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When we were given the opportunity
to pursue an individual research project in ESR506 and 507, I knew I wanted
to investigate a topic with relevance to technology. As a subject,
I chose to examine the effect of using synchronous computer communication,
or online chat, as a discussion technique in the English classroom.
My qualitative and quantitative research papers which resulted from these
projects were not only personally satisfying to me, but also show my competence
in recognizing the effect that technology can have on student learning
and curricular goals.
As an English teacher, I
know that my students must develop a proficiency in oral discussion.
Before beginning my research project, I already had given opportunities
to my students to engage in a variety of discussion styles- small group,
large group, Socratic Seminars, fishbowl, so on and so forth. I saw
online discussion as a natural addition to this list. However, I
wanted to base my decision on integrating this technique into the classroom
to be driven by research and data rather than simple opinion.
Researching the effect of
online chat as a discussion technique really gave me a chance to look at
how technology can affect learning. In my two papers, I considered
how this form of discussion could increase participation by offering shy
students a sense of comfort and anonymity. I also saw how online
chat changed the format of discussion-- allowing for simultaneous responses
and for students to talk with one another rather than focusing discussions
through me, their teacher. This, in fact, was one of the most positive
aspects of this type of discussion as it lent itself naturally to a more
student centered classroom.
I also became aware of some
of the limits of online discussion as well. While anonymity was a
benefit, it was also a drawback, preventing some of the more social aspects
of discussion. Sometimes detailed commentary was lost as well as
students hurried to type quickly and "keep up" with such a dynamic discussion
environment. I learned a lot about learning and curriculum with this
project. It reinforced my sense that technology is useful in some
cases, but is not a replacement for traditional learning.
After finishing this research
project, I've found that I've grown as an educator as well. I now
incorporate online chat into my regular teaching techniques when appropriate.
I have also begun to vary the format with online chat as well. We
have tried round table discussions where students move from computer to
computer to answer a sequence of questions. I've also encouraged
student-centeredness by letting students lead online discussions as well.
Though I realized through research that online chat was not necessarily
always the best discussion method, I did grow to appreciate the new opportunities
that it can offer.
As a future goal, I found in my research that I
was not totally comfortable with the software our school used for online
communication. I would like to further my research by looking into
what other synchronous communications software is available. As part
of the TIE program, I also designed a potential piece of software, ClassChat,
as my idea of a "model" piece of this type of software. This activity
will help me as I begin to look for online chat software in the future.
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