EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
How
Online Writing Can Enrich Classroom Lectures and Discussions
Robert Baird has been using discussion boards and online writing assignments for almost ten years in his film and cinematography courses. In his brown bag presentation, Robert summarized many of the benefits of online discussion tools that he has discovered over the years. More...
Using Focused Web-based Discussions to Enhance
Student Engagement and Deep Understanding
In this article, Caroline Persell provides a compelling model for using online discussions to improve critical reasoning skills among her students. More...
Online communication tools, from email to chat, provide powerful platforms to enrich discussions among students, implement collaborative assignments, foster peer review, and encourage greater communication between students and instructors. As with traditional writing assignments and discussion forums, using online tools to facilitate writing, collaboration, and discussion requires attention to the planning and structure of these activities in order for them to be successful. In addition, it is important to match the proper tool to these online activities. In this section of the web site, therefore, we will propose general guidelines for effective online writing and discussion projects, and an overview of the different communication tools available and some of their associated pedagogical functions.
Both research and anecdotal evidence has demonstrated that online tools can improve student writing, critical skills, and participation. In particular, online forums provide a means for students to be reflective about both their own work and that of their peers. It also allows students who are unlikely to participate in in-class discussions to interact with their peers in a formal setting. More...
Asynchronous tools are those which users post to and the post is read and replied to later. The most popular asynchronous tool is email, but others include listservs (automated email lists), bulleting boards (where users can see the entire list of postings on a browser), newsgroups, blogs, and wikis. More...
Web-based synchronous communication (online communication which occurs in real time) has become commonplace over the past five years. A number of commercial “chat” tools such as AOL Instant Messenger, are regularly used for formal and informal synchronous communication. Course management software, such as Illinois Compass, also provide chat functions which allow for the transmission of images, simultaneous viewing of “whiteboard” drawings, and shared Internet browsing as well as text-based communication. More...
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