Wiki Page, MsFernandezAP-CSP-2016-2017: Discussion Boards or Forums

Wiki Page
2016-07-26T16:10:30-06:00

What exactly are discussion boards? Please view the following two videos.

Video: Explaining Discussion Boards

Video: Discussion Board Etiquette

Discussion boards give you, the student, the opportunity (or chance) to discuss your different ideas and thoughts on a topic with other students from this course.

Students are able to reflect upon their ideas before sharing them with the class, leading to more reflective responses and in-depth learning.

The Discussion Board is a vital part of communication in online learning. If all participants agree to follow a few principles of civility and professionalism, the discussion board can be a great opportunity to share opinions, share ideas, and receive feedback from peers who are engaged in the same learning objectives. In order to learn more about discussion boards, click on the following link and view the video.

Discussion Board Topic Links

Please click on the following links for using Discussion Boards for this class.

Etiquette Rules for On-Line Discussions

Use Rules of Standard English

Tips for a Good Posting on a Discussion Board

How to Use a Discussion Board

Etiquette Rules for On-Line Discussions

In order to create a respectful, polite, and engaging discussion, you must read and follow the rules for etiquette on discussion boards. Remember, the Sweetwater Union High School District has provided you rules for appropriate behavior in using on-line programs. Please do not break these rules as they have severe consequences for you.

Please use the following on-line etiquette rules when using discussion boards.

Commitment: Make a personal commitment to learning about, understanding, and supporting your peers.

Respect and Politeness: Assume the best of others in the class and expect the best from them.

Participate: Participate actively in the discussions, having completed the readings and thought about the issues. This is a shared learning environment. No lurking in the cyberspace background. It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit to all, everyone must contribute.

Report Glitches: Discussion forums are electronic. They break. If for any reason you experience difficulty participating, please call, email, or otherwise inform me of the issue. Chances are others are having the same problem.

Help Others: You may have more experience with online discussion forums than the person next to you. Give them a hand. Show them it’s not so hard. They’re really going to appreciate it!

Pay Attention and Clarifying Questions: Pay close attention to what your classmates write in their online comments. Ask clarifying questions, when appropriate. These questions are meant to probe and shed new light, not to minimize or devalue comments.

Be Patient: Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed. Acknowledge the points made with which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.

Be Brief: You want to be clear—and to articulate your point—without being preachy or pompous. Be direct. Stay on point. Don’t lose yourself, or your readers, in overly wordy sentences or paragraphs.

Cite Your Sources: Another big must! If your contribution to the conversation includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., books, newspaper, magazine, or journal articles—online or in print—they must be given proper attribution.

Emoticons and Texting: Social networking and text messaging has spawned a body of linguistic shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please refrain from :-) faces and c u l8r’s.

Respect Diversity: It’s an ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural world in which we live. Use no language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racists, sexist, and heterosexist comments and jokes are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic comments and jokes directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age.

No YELLING! Step carefully. Beware the electronic footprint you leave behind. Using bold upper-case letters is bad form, like stomping around and yelling at somebody (NOT TO MENTION BEING HARD ON THE EYE).

No Flaming! Criticism must be constructive, well-meaning, and well-articulated. Please, no tantrums. Rants directed at any other contributor are simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The same goes for profanity. The academic environment expects higher-order language.

Lastly, Remember: You Can't Un-Ring the Bell. Think through and re-read your comments before you post them. Language is your only tool in an online environment. Be mindful. How others perceive you will be largely—as always—up to you. Once you've hit the send button, you've rung the bell.

Use Rules of Standard English and Proper Writing Style

This site is part of a college course, so your writing style should conform to the rules of standard English. This is a must. Write as if you were writing a term paper. Correct spelling, grammatical construction and sentence structure are expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic engagement. Online discussions are no different.

Here are some guidelines for all messages posted to this course' Discussion Board and how we email each other.

Avoid slang (e.g. "Wassup?", "Yo", and so forth).

Do not curse!

