I was just thinking of those wonderful discussion board posts that we all do for our classes. In a few hundreds words... explain or articulate this or that. Honestly, it takes me at least a good hour or so to write a good post. I am not talking about the first bit of nonsense that comes to mind; I am talking about thoughtful prose that really answers the questions posed by the instructors.
There a few things about those posts I must dwell upon. First, I wonder how many of our classmates read them? If the responses received are any indication, not many. Second, am I the only one spending quality time with them? It seems that posts come easier to others. One classmate said they spend about 15 minutes on a post. Last, are these posts really a good substitution for classroom interaction? My guess is no. That post that took me an hour to write would have only taken me 3-4 minutes in class to articulate. Moreover, I would have seen the expressions on my classmates' faces instead of wondering if anyone even "heard" me.
Discussion board posts are great; however, I think it would be better if we moved toward "audio" posts--audio messages recorded and posted by students. This would take less time and do a better job recreating the characteristics of classroom interaction.
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Discussion posts
at 8:04 PM
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1 comments:
I'm so glad you brought this up! Right now, I'm finishing up what I can through Regent distance ed. I love the interaction with my classmates, especially out-of-area ones, but I really miss the face-to-face of a true classroom discussion. Like you, it takes me awhile to write a post that meets the writing criteria vs. articulating a point in person and getting instant feedback. I don't like the idea of doing it via voice - but if we could do classes with webcams... that might be fun. The problem is being online when others are online. I do my most productive work after my family is in bed.
So - Kyle! Be the first to invent an alternative!!!! :o)
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