Discussion Board

In many of your classes, you may be asked to share ideas and information on a discussion board or blog, and to respond to the entries of two of your peers. This can become onerous if you don't have some strategy for getting the work done in a timely manner.

First of all, remember that writing is a method of thinking. So, you don't need to have something publishable in order to get started. And, a blog is always understood to be a person's thoughts on the fly, what is to be said on a subject at a given moment in time.

Here are ten ideas for accomplishing this.

Writing:

1. Read the assignment carefully. Does it call for some research? Do that before you start to blog. Otherwise, you may find yourself inadventantly repeating what you read or someone else tells you rather than writing what YOU think.
2. Prewriting: "incubate" your ideas for a bit. Start roughing out some topic ideas, and then leave it. You might want to carry a notebook or leave notes on your cell. Because you have thought about it, ideas tend to come as you draft the piece
3. List or outline the ideas and concepts you want to cover. Just start jotting things down, moving the pieces around, playing with possibilities.
4. Cut and shape: Reduce the number of ideas that you decide to cover. Sometimes they do not fit with the directions for the blog, or do not flow with the other ideas. Sometimes you'll have to give up a point to write a good entry.
5. Write: When you are ready to enter your material, go to the assignment within the Discussions area of D2L and click on 'Compose'. You can add images, brief sound files, attachments, and so on to make your entry more interesting and effective.
6. Cite sources if you use ideas atributable to others. If you wish, you can record up to 1 minute of audio, attach an image, or send a Jing, UTube, or other attachment.
7. Edit your entry as necessary.
   

Responding to two of your peers. After you have sent your original document,

1. Read through your peers' entries.
2. Find two which do not already have two responses.
3. Reply briefly to two of them which do not already have two replies.

Length: Unless the length is given in a particular assignment, originals should be about 200 words, replies about 100.

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Dr. Bonnie Duncan
2004; Last revised 13 Jul. 2011
bduncan@millersville.edu
1-717-871-2080
English Department
Millersville University
Millersville, PA 17551

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