To discuss or not to discuss?

The positive aspects of bringing discussion boards into the classroom.
Discussion boards are a great tool that can be implemented into the classroom. The pros of bringing this into your classroom is that it allows students to interact with each other outside of school. This creates a community out side of school and strengthens the communication between students. This also is a great tool for kids to express their ideas in another fashion then public speaking. Discussion boards are great for students who are shy and need more time to think about what they say before saying it because they can answer when they want and there isn't that pressure to present the information in front of everyone. The information is always there for every ones disposal and references. This is also a great way for teachers to monitor how much each student is contributing to the discussion. This can also be a great tool to implement because of the aspect on having a monitor for the discussion boards. Giving each student a chance to be the expert on the subject and make sure everyone is contributing can be used as a reward system. Another benefit of having discussion boards is that this encourages collaboration and cooperation among students. Group work and discussions done on discussion boards will allow students time to think about what they are going to say and reflect on other students opinions. This may also create opportunities for students to tutor or help one another if something is unclear. The whole class is available to clarify misunderstandings instead of maybe one or two people.

The cons of using discussion boards.
Technology integration inside the school is very expensive and not only can some schools not afford it, but students may not be able to afford the technology needed to do discussion boards. This may create the opposite affect of creating a community environment. Students may feel left out if unable to do the discussion boards at home to keep up with everyone else. This may also make the students feel punished for not being able to have the things they can't afford. Another problem with discussion boards in the classroom is that the discussion may take turns that are unexpected by the teacher and students. It is important to have the the students who are monitors or the teacher monitor be able to keep the discussions on track. It is also again a risk to post anything on the net so privacy issues are a concern.

Five ways to enhance classroom interactions using discussion boards
1) Discussion boards create another avenue for students to communicate. Students can ask questions and tutor each other online.
2) Discussion boards allow students to post information and respond to comments which may help students who are nervous public speakers. This allows students to feel more relaxed and open to writing down ideas if to nervous to speak or reply to information instantaneously (teachers who may not give much time for the students to respond to questions. This can also lead to better responses). This may really help ELS students to get to learn about their fellow classmates and take all the time they need to read and post their comments etc.
3) This allows for students and teachers to provide more information that may have been missed because of time constraints. This also allows for teachers and students to extend what they have learned in class and apply that knowledge in more applicable ways online.
4) Discussion boards is an easy avenue for group members to communicate to arrange schedules, provide information and organize their work.
5) Another way that discussion boards enhance classroom interaction is that these boards are accessible anywhere anytime. This will greatly help students who can't always be at school because of extra curricular activities and other circumstances.