Post 1 + Reply 2 ≠ magical online discussion formula. As educators, we know the importance of students having discussions as part of their academic experience. Well designed discussions support achievement of higher levels of cognitive thinking as well as increased mastery of course content and development of important social connections with peers. In a face-to-face classroom setting, class discussions organically evolve. But when we transition to an online environment what happens to those valuable discussions? They are usually relegated to the LMS forum where they will die a slow and painful death. But it doesn’t have to be this way! During this 3-hour professional development session, participants will explore how the integration of Microsoft Teams, Voicethread, or Flipgrid into online learning environments can empower educators to create opportunities for fun, engaging, and meaningful student dialogue. Participants will view examples and practice using new platforms to promote student-to-student dialogue. "How To" guides for set-up, example prompts and rubrics, and descriptions for inclusion in syllabi will be provided. Synchronous participants will be invited to attend live discussion sessions while asynchronous attendees will have access to the previously recorded sessions.
- Teacher: Janeal Marie White