I Just Can't Love You Discussion Board
Is blogging and using a discussion board within a learning management software really the same? Research certainly supports these are accepted very differently by the self-directed learner.
Blog-based learning activities seem to resonate differently with adult leaners than a traditional discussion board threaded activity. My blog can be seen more as my voice and my opportunity for interaction versus simply posting information in a sterile academic platform. The waiting for a forced response. Always complimenting me on my thoughtfulness. Ugh.
Discussion board interactions
seem instructor directed, scripted, forced by format in contrast to using blogs to learn. Discussion boards have been used as an attempt
to spark conversation and discussion but have historically not done well as a learning method. If two
people can meet and fall in love online through conversation, why can’t discussion
boards equally be more romantic and engaging?
The idea is that learners need to be active users not passive watchers (Randsell,
Borror and Su, 2018).
One reason for the difference between the value of discussion posts and blogs is the connection to the person who is reading and interacting with the post. In a traditional discussion post, a question is posed, a response is provided and a re-response is given by the author. For me, it is an activity, but is forced and seems to lack individual creativity. Learning through other’s experiences is far more compelling than simply reviewing academic citations and studies in a prescribed manner. Blog-centric learning versus a discussion board is akin to be asked versus told what to do. Both can be effective learning strategies but may promote dissimilar experiences and outcomes.
I enjoy organic conversation that stems from someone’s experience and
learning from what they have learned. Nystrand,
Wu, Gamoran, Zeiser, and Long (2003) indicate that threaded discussion board
conversations tend to mimic the delivery of traditional brick-and-mortar
classrooms, in which the teacher is the gatekeeper of knowledge and students
occasionally participate. According to Randsell, Borror and Su, (2018) learning
through poorly designed discussion board activities is less social, and
therefore, less personal and motivating.
Blogs tend to remove the bars of academia and allow students to direct
the course of information and the learning. Writing a blog feels like someone may read it with interest and make a connection. It is more than an activity if constructed well.
Developing a learning community matters to me. It helps me to do my best learning. I learn best when I am attached to others. Discussion board interaction rarely does this for me. Without very prescribed techniques, it is difficult for a community of learning to occur through scheduled discussion posts. According to Clarke and Kinne (2012), students who participate in asynchronous learning through the use of blog post activities felt more personally connected to other students. According to their research, students who blogged about coursework and posted responses to classmates, developed a strong sense of community amongst each other.
Because the form of blog writing tends to be less “academic” and more personal,
students linked their meaning of academic material to their own lives and
experiences. Ultimately, this led to the indirect formation
of a community of practice, of which students connected their learning
experiences to the shared experiences of others. Learning went deeper than just doing, it became more of an experience.
I want to fall
in love with you discussion board, you just need help. It's not me, it's you.
Sources:
Clarke, L, & Kinne, L. (2012).
Asynchronous discussions as threaded discussions or blogs. Journal of Digital
Learning in Teacher Education, 29, 4-13.
Nystrand, M., Wu, L., Gamoran, A.,
Zeisler, S., & Long, D. (2003). Questions in time: Investigating the
structure and dynamics of unfolding classroom discourse. Discourse Processes,
35, 135-196.
Ransdell, Sarah; Borror, Jia; and Su,
Angie (2018) "Users not Watchers: Motivation and the use of discussion
boards in online learning," FDLA Journal: Vol. 3 , Article 4. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/fdla-journal/vol3/iss1/4
Could not agree more Aaron! The structure of discussion boards is what really makes them less than impactful for learning. "See how many citations I got in there! I got more than the three required!" I felt the challenge to exceed the expectations of the instructor, rather than engage with my peers after the minimum three responses required. The organic flow of thoughts and ideas is what makes blogs so attractive. Opinions spur conversation, spur learning different points of view and that is the real value of education. Otherwise we would all just read and cite whenever we spoke in person as well...let the dialogue begin!
ReplyDeleteI have to say your blog shows me the transition I need to make switching from discussion board to blogging. The creative post title and photo are engaging and entertaining. I think I am going to enjoy blogging more than I expected. I appreciate the candor and the personalization of the material. Definitely more personality than in a discussion board…. which is a welcome addition.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your analysis, but still feel like we can’t fully shake the discussion board requirements. We have our designated topic and instructions to use literature to support comments so even our responses ideally should have sources. There is something more structured about needing to fit that in as opposed to just responding.
On that note, you found some good articles to make your point. There is an emotion and energy within social media that engages people and discussion boards are trying to replicate that (Ransdell et al., 2018). I agree that blogging seems to do a better job of tapping into that energy and emotion. I thought it was also interesting that they made the point that students disengage as soon as they feel the discussion is just busywork (Ransdell et al., 2018).
I don’t have experience blogging to compare the difference between a blog for an educational class versus a blog around life or a chosen topic. Do you think that all the benefits of a blog can be found within a structured class?
Source:
Ransdell, S., Borror, J., & Su, H. F. (2018). Users Not Watchers: Motivation and the Use of
Discussion Boards in Online Learning. Distance Learning (Greenwich, Conn.), 15(2), 35–39.
Elizabeth- Thanks for the comments. This is my first time blogging and honestly I am enjoying it. I think more deeply and certainly consider my audience much more in this form of research and response in comparison to a traditional discussion board.
DeleteCitations and research are great but frankly I think anecdotes and personal experiences can be equally powerful. I think sometimes we miss the value of experience that a person with some personal freedom can suggest. Research is important. The "life laboratory" has also yielded great benefit for me personally and professionally. Maybe it's just my own rebellion against some of the restraints of college expectations and how a college expects people can share and learn.
Interestingly, your enjoyment comes through in your blog. I think you are inspiring all of us to have a little more fun with this blogging thing!
DeleteI also really value hearing about personal experience. Experience is certainly how I have received some of life's greatest lessons. On the technology topics, I lack experience so I don't have a lot to share and that makes this more difficult for me. While I am trying to get more experience, it will be good to learn through the experiences of everyone else!
Hi Aaron, Reading your blog gives me hope that I will enjoy blogging once again. Until I read your blog I was seeing not much difference in blogging for our class than the discussion board for our class. I don't feel a strong sense of self directedness about it yet but I am getting there and you are helping. I think the biggest difference for me is that when I was blogging it was personal and a topic I chose, so I was not worried about citations and research. I am coming around to seeing that you can have the personality that you have clearly used in your writing and mix it with the rigor that we need for class. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHow are you seeing that mix? How do you reconcile the class requirements in the context of self-directed learning?
Hi Aaron,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the tone of your blog. Instead of just answering the question straight forward, you can tell you really gave it some thought and created an interesting concept with the "If two people can meet and fall in love online through conversation, why can’t discussion boards equally be more romantic and engaging?" thought. I have had experience blogging in the past, but with content focused on the Pittsburgh Steelers. I really enjoyed that experience a few years ago, and hope to recapture some of the same feeling through this blogging assignment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I look forward to reading more.