Tech Tuesday-Schoology Discussions

It's been a while since I've posted on here, and A LOT has changed in the last several months!  The biggest change to our school (tech-wise) has been the adoption of Schoology as our LMS.  The goal behind adopting this new platform is to give our teachers, students, and families a one stop shop for everything digital.  

Schoology also offers some really powerful collaboration and assessment tools.  I plan to feature different tools here on the blog each week for the month of November. 

SCHOOLOGY DISCUSSIONS

WHO? 

Online discussions are not reserved for older students or online courses, learners of all ages can benefit from this tool.  Schoology gives students the option to respond with text, audio, or video, so the needs of various learners can be met in one place.

WHAT? 

• After reading TFK, Science Stories, or other text post a  3-2-1 (3 things you learned-2 questions you have-1 connection you made)
• After watching a video post a question or prompt 
• During or after a read-aloud post a question or prompt 
• Post thoughts or questions for book club members to respond
• Ongoing discussion where students can make book recommendations
• Use the video recording tool to give a book talk 
• Post a problem of the week for students to solve.  Give them the choice of how to respond (audio, video or text).

WHEN?  

For students in our elementary buildings who do not take their devices home, I would encourage you to give students time at school to respond to the online discussion.  This could be part of math, reader's, or writer's workshop.

WHY? 

• Writing takes more time to process and reflect on what you want to communicate.
• Encourage all students to participate, the shy students get their voice heard and the ones who are always willing to share won’t dominate the conversation.
• Documentation of a student’s thoughts and responses.
• Practice keyboarding skills.
• Practice speaking/audio recording skill.
• Practice online communication skills.
• Authentic practice of digital citizenship skills.

HOW?

Preparing your students to participate in online discussions can seem like an overwhelming task.  I highly encourage you to take the time to set up clear expectations and practice discussion techniques prior to having them go online.  The investment in time up front will be worth the headache it saves you in the end.  I have adapted this slideshow from second grade teacher Sophia Garcia-Smith, and it is FANTASTIC for teaching kids how to respond to online posts.

Setting up discussions in Schoology is quite easy, follow the steps in the video, and see the graphic below.

Online discussions should NEVER fully replace face to face interactions in a our elementary classrooms.  Like anything, balance is necessary, so I encourage you to consider the online discussion tool in Schoology as a way to engage students in a different way.  

As always please reach out to me with questions or feel free to comment below!