Threaded+Discussions

=This page contains an explanation for how to create a threaded discussion with your class.=


 * What are discussion pages?**

Discussion pages allow learners to have a continuing dialogue on specific subjects related to your wiki pages. Each page in a wiki has its own discussion page.


 * How do I begin a question or subject?**
 * 1) First be sure to be on the correct page for the discussion. Wikis often have numerous pages beyond the home page.
 * 2) In Wikispaces, click the discussion tab at the top of the page. (On Wetpaint, scroll to the bottom of the page to create and view discussion threads.)
 * 3) Type in a clear subject or question.
 * 4) Click Post when you are finished writing and **checking** your posting.

> > > > > Consider how you will assess the threaded discussion. You may choose to use it as a formative or a summative assessent. This [|YouTube] video will give you some ideas for guidelines on assessing threaded discussions. > > Some points to consider are the number of direct answers a student provides, whether or not they have used supporting evidence for their answer and whether their answer builds upon or adds to the discussion as a whole. [|Here] is a grading rubric that could help you to fine tune your assessment of student responses.
 * How do my students respond?**
 * 1) First, they must go to the correct page. See above for notes on Wetpaint.
 * 2) Next, they need to click on the thread subject that they wish to respond to. Failing to do so will result in creating a new subject thread. It will be important to emphasize to students that they are part of a specific discussion and unless they choose the appropriate subject, their contributions will not be followed.
 * 3) You may wish to have students create posts in Word so that they can spell check before posting. Then, they can just copy and paste their response into the comment section.
 * How can I monitor the discussion?**
 * 1) You may wish to set up a feed so that you will be notified of any changes on the discussion pages. To do so, click on the notify me tab, scroll down, to page feeds. Choose "Page discussion." Then confirm "subscribe to this feed". These notifications will go into your **browser's common feeds folder**.
 * 2) You can also choose Email Notification (but unless you set a rule to direct these to a folder, your mailbox will be clogged with notifications). To do so, click the drop down menu and choose discussion changes. That selection will only pertain to the page that you are on at the time.
 * 3) It is also possible to sort discussion topics. Unfortunately, you can only sort by the original author of the subject or by the person who left the last message.
 * 4) Teachers may lock the discussion so that at a given point they can review and assess student contributions.
 * 5) To lock a discussion, click on the "discussion" tab, then the subject link. "Click Lock This Page" to lock the discussion..