Lets Discuss Discussion Boards

Let’s discuss discussion boards—online discussion boards, that is. Now I don’t know about you, but I am still pretty new to the Blackboard program. So when my professor told us we would be doing discussions every week, I was a little confused. When my profession logged on and showed us the discussion board,  I finally understood what she was talking about. Now every week, we log on to Blackboard and have a class discussion.

Each week my professor comes up with a prompt for what we should discuss, and surprisingly, we have very in depth virtual conversations. When I have questions, I ask them in the discussion board, and someone always answers. Sometimes, they reply with a response to my question, but other times, they just let me know that they are confused too which actually makes me feel better knowing I am not alone in my troubles.

The discussion board also makes us feel closer as a class. Instead of only speaking to each other twice a week when we actually have class, we speak multiple times during the week through the discussion board. Classes can always be uncomfortable and awkward, even when you have been in them for months, but somehow the discussion board helps alleviate the awkwardness. who might have some anxiety about asking questions or making comments in front of their peers can find a more comfortable place to contribute on the discussion board;  the anonymity of technology allows them to ask the questions they are too afraid to in person.

The discussion board also helps our professor;  it becomes apparent through our discussions which topics we still need to work on. When she sees that we have all been asking questions on the same thing or say we do not understand something, she makes sure to cover it next class.

After using the discussion board so much in my math class, I started using the discussion in some of my other classes. When I had an exam coming up in one of my classes, a bunch of us made a discussion so that we could all help with any questions we still had. I find the discussion board to be much more effective than calling or texting or Snapchatting a friend from class because through Blackboard, you can reach all your classmates at once. And I don’t know about you, but I usually  only have one or two numbers of people in each of my classes. So if they do not know the answer to my question, I am in trouble. The discussion board helps you connect with everyone in your class in one organized module.

The discussion board has helped me get through Math 117 thus far, and helped me in some other classes as well. I think all professors should look into incorporating discussion boards, and if your professor does not know about them, show them this post!