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The Complete Guide to:

Engaging Students with Online Discussions

a resource by

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Engaging the Modern Student ………………………………………3 2. Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks? ………………………………………………………..6 3. What are Discussions on Chalkup? ………………….…………………………………8 4. Using Discussions to Drive Engagement …….……………………………….……10 5. Addressing common concerns ….…………..………….………………………….……12 6. Embracing the Unknown …………..…………..………….…………………………..……15

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We’re all doing this for students… Our number one mission at Chalkup is to improve student outcomes. Everything that we do, from our product to our way of thinking is focused around outcomes. We care deeply about helping students achieve their goals, and most importantly to give students a vehicle to get "un-stuck".

Think back to when you first thought about teaching. How great would it be to have your students learn something and gain valuable knowledge from you? We believe that everyone is here for the good of the students. Sometimes people need a little reminder.

1. Engaging the Modern Student Teaching a student today is different. Teachers find themselves in a very precarious position, possibly more so than in any other time in the history of education. The rapidly changing landscapes of technology, education, and society in general has created a need for a new breed of teacher. Technological advances have rendered old methods, tools, and attitudes toward education nearly obsolete. Of course, there can still a place for the blackboard, chalk, paper, and pencil in the classroom, but it is time to realize that their role is diminished. 

None of this is to say that the essence of teaching has changed. Discipline and dedication are still critical elements of education, both on the part of teachers and students. But we live in a world where education is, sadly, considered by many students to be less of a privilege and more of an obligation.

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This generation of students are different. They are the ones raised on television instead of coloring books, grew up with computers instead of novels, and are transitioning to adulthood accompanied by smartphones and tablets. Their entire lives are on the internet, it’s where they keep whatever is precious to them - what better way to connect than to find them where they live?

There are those who would say that this is irrelevant to education, that there is no substitute for hardcopy textbooks and No.2 Ticonderoga pencils. Many would even compare technology to an epidemic, plaguing youth with constant stimulation, disrupting their development and distracting them from their studies. It is hard not to sympathize with these viewpoints. How can educators today possibly compete with Facebook, Netflix, and Xbox? Whether or not they believe this technology is a curse, the fact of the matter is that the virtual world exists in the lives of modern students and it is here to stay.

Smartphones and social networks like Facebook and Twitter allow us to connect with one another in an endless and constant fashion. While this does contribute to the problem teachers face with unengaged students, it can be turned into a benefit for educators. Many teachers, particularly in the humanities, prefer an open forum, where students share ideas, educate one another, and reach conclusions on their own or with a slight touch of guidance from the instructor. There is no reason that this format should be limited to inside the classroom. The tide of the educational landscape is shifting towards social learning, and as educators we don’t have to oppose this shift. Chalkup was built with all of this in mind. Here at Chalkup we realize the learning experience needs to be dynamic and personalized. We set out to create a collaborative learning experience in the classroom, with the goal of getting students more involved in their learning in order to improve outcomes.

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Teachers today face a critical decision.

Oppose the shift in education brought about by educational technology and risk losing the

attention of their students, or embrace it

and utilize social learning and the other modern technological resources at their disposal.

2. Can Older Dogs Teachers Learn New Tricks?

There are two different models that educators can go by: the teaching model, where the teacher knows important things and they want their students to leave their class knowing those important things; and the learning model. Every day, weather they are at school or at home, students discover and share knowledge, new learning is created, and students are fully engaged in the process.  Can older teachers learn new tricks?  Of course they can! 

Most teachers (new or experienced) when asked all agree that technology can enhance learning. Usually, these same teachers will have a difficult time incorporating technology in a meaningful way into their daily lessons. Technology is still often used as a gimmick to keep the students interested. Question. If you know that technology will increase student interest, why don’t teachers use it more often? Answer. Most teachers are unsure what tool(s) to use and feel uncomfortable using some technology that most young people seem more efficient using.   When selecting a tool, teachers need to ask themselves the purposes of using the tool. Entertaining students isn’t really enough. Michelle Pacansky-Brock identified the three functions of emerging technologies and the purposes for using tools.  

Three common functional uses of emerging technologies in learning are: 1 Enhancing interaction between you and your students and/or between

students themselves. 2 Creating online content for your class; for example, online presentations,

demonstrations, lectures 3 Creating a learning activity that integrates student-generated content and

or participatory learning

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In other words, the technological tool isn’t the answer. The question is, what do you want your students to be able to do? And, what tool can be used to enhance that learning experience?

