The Complete Guide to:

Engaging Students with

Online Discussions

a resource by
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction: Engaging the Modern Student 3
2. Can Old Dogs Learn New Tricks? ..6
3. What are Discussions on Chalkup? .8
4. Using Discussions to Drive Engagement ..10
5. Addressing common concerns .....12
6. Embracing the Unknown .......15

Were all doing this for students

Our number one mission at Chalkup is to improve student outcomes.
Everything that we do, from our product to our way of thinking is focused
around outcomes. We care deeply about helping students achieve their
goals, and most importantly to give students a vehicle to get "un-stuck".
Think back to when you first thought about teaching. How great would it be
to have your students learn something and gain valuable knowledge from
you? We believe that everyone is here for the good of the students.
Sometimes people need a little reminder.

1. Engaging the Modern Student

Teaching a student today is dierent. Teachers find themselves in a very
precarious position, possibly more so than in any other time in the history of
education. The rapidly changing landscapes of technology, education, and
society in general has created a need for a new breed of teacher.
Technological advances have rendered old methods, tools, and attitudes
toward education nearly obsolete. Of course, there can still a place for the
blackboard, chalk, paper, and pencil in the classroom, but it is time to realize
that their role is diminished.
None of this is to say that the essence of teaching has changed. Discipline
and dedication are still critical elements of education, both on the part of
teachers and students. But we live in a world where education is, sadly,
considered by many students to be less of a privilege and more of an
obligation.

This generation of students are dierent.

They are the ones raised on television instead of coloring books, grew up
with computers instead of novels, and are transitioning to adulthood
accompanied by smartphones and tablets. Their entire lives are on the
internet, its where they keep whatever is precious to them - what better way
to connect than to find them where they live?
There are those who would say that this is irrelevant to education, that there
is no substitute for hardcopy textbooks and No.2 Ticonderoga pencils. Many
would even compare technology to an epidemic, plaguing youth with
constant stimulation, disrupting their development and distracting them from
their studies. It is hard not to sympathize with these viewpoints. How can
educators today possibly compete with Facebook, Netflix, and Xbox?
Whether or not they believe this technology is a curse, the fact of the matter
is that the virtual world exists in the lives of modern students and it is here to
stay.
Smartphones and social networks like Facebook and Twitter allow us to
connect with one another in an endless and constant fashion. While this
does contribute to the problem teachers face with unengaged students, it
can be turned into a benefit for educators.
Many teachers, particularly in the humanities, prefer an open forum, where
students share ideas, educate one another, and reach conclusions on their
own or with a slight touch of guidance from the instructor. There is no
reason that this format should be limited to inside the classroom. The tide of
the educational landscape is shifting towards social learning, and as
educators we dont have to oppose this shift. Chalkup was built with all of
this in mind. Here at Chalkup we realize the learning experience needs to
be dynamic and personalized. We set out to create a collaborative learning
experience in the classroom, with the goal of getting students more involved
in their learning in order to improve outcomes.
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Teachers today face a

critical decision.
Oppose the shift in education brought about by
educational technology and risk losing the
attention of their students,

or embrace it

and utilize social learning and the other modern

technological resources at their disposal.

2. Can Older Dogs Teachers Learn New Tricks?

There are two dierent models that educators can go by: the teaching
model, where the teacher knows important things and they want their
students to leave their class knowing those important things; and the
learning model. Every day, weather they are at school or at home, students
discover and share knowledge, new learning is created, and students are
fully engaged in the process. Can older teachers learn new tricks? Of
course they can!
Most teachers (new or experienced) when asked all agree that technology
can enhance learning. Usually, these same teachers will have a dicult time
incorporating technology in a meaningful way into their daily lessons.
Technology is still often used as a gimmick to keep the students interested.
Question. If you know that technology will increase student interest, why
dont teachers use it more often? Answer. Most teachers are unsure what
tool(s) to use and feel uncomfortable using some technology that most
young people seem more ecient using.

