Post - The Eighth

Discussion Boards

Using discussion boards is a really good way of reflecting and commenting on other people's opinions and ideas. We used a discussion board to comment on an activity where we had to comment on graphs.

Using a discussion board in this way allowed us to not only post our own findings but also look at other people's findings. This was a great tool in cooperative learning as we were able to see which aspects we may have missed off our own graphs.

Discussion boards can also be used in this way in the classroom. They would allow children to post their own views and comment on other people's. Group work is a very important strategy used in the classroom today and perhaps these discussion boards create a different opportunity for group discussion. Perhaps these would be more effective with shyer children.

However; in using the discussion board I am sceptical about how much they can be used. I think verbal discussion is far more effective and instantaneous as you don't have to wait for someone to make a post. They are perhaps therefore more relevant when used in a social context like Facebook than in the classroom environment.