Journal 3: "Keep them Chatting" (NETS 1, 3, and 5)

Cole, Jeanie (Feb 09). Keep them Chatting. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved 2/15/09, from http://www.learningandleading/- digital.com/learning_leading/200902/

"Keep them Chatting" is an article addressing student engagement and participation levels in online k-12 classes. The author suggests four instruction strategies she has found useful to facilitate learning and good energy inside her online classrooms. These four strategies are described as high-level-open ended questions, the inquiry method, the discrepant event inquiry method, and using illogical comparisons. By asking the group very open ended questions and choosing assignments that require a more thoughtful process to complete, students are encouraged to think beyond what they may be able to copy and paste from online resources.

My fiancé is currently taking a few business technology classes through the University of Phoenix online. It's a great way for working adults to add to their education and scope of skills directly from the convenience of home. I have been impressed so far by the types of assignments his classes are requiring, however I did observe one very counterproductive experience. The students are asked to make daily comments to each other's postings, opinions, reading responses, and assignments. In theory this is valuable, however we noticed how quickly constructive criticism in the online forum can be construed as very negative and almost rude. The online student thread became quite heated and students were feeling defensive. The instructor needed to step in and address the peer response objectives so that a positive learning environment could be recovered. After reading this article it is clear that online classes need to be carefully constructed and the teaching techniques are extremely different than those you would encounter face to face in the traditional classroom.

Question 1: In regards to technology, how would your elementary school education have been different if you were going to school now instead of in the 80's?

Answer 1: Wow, it would have been incredibly different because we didn't even have computers in class when I went to school. We had a computer lab in the library and they were huge. We worked with real floppy disks and had to type in codes to get in and work. We would go to the library and play "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?"

Question 2: When grading student assignments in online forums, what type of things could a teacher look for that would suggest original work?

Answer 2: A teacher would want to create assignments similar to those described in the article. Encouraging thinking beyond what a student may read online requires one's interpretation of research and a process of learning beyond reiterating facts.