Transcript Your PowerPoint Sucks! - Northern Arizona University

Designing Effective Online
Discussions
Linda S. Neff
Overview
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Why the online discussion?
How to clearly state discussion expectations?
How to write a good prompt?
How to establish an appropriate tone?
How to keep a discussion going?
Using ManyEyes to help you synthesize!
Why the Online Discussion?
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Establish a respectful, welcoming, safe, collaborative learning environment
Share your passion, interests, research to model the process and product
Nurture wonder and promote questioning
Clarify/think vocabulary or difficult concepts through examples (critical
thinking)
Question assumptions or misconceptions
Create a space for peer review on homework assignments
Help students define and share with their peers
Create a space where students apply practice in real-world applications
Student-led versus Instructor-facilitated discussions (Instructor-led implies
one to many conversation – desire many-to-many)
Welcome Forum
#1 Please introduce yourself to our virtual class. Be sure to include your
name, city/town you live in, name of school where you teach, grade
level and subject you teach. Include something exciting or unusual
about yourself. Once others have introduced themselves, be sure to
reply to at least two people with whom you have something in
common.
Share Your Passion/Selecting
a Research Topic
Whole Class Discussion: Do you have any bucket list items or places
where you would like to visit and know more about? You don’t have
to leave the United States AND it could be a place you have been
before and would like to return to. If so, post your ideas here. Next,
let’s explore these topics together. What are some of your peers’
interests, passions, and expertise? Do you know anything about the
topics, ideas, or places that your peers have shared? If so, share
away!
Bucket List Item: While I am avid knitter, I really want to go to the highlands of
Guatemala or the South American Andes and learn how to weave.
As a graduate student in Anthropology, I was originally interested in studying dry
farming methods in the American Southwest, but due to a lack of funding, I
decided to try something different. Next, I took a South American
archaeology course. I was inspired by a junior faculty member to study the
role of cotton in South America, and I wrote my first informative paper about
the topic. Cotton is an amazing plant because not only can you eat it, but you
can also store it, trade it, spin it, weave or knit it, sell it, or wear it. As a
knitter, I am also fascinated with wool. Because I am joining the Foothill
Ecuador Program this summer, which takes place in the Ecuadorian Andes, I
would like to know more about wool and textile production in the area where
the project will take place. I think I will focus my research on Incan textile
production.
Nurture Wonder and
Promote Questioning
Anthropology in the News
Whole Class Discussion (Weekly) – Direct students to the “Anthropology in the
News” Web site maintained by the Anthropology Department at Texas A&M
University <http://anthropology.tamu.edu/news/> Discuss real issues, real
events, and real people that increase background knowledge, arouse
curiosity, and foster questioning – use questions from the book if you can.
Coding Text
Whole Class Discussion Student-led Discussions – As you read your text, I
encourage you to use sticky notes to keep track (in your field notebook) of
any questions you might have while you are reading. Post your questions
here, and we will all try to work together to answer them.
Student Generated Burning Questions
Whole Class Student-led Discussion - As you participate in the class activities, I
encourage you to keep track (in your field notebook) of any burning
questions that you plague you. For each module, your group will be
responsible for posting 1 - 3 sincere burning questions about your readings or
any other content that we are covering. The students that are not in your
group are responsible for replying to at least one of the questions, and
engaging in discussion for the selected question by posting to at least two
peer responses.
Create a Space Where Students Apply
Practice and Share with their Colleagues
How does keeping a notebook or journal help middle-level students grow
as writers? If you already have incorporated this practice into your
classroom, share your management strategies with your colleagues
(where you store the notebooks, when and how often students write
in them, how the students use the notebooks with regard to other
writing assignments, if and how you evaluate them, etc.).
Instructor led vs. Student led
Discussions
Instructor led
– Instructor “facilitates the conversation in order to keep
it on track”
– Establishes appropriate tone
– Encourages participation
– Does not respond to every post
Student led Discussions
• Need to provide instructions on how to lead a
discussion.
• Define roles and expectations
– Managing Student Roles in BbLearn Handout
• Be explicit!
Clearly State Discussion
Expectations
• Students must post an initial response to the
discussion question by a specific due date.
• Students must respond at least 2 times on 3
separate days of the weekly session.
• Use a discussion rubric that clearly identifies a
substantive post.
