Using Online Forums in the Classroom: Don't Be Afraid of Technology

OMG. LOL. IDK. Tired of hearing these little texting and Internet abbreviations in class? As an English teacher, trying to get students to appreciate Shakespeare and the advantages of knowing how to write persuasively, these simple, terrible grammatical responses can be a nightmare. Students are often more interested in their email and text messages than what Chaucer or Dumas wrote about hundreds of years ago. But, don't let the Internet get you down, use it. I'm sure you will find that it makes classes much more enjoyable for your students and sparks some pretty great online discussion.

I have advanced, gifted eighth grade students. We had been working on reading Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and using reciprocal teaching techniques. I started the students off easy with the first section of the book as they explored how to write good questions, summaries, and predictions. We then moved to literature circles where they taught each other. But for the last part of the book I had an idea. Why not use a message board to get them into the discussion? I created a Yahoo! message board and told the students they had to post at least five, meaningful questions or responses in order to gain credit. I would not dictate what they said or how they said it, only check that it was quality and it was done. This gave the students the opportunity to practice what they had learned in a controlled environment that they could also enjoy.

The message board worked miracles. As a teacher, it's always difficult to get students to respond in class. You always have the reluctant talkers. The forum is a great tool because it allows the students that are too embarrassed to talk, to have a voice without the intimidation. Everyone has a say and everyone has an opportunity to share. The students don't see it as homework because they get to get online and post answers and questions and love to be able to look over what everyone else was doing. My students responded very positively to the assignment and we are going to keep using the message board to keep in communication about assignments and discussions in the future.

Keep in mind that using the Internet in the classroom does come with its complications. Make sure that anything you use is private and that you have parent permission. This will prevent outside forces from joining in and the possibilities of problems like Internet predators, vulgar elements, and other such things that will only cause harm.

Other ideas for using the Internet is research, an online calendar, a teacher web page, an online classroom where you post quizzes, assignments, polls, questions, etc. There are so many possibilities and your students will love it. I know mine did. So, the next time you hear that irritating online chat, use it, don't scoff. Your students will be more engaged, excited, and you'll be surprised at what they come up with.