Use standard spelling.

You (not "u").

Are (not "r").

To or too (not "2").

You are (not "ure")

Right (not rite).

I (not "i").

Remember, grammar and punctuation counts!

Tips for a Good Posting on a Discussion Board

Delete the Extra

When writing a reply posting, delete all extraneous information except the specific phrase, sentence, or comment to which you are replying. This not only helps the reader know what you are replying to, but also helps him or her save time by not wading through a long post, or worse, the entire included thread. It also makes it quicker for classmates to download or print a particular posting.

Summarize, Quote, or Refer

Another way to help readers engage in your responses is to give a frame of reference in your post by quoting or summarizing the content to which you are responding. For example, “When Nick wrote he always formatted his posts the same way I began to think . . .” is much easier for the reader to follow and understand than “Yep, me too, that’s why I . . .” To look at it a different way, some participants choose to arrange their discussion board by unread posts only—the quote gives them their frame of reference for the topic of the thread.

Me, Too, I Agree!

The me-too post certainly is a frustration in the online environment and does not add any depth to the discussion or learning. In a study by Stodel, Thompson, and MacDonald (2006), “Learners got frustrated with the constant agreements and comments such as ‘Good point’ and ‘I agree’; feeling it made the conversation overly positive and fake.” Therefore be sure to post substantive ideas and avoid the "I agree" posts which just clutter up a discussion board.

Change the Subject Line to Reflect the Content of your Post

Think of the subject line of your posting like the title of a good book, one which will draw other readers in. Subject lines that resemble addresses (e.g., Lisa to Kay) tend to close down discussions to just the two names listed. Subject lines that just repeat the original poster’s subject line with the Re: added (Re: Re: Re: Unoriginal subject line) give no indication to the reader if the new or added content will benefit him or her as a learner, whether the conversation has evolved in topic or perhaps if it is veering off into a personal side conversation (which should then be moved to the student lounge or email). Each time you post or reply to a post, update the subject line to match the content of your posting.

Tone and Courtesy in Writing

The "tone" is a very important part of electronic communication. When you read your message out loud, does it sound the way you would speak to another student in the classroom?

Humor can be difficult to convey in text, so make sure everyone realizes when you are trying to be funny. It is easy for messages to be misinterpreted since there are no physical gestures or voice inflections that accompany the text.

Think through and re-read your comments before you post them.

Be nice. Refrain from inappropriate language and derogatory or personal attacks.

Make a personal commitment to learning about, understanding, and supporting your peers.

Assume the best of others in the class and expect the best from them.

Disagree with ideas, but avoid challenges that may be interpreted as a personal attack.

Be open to be challenged or confronted on your ideas or prejudices.

Challenge others with the intent of facilitating growth. Do not demean, harass or embarrass others.

Encourage others to develop and share their ideas.

Check Previous Postings Before You Post

Remember to read what has previously been posted by others to avoid repeating comments.

Make sure you are posting under the appropriate heading or thread.

Stick to the topic; if you wish to pursue an unrelated idea with a classmate, move your communication to e-mail so that others don't spend time on non-essential topics.

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Cite your references.

How to Use Discussion Boards

Discussion boards contain postings, or messages. An original posting and all replies to it are called a discussion thread.

1. Discussions begin with a posting that contains the topic, or prompt.

2. Follow the instructions for the discussion board assignment.

3. To respond, you will create a new posting in reply. Click the Reply button on the prompt to begin.

4. (Optional) See what your posting will look like by clicking the Preview button.

5. To save your posting, click the Post button.

6. Most discussion activities also require you to respond to other students' postings. To do this, go back to the main thread and click Reply on the posting to which you want to respond.

7. (Optional) You can go back and edit a post you made by clicking the Edit button on that post.

We will be learning a lot of new things this week. Keep track of the assignments and the time you need to complete them!

Instructor Response Time

I will be responding to your answers, questions, posts, and/or discussions within 24 to 48 hours; most instructors will answer between 24 hours to a week.