Use of disscussion forums in high school classrooms

Can you help me list some of the benefits of discussion forums in a high school classroom? We have the ability to use private forums with all of our classes as part of an open source digital learning site.
I use them for homework submissions and written discussion and reflection with my classes. I also use them for students to brainstorm ideas for upcoming projects. I am presenting to the faculty next week and would like to show other valid uses.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pemberton on September 30, 2009 at 4:58pm

Rob,

Can your classes that meet at various time correspond with your other classes? Can they correspond with another teacher's class of the same subject in your school or another school? Could you invite a similar class in another state (etc) to be a part of your forum? These are possible extensions of what you are already doing that may be useful.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Rita Oates on September 30, 2009 at 8:50pm

Student forums in ePals offer a way for students to ask a question and get answers from around the world, without the teacher having to set up a pen pal exchange or monitor what others are saying. Students submit a question, which is posted after it is reviewed and approved (by an adult monitor). Other students can answer the questions. ePals has an embedded language translator for 35 languages.
Students could ask questions related to something they are studying or something they are interested in outside of school.
If the question is one that grabs attention, it can get 10 answers over a weekend. How fascinating for students to ask a question and get insights from other students! (Students from 200 countries and about 600,000 classrooms are part of ePals.)
Both teacher forums and parent forums are also available at no cost. http://www.epals.com/forums/default.aspx