|
|
Discussion Forum
 Check out this fascinating peek into an English classroom over the past 3 years! Though
you won’t be able to register for the forum or write responses, you can
read about the kinds of issues that one teacher has dealt with. Though the teacher’s name is visible, the rest of the class uses pseudonyms. Technology is changing the way we distribute learning and when it happens!
http://pkgibsondodds.7.forumer.com/index.php
We've been operating discussion forums since our very own Paul Shamchuk
introduced them to us in 2004, mostly with our Grade 12 students.
The purpose for these discussions is much larger than we can imagine,
so in the spirit of adventure, knowing that adventures bring both
surprises and understanding, we began a number of forums. Students are asked to create a "code name" for themselves so they can protect their identity; thus, the only person who knows who they really are is the teacher. Students can only sign up and contribute to the forum if they have received permission from the site administrator.
Of late, we have been a bit irritated by some of the advertisements on
the forum and are considering going to a paid service that won't have
any advertising. This is down the road.
What we like about this forum is that it allows students to talk more
freely about their beliefs because they are anonymous: it allows some of
our quiet and/or shy students to speak their minds about something they
may not have felt comfortable discussing in class.
It also breaks the time barrier of the normal school day where students
can read, write, view and represent well after 2:30 when school is
finished. Our experience
suggests that these platforms are more popular at the beginning of the
year than the end of the year, but we've left almost all of the prior
years' entries on the forum for your browsing pleasure. (Warning! Plot will be revealed if you read the forums, especially the later entries in a certain thread!) What's interesting is when threads start to pop up like hydras here and there and everywhere! Phew! It can be a lot for a teacher to track! Though we do edit and correct, we have to be careful not to be seen as censors either; it is a fine balance. Students can create new threads themselves and talk about issues that are not related to English Language Arts per se.
This
is Scott's discussion forum for Grade 12 English 30-1 where students
are confronted with what I have called the central theme of the course,
that of blindness. The cave is a reference to Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" and students are encouraged to see connections between it, and the film, The Matrix, and of course, their own lives.
Because of the overwhelming volume of posts, I suggest you see how it's
organized –usually by text or unit– and note that every class has
what's affectionately referred to as "The Lounge."
Students are permitted to talk about anything in the lounge, providing
it's school appropriate and meets with the criteria set out in the
agreement they sign when they register with forumer. I think what present students would find interesting would be the FAQs on diploma exams.
PK Literature Lounge Index
http://pkpoetryforum.11.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=128
This is Paul's (pmschuk) discussion forum for his Grade 12 English 30-1AP and though all of the threads are presently "locked," meaning that no one can post comments here, it still is a wonderful resource for diploma exam questions and comments. He also has some great links that students can use for diploma study and preparation purposes!
Kite Runner Forum
http://kiterunner.8.forumer.com/
Three of our teachers taught the novel, Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and decided to weave three grade 12 classes together to share quotes and ideas about the novel.
Though we'd organize this differently next time, it still offered a
great opportunity for students to share different quotes and
perspectives on each of the different characters.
We've been operating discussion forums since our very own Paul Shamchuk
introduced them to us in 2004, mostly with our Grade 12 students.
The purpose for these discussions is much larger than we can imagine,
so in the spirit of adventure, knowing that adventures bring both
surprises and understanding, we began a number of forums. Students are asked to create a "code name" for themselves so they can protect their identity; thus, the only person who knows who they really are is the teacher. Students can only sign up and contribute to the forum if they have received permission from the site administrator.
Of late, we have been a bit irritated by some of the advertisements on
the forum and are considering going to a paid service that won't have
any advertising. This is down the road.
What we like about this forum is that it allows students to talk more
freely about their beliefs because they are anonymous: it allows some of
our quiet and/or shy students to speak their minds about something they
may not have felt comfortable discussing in class.
It also breaks the time barrier of the normal school day where students
can read, write, view and represent well after 2:30 when school is
finished. Our experience
suggests that these platforms are more popular at the beginning of the
year than the end of the year, but we've left almost all of the prior
years' entries on the forum for your browsing pleasure. (Warning! Plot will be revealed if you read the forums, especially the later entries in a certain thread!) What's interesting is when threads start to pop up like hydras here and there and everywhere! Phew! It can be a lot for a teacher to track! Though we do edit and correct, we have to be careful not to be seen as censors either; it is a fine balance. Students can create new threads themselves and talk about issues that are not related to English Language Arts.
|