Teachers must become comfortable with the technology they want to utilize and make sure it is increasing interaction and allows students to create content that they can share with one another or with everyone via the Internet. We strongly believe that all teachers are interested in student discovery, interaction, students creating and sharing new content and learning. The way to achieve this is through utilizing technology, project based learning, and a student-centered approach. You may not know what jobs you are trying to prepare your students for, but you do know that they need to be adaptable, they need to be cooperative, and they need to be able to utilize and adapt to emerging technologies.

Don’t let fear of the unknown bog you down and prevent you from adding new technology to your classes.  Besides the initial time investment setting up the first time, a digital discussion doesn’t have to be a burden. 

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3. What Are Discussions on Chalkup?

With Chalkup you can make your classes more open and connected, and bring every student into the conversation. Chalkup gets those burning questions in front of the whole class where everyone can work together and nobody’s voice goes unheard.

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It doesn’t matter if a student or a teacher starts a discussion, as soon as one begins everyone can participate and learn something new. The teacher has the ability to select their favorite comment and so does the author of the first post. Everyone can weight comments so you can even find the class favorite. And all of the comments are time stamped so you there’s no question on who answered first. And everything is done in real time.

Learning is constantly happening inside an active Chalkup Discussion. Whether it’s a burning question that a student just asked about The Great Gatsby that just got answered, a quick class poll on current events, or that perfect video to supplement today’s lesson, the class is never more active and connected than it is on Chalkup.

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4. Using Discussions to Drive Engagement Each student brings his or her own ideas, life experiences, and perspective to your classroom.  That’s the beauty of having a discussion: the more people participate, the more everyone learns.  Unfortunately, some students are more comfortable speaking up than others.  How do you get the quiet ones, the nervous ones, and the students who need a little more time, to be involved?  Here’s where an online discussion board can truly be transformative.

In-class discussions  Picture this: teacher asks a question to the whole group, something without a right or wrong answer.  For example, “What would you ask General Custer/ Pythagoras/ Copernicus if you had a chance?”  In class, someone would raise her hand quickly; you’d call on her and that first student response would guide the direction of all other answers.  Maybe you’ve been working on getting more people involved so you don’t call on the first few enthusiastic participants.  You wait a little, walk around the room, then call on a student who isn’t raising her hand.  Great teacher strategy except that it can be absolutely terrifying for some pupils, causing them to shut down—the exact opposite of what you’d hoped for. 

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Online discussions are different For the online discussion board, there’s no bonus for being first.  A second language learner can read the question, look up terms to make sure he understands what you are asking.  He can formulate and proofread an answer, then post it, without anyone seeing his process.  The confident and nervous students are on equal ground online; no one is louder than anyone else and all responses get aired.  How long you take to respond is no one’s business but the student himself. How about a learner who is bright and interesting in her written work and you wish she’d participate more during class time?  Discussion boards will be ideal for her to break through the social constraints keeping her quiet.  She’ll enjoy the chance to respond to what other students post, as she can see the weaknesses of their arguments.  Without the burden of unwanted attention, a shy student can show her knowledge and point an online discussion in the direction she’s interested in.

Using the right online tools is key If you use the discussion tools on Chalkup, you can do even more to promote involvement for the whole class.  You can select a student response as the one you most agree with.  Talk about a huge step in building self-assurance for the poster.  If you require interaction within the discussion board (and you should, to make it a real discussion rather than a void where comments go to die alone), quiet students can build relationships with their peers in a safe, non-threatening environment.  It may take time, but that level of increased comfort can carry over into your physical classroom.

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5. Addressing common concerns We’ve all heard horror stories about online bullying, hateful comments being sent to peers, forwarding pictures, who knows what else. Instructors are justified in being cautious about adding new online components to their classes—especially when things aren’t static and allow for students to interact. Chalkup has some excellent tools in place to alleviate your concerns so you can feel confident that a digital discussion board can be a safe environment that adds to learning, not distracts from it.

Inappropriate posts

Q: I’m worried that students will make fun of others, use bad language, or generally just get off task. How can I deal with messages that aren’t relevant to class?

Up front communication is a must for any new assignment. Your digital discussion board is no different, even if it seems simple. You need to set clear standards for what is and is not acceptable on the class board. These rules will differ from class to class, but can include something about only posting course related content or penalties for personal attacks.

