Using+the+Discussion+Page

The discussion page of each individual Wiki page you create is an invaluable tool. If you have allowed members to join your Wiki or added student accounts, this is the place for open discussion. Every thing that gets posted to this page is monitored by you, the Organizer. You can delete posts if you deem them inappropriate. A great way to use this page is to create a question, statement, etc. - some sore of problem or question for discussion. The students are used to this format because it works very much like social network platforms like Facebook and Myspace where they can comment on another person's post (or even their own). They are time and date stamped, so you can be sure that an assignment is done on-time, too! How to create discussion:

1) Create a new page and type your assignment. Pose a question, ask for an analysis of something, give the students quotes to ponder, etc. 2) In class or on the wiki page, go over the assignment and direct your students to click the "discussion" tab. If no one has yet commented, they will see this:



3) If there are several comments already posted, they will see this:

4) You'll see the first comment, by Mr. Nienaber, says "READ THIS FIRST." This is a clarification of the assignment with some additional directions - you can add your own comment if you see the discussion getting off-track or not really hitting on what you were expecting.

5) Each student will add their comments by either clicking "+New Post" or replying to a thread in the discussion. You, the Organizer, will get notifications for every post made.

6) To read what the students have written, click the title of their post.


 * Here's an example of a pretty nice threaded discussion: