e- communication an introduction to on-line forums in the classroom presented by leanna prater and...
TRANSCRIPT
E- Communication
An Introduction to On-Line Forums in the Classroom
Presented by Leanna Prater and Jeff JonesDistrict Technology Resource Teachers
Fayette County Public SchoolsLexington, KY
What is a forum? Technologically speaking:
A forum is an interactive environment where people can discuss topics.
Who uses forums?
• Teachers
• Students
• Other professionals
• Administration
How will using forums impact student achievement?
• Participation of all students
• Meet learning styles
• In depth thinking
• Motivation
Participation of all students
• Teacher required• Log of who has participated• Shyness• Willingness to participate – “think
before I speak” and edit response..
Meeting Learning Styles
• Visual Learners
• Tactile/ Kinesthetic
• Auditory
In Depth Thinking
• Question your students.
• Challenge students to question themselves .
• Challenge students to question each other.
Motivation
• Safe environment
• Uses technology
• Feels like “chatting”
Where can I find Fayette County’s Forum?
• http://teach.fcps.net/forum/
Getting students enrolled
• TRT and the spreadsheet
• Enroll them yourself
• Have students enroll themselves
Getting Started
Deciding on how to use the forum environment
• Discussion platform• Small group work/projects• Joint projects with other classes• Joint projects with specialists• other
Setting up the forum
• General Guidelines for your students
• AUP form/student work w/ name permission
• Making things sticky
Posting
New Topics
and
Replying to Topics Posted
Tools
DeleteEdit
Reply with a quote
ProfileProfile
Lesson Plansand
Projects
US Regions ProjectWebsite: http://teach.fcps.net/trt14/usregions.htm
4th Grade students in Lexington communicated with students in Wyoming,
Alaska, Texas and Illinois about the similarities and differences of the US Regions. Students were “experts” on
where they lived and shared that information with others in the forum.
Finding Contacts
• E-mailed people I know
• Listservs such as Edtech
• Internet research- elementary schools in states> e-mailed 4th grade teachers and tech teachers
• Riverdeep Classroom Flyer
KY Regions ProjectWebsite: http://teach.fcps.net/trt14/kentucky/kentucky.htm
• 4th grade students across Kentucky will discuss the similarities and differences about the regions of Kentucky.
• Project is just beginning. Registration is still open.
Lesson Plans
• General Template for Lesson Plans
• Language Arts
• Social Studies
Assessments
Assessments
• Rubric
• Scoring Guide
Research on Peer Conferencing Within a Forum
Research
How do revision skills of classes using the Forum for peer conferencing in writing compare to those that peer conference in a traditional way in the classroom?
Research Procedure
• 5th Grade Classes at 2 Schools• Feature Articles and Short Stories• Students were trained on the environment
prior to research• Students copied/pasted work in forum as
well as typed directly in forum using a new topic for each writing piece.
• Students edited piece directly in forum• Students commented on peer work
The Data
Replies To Writing
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Student
Num
ber o
f rep
lies
to w
ritin
g
Number of Replies
Readings
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Student
Num
ber o
f tim
es re
ad
Number of Read
Findings
• Control Group averaged 2 “conference” times
• Variable Group averaged 5.56 “conference” times
• Control Group averaged 2 times the piece was read
• Variable Group averaged 24.39 times read (inflated number due to forum environment).
• Variable Group averaged 55.5% edited within the forum.
Other Findings
• Students do not know how to conference on writing pieces.
• Teachers needed more instruction on use of the environment
• Limited computer time
• Students lacked keyboarding skills
Theories and Thoughts on Writing within a forum
• Teachers can assign other teachers as writing mentors. Conferencing within a forum can occur at anytime.
• Log of postings• Evidence of editing• Ease of copying and pasting from Microsoft Word• Students must rely on their own skills for spelling
and grammar (forum doesn’t support)• Teachers can post “general” directions to for all
students• Students have an audience for their writing
Ideas for Integration
Language Arts
• Literature Circles
• Reviews
• Comparing texts
• Reading buddies/ Pair with another class to discuss
• Conferencing on Writing
Science
• Discuss “big ideas”
• Links to current topics
• Ask an expert
• Communicate for group projects
Social Studies
• Discuss the “big idea”
• Projects – Culture Studies
• A new look at regions/ pairing classrooms from outside Fayette County
• KY Regions Projecthttp://teach.fcps.net/trt14/kentucky.html
Math
• Ask an expert
• Open ended math problems
• Math question of the week
The Arts and Humanities
• Invite a special area teacher to post questions for students to consider before going to class.
• Discuss art work, music, drama, etc. with links.
Thanks for coming!Need additional information…
EMAIL: [email protected]
WEB PAGEShttp://teach.fcps.net/trt14
http://teach.fcps.net/forum