A discussion board won’t be successful if students don’t feel safe using it: safe making mistakes, safe from harassment, and safe from general inappropriate content. Viewing the online discussion screen as a class and showing students what it will actually look like is a great start. Point out how posts can be flagged by those who view, and how you can delete posts. Make sure your learners understand that even if a comment is removed, it is still archived. If your campus has policies about cyberbullying, remind students that there are real life consequences for what they write online.

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Lack of participation

Q: The students seem to only do the minimum on the discussion board; they aren’t interacting with each other. All the great things I was hoping for aren’t happening!

There’s that old saying about leading a horse to water and it seems to apply to students as well. You can make your discussion board shiny and awesome and some learners still won’t participate. Keep in mind that you are asking for a whole different kind of class involvement: often after school, requiring concise thought, and in addition to their regular work. You can control this last issue most easily.

How about giving an option? Post a response to the discussion or do another, more difficult, assignment. There’s an incentive then. For the first few weeks of adding in this technology, students are still getting comfortable. Make sure the things you are talking about on the discussion board have value and aren’t just using tech for no real purpose.

Digital citizenship

Q: How can I teach students about online interactions? My discussion board isn’t public, but so many things are. If I’m doing something on the web I feel some responsibility for helping learners be smart about it.

Etiquette or manners is really what we’re talking about here. Those are the rules of polite society in different situations. No one is born knowing them—it takes direct instruction, practice, and lots of reminders before a child remembers to say thank you without being prompted. Same thing with digital citizenship. No matter your content area, if you are going online for your class, you are responsible to review proper conduct and safety. There

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are great resources available, like this list from Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/7-rules-to-teach-kids-online-etiquette). Your students should be fairly savvy about how to do things online but they may get caught up in the speed of things and not consider long term consequences of sharing so much without the rest of the world. Open up a dialog before diving into your digital discussion board so that your class members can get out their questions and understand your expectations. For some specific guidelines for discussion board, check out this sample list from Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/netiquette-guidelines).

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6. Embracing the Unknown Movies love to highlight the great parts of teaching, like classes with a dozen well-read and responsive students, all hanging on your every word.  And then standing on their desks shouting “Oh Captain, my captain!” Sounds like your every day, right?  Not quite.

There’s a lot of grunt work for teachers these days: administrative paperwork, meetings, not to mention actually assessing student work.  A well run online discussion can alleviate some of these burdens.  Adding something new might feel like more trouble than its worth, but soon your discussions will prove itself to be a time saver, not a time sucker.

Check for Understanding One of your key issues in planning is to know what students understand and what didn’t stick.  Discussion boards are great for this. Simply post a sample problem: an equation, thought exercise, or quick question.  Answers should reveal, fairly quickly, who knows what is going on and who doesn’t.  Digital discussion responses are well organized so that other students can chime in when there’s a question so you can mostly stay out of it.  Touch base once or twice to make sure answers are correct or point pupils in a more correct direction.  When students are in front of you, checking understanding means doing something thirty times.  On a discussion board, students can answer simultaneously or nearly so.

Use an “Assistant” Another way a digital discussion board can minimize your work load is if you delegate.  Have a bright student interested in your subject area?  Enlist her help as a second set of eyes online.  If you have an open post for talk about the homework assignment, a capable student can give help.  If many pupils are struggling with the same concept, your aide can give you a heads up. 

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She’s simply acting as a moderator, making sure those who answer a confused student are actually giving useful responses.  Your online assistant can function as a TA during school hours, setting things up on the discussion board, or can solely help after hours.  The possibilities are endless.

Grading Discussions don’t need to be an extra thing to grade.  You have a lot of choices here: participation points, extra credit, no points, points when you start using a discussion board.  The little stuff, like contributing to a discussion, generally leads to greater understanding—and increased outcomes.  If you present your online discussion board as an opportunity for extra assistance rather than yet another assignment, you’re giving students a bit of autonomy.  You are also providing a benefit—without points—for those who participate.  Maybe that means posting a question similar to one that will be on the next test.  There’s no wrong way to grade a discussion board, except to make yourself crazy about it.  To get your learners onboard in the early days, you may want to start out with a simple system like giving bonus points on another assignment.  Because of the pictures Chalkup provides with user names, you can quickly glance at the comments online and see who has participated.

As we said earlier, don’t let fear of the unknown bog you down and prevent you from adding new technology to your classes.  Besides the initial time investment of setting things up the first time, digital discussions don’t have to be a burden, they can be a gift!

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