ERIC Number: ED447077
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2000-Oct
Pages: 19
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
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Incorporating a Course Website into Teaching: A Promising Practice, Especially for Teacher Education.
Lindsey-North, Jill L.
Preparing teachers to incorporate technology into teaching is a requirement in teacher education. Using a course Web site as an instructional method expands students' understanding of technology applications. One aspect of a course Web site particularly suited to facilitating and improving learning is a discussion area (bulletin board) where students post comments related to course content and process. Electronic bulletin boards offer students such opportunities as: responding after a self-determined wait time; responding thoughtfully and without interruption; reading peer contributions and reflecting before responding; and dialoguing directly with peers. Instructors benefit from opportunities to: foster student dialogue; observe and analyze content from student discussions; assess students' thought processes and comprehension; and elicit feedback. Written scripts of Web site discussions can serve as tools to enhance instructors' understanding of each student's perspective. An appendix presents a sample bulletin board discussion conducted as part of an educational psychology course at Wright State University, Ohio. The comments reveal a pervasive student belief that teaching is an innate gift predicated upon certain personality traits rather than theories and skills one can learn to become a teacher. Motivating the students to use the Web site was challenging, though setting up the Web site was relatively easy. (SM)
Publication Type: Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
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Author Affiliations: N/A