Sitting on the Virtual Porch

Sitting on the Virtual Porch:

What Impact Do Opportunities for Digital Dialogue Have on Student Engagement in Middle Schools?

“The best thing about Blackboard, in my opinion, is the Descussion Board. We could talk to other people about science and opinions, at home, in an organized format. It was very fun to do that, especially when you couldn't even see anybody.” –Tommy, age 11

In January of 2004, we were introduced to Blackboard, an interactive web platform provided to all Wake County Public School teachers. Using Blackboard, teachers could create online quizzes and surveys, post PowerPoint presentations for students to review, send out and collect assignments created electronically, create a classroom calendar, and generate statistics related to web usage and student performance.

The most intriguing feature that Blackboard offers are discussion forums where teachers and students can participate in electronic conversations related to classroom content. These conversations are appealing to us because they enable students to develop a comfort level with technology as a tool for collaboration. These opportunities, we believe, are essential because electronic communication has become an increasingly common tool used by businesses in many fields. By engaging students as active members of “digital communities,” we are preparing them to be successful in the work environments of the future.

We also feel strongly that the collaborative aspects of technology have gone overlooked in the school setting for far too long. Significant investments have been made in the kinds of technology available in most classrooms yet the uses for that technology have remained limited and basic. While businesses move forward with digital dialogue—and while children are increasingly comfortable “sitting on virtual porches”—schools remain places where electronic conversations are seldom seen. Our goal has been to make “digital literacy” an essential part of our classroom and curriculum.

Findings:

After nearly two years of facilitating online conversations that over 85 percent of our students have visited (logging nearly 100,000 hits) the evidence collected initially indicates that:

1. Middle grades students are motivated by electronic conversations and will participate in structured discussions on school-related content when such opportunities are provided: The sheer volume of hits to our electronic conversations by our students indicates that children are comfortable with and excited by the opportunity to participate in online discussions at an early age. Technology is a tool that they have been familiar with for years, and there is little intimidation of digital communication.

With instant messaging becoming increasingly common, many children have been introduced to and have participated in electronic conversations outside of school. In fact, students (as opposed to their teachers) tend to view electronic conversation as interactive and engaging despite the physical isolation of the participants. As one student said, “I like the discussion (sic) boards because I think it is a fun and interesting way to get ideas and communicate with the classmates. This way we have a good time and learn a good deal.”

1. Electronic conversations provide an “equalizing opportunity” for students who are typically disenfranchised: One of our most interesting findings was that students who are socially, academically, or economically isolated participate in electronic conversations at higher rates than they participate in classroom conversations. Almost 80% of our students from disadvantaged backgrounds or from low performing subgroups participated in our electronic conversations—a far higher rate of participation than we typically see in classroom conversations.

1. Electronic conversations stimulated a larger social network in our classrooms: While teachers often work diligently to build a sense of community in middle school classrooms, often that “community” is limited to a small group of students who interact with one another throughout the course of the year. In our discussion forums, however, we saw students engaging with others outside of their normal peer groups. It was not uncommon for children who had never met or had a meaningful encounter in person to carry on an extended conversation electronically. This increase in “social connection” between our students was something that surprised us because it seemed to indicate that digital dialogue breaks down traditional social barriers that exist between students in a classroom setting.

1. Middle grades girls, who face social pressures to conform, engage in electronic conversations at higher rates than they participate in classroom conversations: Middle school is a time of great turmoil for many students. Caught in a constant struggle to be accepted by peers, children spend significant time worrying about fitting in. Standing out is seen as threatening, and risking the public ridicule of other students is intimidating. Students seen as “different” are frequently socially isolated, locked out of peer groups and left alone by other children.

This fear of social isolation is especially prevalent for middle school girls. The pressures faced by girls can often be overwhelming, with social dynamics involved in nearly every decision. Self-awareness is high, and girls are often hypersensitive to the reactions of classmates and friends. The search for acceptance is a key factor in the lives of most young ladies. This struggle for acceptance can lead to an unwillingness to participate in classroom discussions and activities. Many girls would rather sit silent than risk making a perceived error in front of their peers.

The electronic discussion forums provided an outlet for students who were afraid to participate in class or who had been socially isolated by their peers. Because posting could be done anywhere—and in a semi-anonymous way—there was little risk of public ridicule for comments. Also, students had the time to carefully think through ideas before posting them. “I like having the time to think before I speak,” said one student, “In class, I always get flustered trying to share my thoughts. That doesn’t happen online.”

Created by Bill Ferriter

Tools for Hosting Digital Discussions

There are many tools available to teachers interested in creating asynchronous discussion forums for their students. They include:

