Journal #2

"Speaking Math" by Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson

This article discusses the use of technology within the subject of math. The case study was based at Osbourn High School in Washington DC. The method used was a class discussion board that was drawn from the popularity chat rooms. Prompts were posted on the discussion board and credit was given for responses from the students. In this type of setting, the learning turned out to be more like fun for the students in contrast to work. The discussion boards also benefited non-native speakers to learn from their peers about the subject because the students share and teach each other in their own language.

I really felt that the use of discussion forums are more effective compared to chat rooms because students have the flexibility to answer each others questions at different times. This seems easier than chat rooms because all of the students do not need to be online at the same time to discuss the prompts and the use of a computer lab time wouldn't be needed. Before reading this article, I wouldn't have thought about the positive benefits peer discussions would have on non-native speakers but I'm definitely seeing that this is a great tool for me as a teacher later on to get the students communicating with each other.

QUESTIONS:
1. How would a teacher using this type of technology tool ensure that the discussions on the forum are teaching each other how to do the math correctly? This question was something that popped into my mind as I read this article because I do think that the peer discussions are beneficial but also worried if the students were teaching each other accurate information. Although the discussion boards or forums are mainly student driven, I think that the teacher needs to be involved to moderate and correct anything that might be inaccurate. As the article said, the teacher may print out the discussion questions and use them in class.

2. How does the use of classroom discussion boards and forums benefical to the teachers? When students participate in the discussion board questions, they are literally teaching each other and also reinforcing the concepts that they learned. Also, it is also helpful when non-native speakers are able to coverse in their own language regarding the subject material so the information being learned is more understandable. A teacher who is not fluent in the non-native speakers language wouldn't be able to do this as effective as their who do. Finally, I think that the use of technology in this way gives the teacher a good idea about what types of things their students are struggling with and may require additional time to teach.