 Facilitating discussions Traditional class discussionsTraditionally, you might start class discussions by asking a question or two about a particular topic. Those students who wish to answer or make comments might raise their hand, and a few of them would get to speak. When the bell rings, the discussion ends.
If you are trying to get students to discuss group projects, you might put them in discussion circles and provide a graphic organizer.
If students want to have further discussion with you, they may linger after class, try to catch you in the hallway, or take up your time after school.
FirstClass ED is a chat room"Discussion groups create and encourage opportunities outside of the classroom for contact and interaction with the instructor and peers. Studies reveal that online interactions foster reflection and student participation in discussions and increase student participation in peer counselling." (Source)
FirstClass ED can be used to support and encourage collaborative learning, group work, and discussion. Students can collaborate to share experiences, brainstorm strategies, and build upon each others' ideas.
A web-based learning environment such as FirstClass ED enables students to "choose their own paths of knowledge or learning and is reported to facilitate an open, free-flowing exchange of ideas and opinions." (Source)
Class discussions don't have to end when the bell rings. You can use the Discussions area of FirstClass ED to continue these discussions or start new ones. Here are some ideas to generate discussions:
� ask questions about a particular lecture
� ask for questions from students who didn't understand the work
� post student work for peers to critique
� hold an online debate
� hold a vote.
You may choose to monitor these discussions and contribute if necessary. You can use student contributions and message history to monitor who is following the discussions and participating. Posting to a class conference is an excellent way for all students to contribute in their own time, regardless of where they are located.
This example shows a Discussion area where multiple discussions are occurring. Each discussion is kept separate by threading.
 Learn more about threading.
A chat room can be a learning tool
A chat room is an ideal forum for students to ask questions and get extra help. You can set "chat hours" so anyone can go online at that time and ask questions.
 Further, you can use your class Chat room to host simulations and role-playing events, or present transcript-based assignments.
 NoteThe chat room is a privilege that your administrator controls. If you cannot access this feature, talk to your administrator.
How toStarting a chat room session
To start a new session:
1 Open the Discussions area.
2 Choose File > New Chat Room.
Once the chat room has been created, students can enter at will.
Saving a chat room session
To save the transcript:
1 Copy the contents of the transcript.
2 Click Create Discussion.
3 Paste the contents of the transcript into the message and give it an appropriate subject.
4 Make changes or annotations.
5 Click Send when ready.
A note about transcripts
If you select Save transcript on the Options tab of the chat room, all content in the chat room will be saved to the chat window permanently. Whenever a conversation happens in the chat room session, it will be appended to all previous chat material. If you do not wish to see previous chat material, we recommend you do not activate Save transcript. Instead, if you wish to save a particular session, we suggest you copy and paste the content in the open session to a new document in the Discussions area.
Learn more about chat rooms.
Starting a discussion
To start a new discussion:
1 Open the Discussions area.
2 Click New Discussion.
3 Populate the message and click Send.
Replying to a discussion
To reply to a discussion in progress:
1 Highlight the message you want to reply to.
2 Click Reply.
3 Add content and click Send.
You can also use standard messaging features like Reply with quotes. For more information about replying to messages, click here.
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