When selecting a tool, teachers need to ask themselves the purposes of

using the tool. Entertaining students isnt really enough. Michelle PacanskyBrock identified the three functions of emerging technologies and the
purposes for using tools.
Three common functional uses of emerging technologies in learning are:
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Enhancing interaction between you and your students and/or between

students themselves.
Creating online content for your class; for example, online presentations,
demonstrations, lectures
Creating a learning activity that integrates student-generated content and
or participatory learning
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In other words, the technological tool isnt the answer. The question is,
what do you want your students to be able to do? And, what tool can be
used to enhance that learning experience?
Teachers must become comfortable with the technology they want to utilize
and make sure it is increasing interaction and allows students to create
content that they can share with one another or with everyone via the
Internet. We strongly believe that all teachers are interested in student
discovery, interaction, students creating and sharing new content and
learning. The way to achieve this is through utilizing technology, project
based learning, and a student-centered approach. You may not know what
jobs you are trying to prepare your students for, but you do know that they
need to be adaptable, they need to be cooperative, and they need to be
able to utilize and adapt to emerging technologies.
Dont let fear of the unknown bog you down and prevent you from adding
new technology to your classes. Besides the initial time investment setting
up the first time, a digital discussion doesnt have to be a burden.

3. What Are Discussions on Chalkup?

With Chalkup you can make your classes more open and connected, and
bring every student into the conversation. Chalkup gets those burning
questions in front of the whole class where everyone can work together and
nobodys voice goes unheard.

It doesnt matter if a student or a teacher starts a discussion, as soon as one

begins everyone can participate and learn something new. The teacher has
the ability to select their favorite comment and so does the author of the first
post. Everyone can weight comments so you can even find the class
favorite. And all of the comments are time stamped so you theres no
question on who answered first. And everything is done in real time.
Learning is constantly happening inside an active Chalkup Discussion.
Whether its a burning question that a student just asked about The Great
Gatsby that just got answered, a quick class poll on current events, or that
perfect video to supplement todays lesson, the class is never more active
and connected than it is on Chalkup.

4. Using Discussions to Drive Engagement

Each student brings his or her own ideas, life experiences, and perspective
to your classroom. Thats the beauty of having a discussion: the more
people participate, the more everyone learns. Unfortunately, some students
are more comfortable speaking up than others. How do you get the quiet
ones, the nervous ones, and the students who need a little more time, to be
involved? Heres where an online discussion board can truly be
transformative.

In-class discussions
Picture this: teacher asks a question to the whole group, something without
a right or wrong answer. For example, What would you ask General Custer/
Pythagoras/ Copernicus if you had a chance? In class, someone would
raise her hand quickly; youd call on her and that first student response
would guide the direction of all other answers. Maybe youve been working
on getting more people involved so you dont call on the first few
enthusiastic participants. You wait a little, walk around the room, then call on
a student who isnt raising her hand. Great teacher strategy except that it
can be absolutely terrifying for some pupils, causing them to shut downthe
exact opposite of what youd hoped for.

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Online discussions are dierent

For the online discussion board, theres no bonus for being first. A second
language learner can read the question, look up terms to make sure he
understands what you are asking. He can formulate and proofread an
answer, then post it, without anyone seeing his process. The confident and
nervous students are on equal ground online; no one is louder than anyone
else and all responses get aired. How long you take to respond is no ones
business but the student himself.
How about a learner who is bright and interesting in her written work and
you wish shed participate more during class time? Discussion boards will
be ideal for her to break through the social constraints keeping her quiet.
Shell enjoy the chance to respond to what other students post, as she can
see the weaknesses of their arguments. Without the burden of unwanted
attention, a shy student can show her knowledge and point an online
discussion in the direction shes interested in.

Using the right online tools is key

If you use the discussion tools on Chalkup, you can do even more to
promote involvement for the whole class. You can select a student
response as the one you most agree with. Talk about a huge step in
building self-assurance for the poster. If you require interaction within the
discussion board (and you should, to make it a real discussion rather than a
void where comments go to die alone), quiet students can build
relationships with their peers in a safe, non-threatening environment. It may
take time, but that level of increased comfort can carry over into your
physical classroom.

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5. Addressing common concerns

Weve all heard horror stories about online bullying, hateful comments being
sent to peers, forwarding pictures, who knows what else. Instructors are
justified in being cautious about adding new online components to their
classesespecially when things arent static and allow for students to
interact. Chalkup has some excellent tools in place to alleviate your
concerns so you can feel confident that a digital discussion board can be a
safe environment that adds to learning, not distracts from it.

Inappropriate posts
Q: Im worried that students will make fun of others, use bad language, or
generally just get o task. How can I deal with messages that arent
relevant to class?
Up front communication is a must for any new assignment. Your digital
discussion board is no dierent, even if it seems simple. You need to set
clear standards for what is and is not acceptable on the class board. These
rules will dier from class to class, but can include something about only
posting course related content or penalties for personal attacks.
A discussion board wont be successful if students dont feel safe using it:
safe making mistakes, safe from harassment, and safe from general
inappropriate content. Viewing the online discussion screen as a class and
showing students what it will actually look like is a great start. Point out how
posts can be flagged by those who view, and how you can delete posts.
Make sure your learners understand that even if a comment is removed, it is
still archived. If your campus has policies about cyberbullying, remind
students that there are real life consequences for what they write online.

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Lack of participation
Q: The students seem to only do the minimum on the discussion board; they
arent interacting with each other. All the great things I was hoping for
arent happening!
Theres that old saying about leading a horse to water and it seems to apply
to students as well. You can make your discussion board shiny and
awesome and some learners still wont participate. Keep in mind that you
are asking for a whole dierent kind of class involvement: often after school,
requiring concise thought, and in addition to their regular work. You can
control this last issue most easily.
How about giving an option? Post a response to the discussion or do
another, more dicult, assignment. Theres an incentive then. For the first
few weeks of adding in this technology, students are still getting
comfortable. Make sure the things you are talking about on the discussion
board have value and arent just using tech for no real purpose.

Digital citizenship
Q: How can I teach students about online interactions? My discussion
board isnt public, but so many things are. If Im doing something on the
web I feel some responsibility for helping learners be smart about it.
Etiquette or manners is really what were talking about here. Those are the
rules of polite society in dierent situations. No one is born knowing them
it takes direct instruction, practice, and lots of reminders before a child
remembers to say thank you without being prompted. Same thing with
digital citizenship. No matter your content area, if you are going online for
your class, you are responsible to review proper conduct and safety. There
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are great resources available, like this list from Common Sense Media
(https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/7-rules-to-teach-kids-onlineetiquette). Your students should be fairly savvy about how to do things
online but they may get caught up in the speed of things and not consider
long term consequences of sharing so much without the rest of the world.
Open up a dialog before diving into your digital discussion board so that
your class members can get out their questions and understand your
expectations. For some specific guidelines for discussion board, check out
this sample list from Edutopia (http://www.edutopia.org/netiquetteguidelines).

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6. Embracing the Unknown

Movies love to highlight the great parts of teaching, like classes with a
dozen well-read and responsive students, all hanging on your every word.
And then standing on their desks shouting Oh Captain, my captain!
Sounds like your every day, right? Not quite.
Theres a lot of grunt work for teachers these days: administrative
paperwork, meetings, not to mention actually assessing student work. A
well run online discussion can alleviate some of these burdens. Adding
something new might feel like more trouble than its worth, but soon your
discussions will prove itself to be a time saver, not a time sucker.

Check for Understanding

One of your key issues in planning is to know what students understand and
what didnt stick. Discussion boards are great for this. Simply post a sample
problem: an equation, thought exercise, or quick question. Answers should
reveal, fairly quickly, who knows what is going on and who doesnt. Digital
discussion responses are well organized so that other students can chime in
when theres a question so you can mostly stay out of it. Touch base once
or twice to make sure answers are correct or point pupils in a more correct
direction. When students are in front of you, checking understanding means
doing something thirty times. On a discussion board, students can answer
simultaneously or nearly so.

Use an Assistant
Another way a digital discussion board can minimize your work load is if you
delegate. Have a bright student interested in your subject area? Enlist her
help as a second set of eyes online. If you have an open post for talk about
the homework assignment, a capable student can give help. If many pupils
are struggling with the same concept, your aide can give you a heads up.
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Shes simply acting as a moderator, making sure those who answer a

confused student are actually giving useful responses. Your online assistant
can function as a TA during school hours, setting things up on the discussion
board, or can solely help after hours. The possibilities are endless.

Grading
Discussions dont need to be an extra thing to grade. You have a lot of
choices here: participation points, extra credit, no points, points when you
start using a discussion board. The little stu, like contributing to a
discussion, generally leads to greater understandingand increased
outcomes. If you present your online discussion board as an opportunity for
extra assistance rather than yet another assignment, youre giving students
a bit of autonomy. You are also providing a benefitwithout pointsfor
those who participate. Maybe that means posting a question similar to one
that will be on the next test.
Theres no wrong way to grade a discussion board, except to make yourself
crazy about it. To get your learners onboard in the early days, you may want
to start out with a simple system like giving bonus points on another
assignment. Because of the pictures Chalkup provides with user names,
you can quickly glance at the comments online and see who has
participated.
As we said earlier, dont let fear of the unknown bog you down and prevent
you from adding new technology to your classes. Besides the initial time
investment of setting things up the first time, digital discussions dont have
to be a burden, they can be a gift!

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Special thanks to our contributors:

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