Google Group Reflection

An online class discussion board is a resource that helps support the NETS standards. Students use digital media to communicate and collaborate (NETS standard 2) with others to increase all students’ learning. With discussion boards, students can pass on information to multiple audiences as well as to students of other cultures. Students develop cultural and global awareness. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making is NETS standard 4. The instructor can display a open ended question or problem and the students make decisions or devise a plan or solution. By requiring students to reply to their peers’ posts, they learn from each other and are given other perspectives to consider. Because students can edit a post, the teacher can post a paper to be revised or have students add to a story to create a longer collaborative story. As a digital citizen (NETS standard 5.), the students will responsibly and effectively use the discussion boards to increase collaborative learning and productivity.

Discussion boards are different from web pages and blogs. Web pages and blogs are more reflective of the person who set them up. Students visit a teachers blog or website to get information specific to what the instructor includes as content. Blog comments can be read before they are allowed to be posted. With google groups, the teacher may spark a discussion on specific topic but students can respond to the post, respond to other students’ posts, and even edit a post. Web pages and blogs are more informational and more of starting points to assignments where google groups directly invite students to participate. Google groups allow more interaction between the students where as web pages and blogs can mainly be for teacher-student or teacher-parent communication. Discussion boards allow students to be more active in their learning while the teacher guides their discovery. Google groups offer teachers another way to meet their NETS standards. All three tools, web pages, blogs, and google groups can be used together to assist students inside and outside the classroom.