Cole, Jennie (2009, February). Keep Them Chatting. Learning & Leading with Technology, Retrieved 02/15/09, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200902/
This article contains excellent ideas to encourage meaningful online discussions, aka chats. Although this topic is somewhat foreign to me, I still found it to be another great information resource to incorporate into the classroom. The title of the article lends itself to the importance of finding a relevant and thought-provoking avenue for students to adopt when interacting online. In doing so, students will not only find their chats engaging, but also relevant and interesting. Teaching these collaboration strategies imparts lifelong learning skills.
Question #1:
Why are these instructional strategies so important?
The number of students taking online courses is continually growing. Developing these types of strategies will help guide the increasing numbers of students embarking on the online bandwagon. Giving specific parameters regarding the project requirements alleviates the tendency to veer off-course. Without these parameters, students may lose sight of the goal of the project. Using the “illogical comparisons” strategy causes students to think outside the box and engage in brainstorming that essentially takes them to an entirely new level of thinking and learning.
Question #2:
What age/grade level can best use these instructional strategies?
The specific strategies in this article are geared toward the middle school and higher grade levels. K-8th grades are less likely to enroll in online courses overall, but finding age-appropriate guidelines is nevertheless important in guiding positive online interaction and collaboration.
This article contains excellent ideas to encourage meaningful online discussions, aka chats. Although this topic is somewhat foreign to me, I still found it to be another great information resource to incorporate into the classroom. The title of the article lends itself to the importance of finding a relevant and thought-provoking avenue for students to adopt when interacting online. In doing so, students will not only find their chats engaging, but also relevant and interesting. Teaching these collaboration strategies imparts lifelong learning skills.
Question #1:
Why are these instructional strategies so important?
The number of students taking online courses is continually growing. Developing these types of strategies will help guide the increasing numbers of students embarking on the online bandwagon. Giving specific parameters regarding the project requirements alleviates the tendency to veer off-course. Without these parameters, students may lose sight of the goal of the project. Using the “illogical comparisons” strategy causes students to think outside the box and engage in brainstorming that essentially takes them to an entirely new level of thinking and learning.
Question #2:
What age/grade level can best use these instructional strategies?
The specific strategies in this article are geared toward the middle school and higher grade levels. K-8th grades are less likely to enroll in online courses overall, but finding age-appropriate guidelines is nevertheless important in guiding positive online interaction and collaboration.
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