Discussion Board

• Use “post first” so that each student has the chance to respond to the question before being influenced by peer responses. This allows for candid and original thought.
  • Use for low-risk discussions so shier students aren’t embarrassed or insecure about making public responses, perhaps something not heated, but opinion-based
  • Can use for activities that involve defining terms or ideas in unique ways (e.g. using vocabulary terms in context and then having other students respond to the comments also using the vocabulary terms)
  • Sharing mind-maps or other creative pieces with one another that work best when students create their initial work uninfluenced by outside sources
  • Use for comparative analysis of ideas and persuasion. Students present one idea, then reflect on how their opinions changed after reading other ideas; this can in turn lead to a deeper discussion on the diversity of ideas related to a particular topic

More details on Blackboard.com: http://bit.ly/1qskBfR