Even in the Classical age, Forums were a cross-roads place; an intersect of ideas, concepts, and opinions. These were discussed and debated among the people. Forums have come a long way since then, and the form in which they exist now is much different. They are a virtual place, not something built of words and stone. Luckily, we don't have to don a toga or assassinate an emperor to experience a Forum. The main points are still the same though: they are still a common ground for people to express their ideas and opinions, to have intelligent debates and discussions.
So how does this antiquated idea fit into the modern classroom? Online message boards and forums provide more than just discussions. It's a virtual twist on a 'back to basics' model. Having a space set aside for open discussion and debates can be community building, creating engaging interaction on a more intellectual level, due to the student's ability to edit a thought before posting. Preformance Anxiety when it comes to class debates? this is one way to lessen that. It's a place for collaborative learning, because everyone's opinion is heard, not shouted over, and it's all in print for students to read, review, and read again. It develops written communication skills, and writing fluency, while encouraging out-of-the-box thinking. One way in which this updated back-to-basics trumps it's older competition? Flexibility - it's accessible from any computer, so nothing 'funny' can happen on the way to the forum. No virtual dog can eat a student's virtual thread reply.
However, that isn't to say it doesn't carry risks. Assassination attempts on emperors aside, in this virtual world, there are all sorts of virtual ways for things to go wrong, and assassinations aren't just carried out with knives, and don't always end in murder. Online bullying is something every teacher should be on the watch for. Even on the web, this is a difficult issue, and educators should be aware that the best way to prevent it is to keep a carefully moderated board, and discuss in class behaviours that are acceptable. It's important to keep tabs on which students are using which usernames. Flaming, or responding insultingly and negatively to a post, can be the onset, or a product of online bullying, or it may just be arguments and debates growing increasingly heated. In this case, the same thing is required of the teacher, keep a close eye on your boards, and moderate strictly and accordingly. When a teacher doesn't, it can do the exact opposite of what it should. It can pull a community apart by polarizing it on an issue, it can deaden creative thinking for fear of getting flamed or bullied, squelch intelligent conversation, and so forth. There is also the question of availability of computers for students. Some do not have access to computers from their homes, and may find it difficult to participate. Scheduling class time to access message boards is important.
The following is a list of ways one might use message boards to enrich student learning:
- Write a story together online: everyone creates a character and posts with others to create a story. (this can be used to enhance written fluency, increase creativity, and teach story components - use a typical play-by-post moderated RPG format)
- Online debate: the class is broken off into teams which debate a certain position (this can be used to enhance written fluency, reduce preformance anxiety, increase research skills, and positional writing skills)
- Novel Study: Students discuss parts of the novel that interest them (this can create lively debates, intellectual discussions, and increase peer learning)
- Class Project: Students and teacher could use boards to discuss the project, what to do, and how to accomplish it (especially useful if class project extends outside the classroom, like donating to a charity, increasing environmental awareness, etc)
- Peer-tutoring/mentoring: Students go to other students for help in school related issues, ie: class tutorial (increases sense of community, promotes interaction and peer learning, while improving student learning through utilizing different instructional methods)
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