– Clearly State Discussion Expectations Handout
Writing a Good Online
Discussion Prompt
• Make discussions meaningful (student choice,
experiences, relevant to their lives)
• Keep the question short and purposefully vague.
• Try to link the student’s education, prior knowledge, and
personal experience into the course content.
• End-of-chapter discussion or review questions often do
NOT make good online discussion questions, but they can
make good journal questions.
– Getting a Discussion Going Handout
Sample Discussion Prompts
• Could you eat raw liver for your next meal? Is it
possible for anyone to set aside all of their
ethnocentric attitudes?
• What is one behavior or value that is part of your
culture? Do you personally behave in this way or
live by this value? Can you think of a behavior or
value that is part of your culture that you
personally do not conform to?
Establishing an Appropriate
Online Tone
• Text-based Medium
• Subject, purpose, audience, and context
• Establish a tone that deepens student
learning
• Lack of body language could result in
miscommunications
– Establishing an Appropriate Online Tone Handout
Taken from http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/fab/lowres/fabn16l.jpg on June 26, 2008.
Selecting a Tone that
Supports Reflection
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Tones are selected based on specific context
Participants love variety
Selected Tone = Critical Reflection
Do NOT select a voice for personal expression
Select a tone that motivates learners
Taken from
http://www.cartoonstock.com/blowup_stock.asp?imageref=dcrn9&artist=Carpenter,+Dave&topic=communication+Technol
ogy on June 26, 2008.
Useful Facilitator Tones
• Nurturing
• Humorous
• Imaginative
• Neutral
• Curious
• Analytical
• Informal
• Whimsical
Tones to Avoid
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Sarcastic
Threatening
Bitter
Devil’s Advocate (typically moves an active
dialogue away from inquiry and into a defensive
position).
The WRITE Way
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Warm
Responsive
Inquisitive
Tentative
Empathetic
Warm
• Include information about the setting from which
you are writing (weather, house, office)
• Use emoticons judiciously to add warmth. 
• Use correct grammar and mechanics to show
thoughtfulness.
• Feel free to play with language to sound like you
might speak.
Responsive
• Give consistent and timely feedback.
• Clearly state feedback response times at the
beginning of the course.
• 24-hour response times are preferable for
personal, technical, and assignment questions.
Inquisitive
• Ask questions; avoid statements.
• Questions engage and disarm students.
• Show interest in student’s ideas by restating their
ideas and then asking questions.
• New information will surface and help the
student deepen their learning.
Tentative
• Be tentative and ask for clarification.
• Tentativeness reduces defensiveness.
• Use “I statements” to show your tentative
attitude.
• Sometime absolute statements are necessary
(such as when you have to restate the course late
policy or any other policy for that matter).
Empathetic
• Be inquisitive to learn about your students.
• Put yourself in your student’s position.
• Ask questions to learn more about your students.
How often do I need to
respond?
• If you find yourself replying to every single
students’ post (and you are repeating yourself),
do you think the discussion area is the most
appropriate form of communication?
– Weekly Announcement
– Discussion Reflection
Encourage Participation –
ABC Method
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Share a related experience
Comment on others' experiences
Ask others questions about their ideas/experiences
Take an idea being discussed, and offer a different perspective on it.
Describe an interesting idea from the week's reading and explain what insights you
gained from it.
Ask the group a question about the week's reading if there is something you would
like more information on.
Disagree (respectfully) with a point that someone else made.
Discuss a related work issue that you would like some feedback on.
Describe how you have applied the recent course concepts to your
personal/professional life.
Share another resource you've used as you explored the course topics.
Encouraging Participation Handout
Full Spectrum Questioning
Techniques
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“So what?” questions
Questions that clarify meaning
Questions that explore assumptions and sources
Questions that identify cause and effect
Questions that plan a course of action
Steps for Composing a Good
Landscape Post
• What are the learners’ ideas?
• What do I think the group needs to pursue in
more depth?
• What behaviors do I want to model and/or
encourage?
• How do I think my readers will perceive my post?
ManyEyes Demonstration
• http://www958.ibm.com/software/data/cognos/manyeyes/
Sample Online Discussion – Show
Textpad – Show
ManyEyes Handout
In Closing
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Define the purpose of your discussion
Clearly state your expectations
Write a good discussion prompt
Be positive, warm, responsive, inquisitive, tentative, and
empathetic
• Use landscape posts and full spectrum questioning
techniques for interventions.
• Avoid summarizing