in an online discussion similar to participating in an in-person discussion? How was it different? What are the pros and cons of each format? Which format do you prefer? Why?
• Evaluate your performance in this online discussion. What are you proud of? What would you do differently next time?
• What have you learned from participating in this online discussion?
• Do you strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the following statement: In general, people will say things in an online discussion that they will not say in a face-to-face discussion. Explain your answer.