Tool / Advantages / Disadvantages /
Blackboard: Web based platform that includes discussion board capabilities
http://www.blackboard.com/us/index.Bb / ·  Discussion board communities do not overwhelm participants with email communication.
·  Conversations are asynchronous, allowing participants to choose the time and place that they will participate.
·  Conversations can be archived, becoming reference tools for future participants.
·  A very intuitive program that is easy to use.
·  Provides opportunities for link and document sharing. Also provides tools for surveying participants. / ·  Because participants must choose to visit the support community, participation levels are generally lower than groups that are based on email mailing lists.
·  There is no face-to-face or voice over Internet capabilities currently built into Blackboard. The strictly digital nature of Blackboard communities, therefore, doesn’t always appeal to older participants or participants who value more “human” interactions.
·  Blackboard is not a free application. Instead, districts would have to invest in Blackboard access for teachers. Wake County already offers Blackboard access to classroom teachers.
Tapped In: Web based platform that includes discussion board capabilities.
http://www.tappedin.org / ·  Provides the same technological tools as Blackboard. Discussion boards are the primary communication tool. Document and link sharing tools are available to participants. Archiving of conversations is also possible.
·  In addition, Tapped In allows for instant messaging capabilities. Members can “meet” at specific times and engage in real-time electronic conversations.
·  Tapped in allows participants to receive email digests of discussion board posts, effectively notifying members of new information shared.
·  Is a free service offered to educational professionals. / ·  There is no voice over Internet capabilities built into Tapped In, taking away a “human” element that many participants may value.
Nicenet: Web based platform that includes discussion board capabilities.
http://www.nicenet.org/ / ·  Provides the same technological tools as Blackboard. Discussion boards are the primary communication tool. Document and link sharing tools are available to participants. Archiving of conversations is also possible.
·  Is a free service offered to educational professionals. / ·  There is no voice over Internet capabilities built into Nicenet, taking away a “human” element that many participants may value.
Email Mailing Lists: Communication can be developed using simple email mailing list technology. / ·  Participants will not have to learn new technology skills to join community.
·  Conversations are asynchronous and appear immediately in participants’ inboxes. This often encourages involvement.
·  Technology costs are negligible. / ·  Mail volume can often be overwhelming to some participants.
·  Lack of “human touch” can be unappealing to all but the most committed members of the group.
·  Little potential for archiving information or organizing collected thoughts in an efficient manner.
·  All students must have access to an email account.
·  Technology is unappealing to today’s digital students.

Created by Bill Ferriter

Tips to Remember When Posting

When participating in digital conversations, there are four main types of comments that you might make. They are:

Starter Comments:

Sometimes you will start brand new strands of conversation in a digital forum. When you do, it is important to include a starter comment to focus the thinking of other readers. Starter comments should include enough detail and elaboration to get your readers thinking about your topic. If you are talking about a particular article that you’ve found online, include a link so that your readers can see what you’re referring to.

Starter comments also need to include at least one or two really interesting questions to encourage other readers to reply! Starter comments without good questions are really endings, aren’t they?

Here’s an example of a starter comment:

Hey Guys,
One of my favorite questions from yesterday's seminar was who is more important? Galileo or Martin Luther? Which of them had a greater impact on the world? Which of them changed lives the most?
Remember to add lots of detail to your thinking! Defend your position with details. An opinion is never right or wrong, but it is good and bad depending on your details.
Happy thinking,
Mr. F

Kicker Comments:

Sometimes, you’ll find that you are the first person to add comments to a thread started by another participant—or you might have a completely original idea about a thread that no one else has brought up yet. These types of comments are called kicker comments because they “kick off” a new line of conversation. When making a kicker comment, it is important to copy and paste a bit of the original comment that you are replying to so that other readers can follow what you’re talking about.

It is also important to remember to respond to any questions asked by the participant you are replying to. By doing so, you show that you’ve listened to their point of view—which makes anyone in a conversation feel good, right? Finally, it is important to finish kicker comments with interesting questions that will encourage other participants to speak up!

Here’s an example of a kicker comment:

Good thinking! I feel that Martin Luther is more important because he stood up. I only feel this way because when he stood up, it caused more people to realize how important it is to stand up foryour beliefs. Many people started to think clearly after Martin stood up.
If Martin Luther hadn't stood up, would Galileo ever dare to go against the thoughts of the Catholic church? Couldn't the church just rewrite the Bible differently? Would anyone else stand up if it wasn't for Martin Luther?

Pushback Comments:

Sometimes, you’ll want to respond to something that another participant has said in a thread of conversation. You may agree with something that they’ve said and want to add more elaboration. You may disagree with something they’ve said and want to challenge their thinking. These kinds of comments are called push-backs. In a pushback comment, it is important to quote the person who you are responding to so that other viewers will know what has caught your attention. It is also important to elaborate on your point of view and to disagree agreeably! Impolite people are never influential.

I’m completely torn between who is more important. I sort of agree with Daniel, but Galileo did a lot to change history too. I also disagree with Daniel though when he wrote, “I just think that standing up wasn’t the smart thing to do at the diet of worms. If he did die, and wasn’t kidnapped by Frederick the Wise then he wouldn’t be able to translate the bible in German so other people could read it.”
I think someone else would eventually go against the Church.
When Galileo recanted, did that make him a chicken or did it make him wise? What if Galileo didn’t recant? Would something else influence Isaac Newton to study the laws of gravity if Galileo didn’t write the book, “On Motion,” because he was dead since he recanted?
I have a lot of questions but it would take awhile to type all of them.

Answering Comments:

Sometimes, you’ll want to answer a question that another participant has asked in a threaded conversation. Their question may have been directed right to you, or may have been asked to the group as a whole. Responding to questions is incredibly important in a digital conversation because it lets participants know that their ideas are valuable and interesting. Responding to questions helps to keep electronic conversations moving forward and interesting.

Caylin said: “Martin Luther was more important. He stood up when he knew he was going to die. That’s bravery.”
I totally agree with you Caylin, I think that Martin Luther was more important because he stood up even though he was sure he was going to die. Galileo proved many things throughout his life and yet did not have the guts or courage to stand up and say what he believed in. I am not sure but maybe he knew what he wasgoing to do after he recanted or not.
Martin Luther was the first to say, “Hey peasants, you have the right to question people and speak freely.” MartinLuther was the first to stand up to theCatholics. Do you thinkthat made it easer for Galileo to do it since it has already been done? All of this thinking has got me wondering would any of this happen without Johnny Guttenberg and the printing press.
Just think the information would not have been spread so would he not have anyone on his side and be silenced?

Remember that you should proofread your comments for spelling and grammar errors! Any time you post a comment that is poorly written, you cheapen your ideas. Digital forums are not places for instant message language.

Created by Bill Ferriter