Using PHPbb Technology in the English classroom. Kevin Deweese

The main point of technology is to increase the ability of students, parents and teachers to communicate information and classroom community through… Websites & PHPbb (Online Message Boards)

allows instantaneous mass communication with parents about the what their child is currently learning in their class. In addition, I plan to use as a method of informing parents about their child’s successes and difficulties in class so that parents will feel “in the loop” about their child’s education.

Instructor Websites Having a website allows students to access information outside of the classroom. This can be used as a portal for one of the most valuable internet tools for the classroom… The student message board (PHPbb)

Through the instructor webpage, students are able to access their class message board.

What is a Student Message Board? (PHPbb) It is an online venue for communication beyond the classroom. It allows students to find pertinent course information from home or library. It allows students to converse with each other and the instructor to increase the sense of community in the classroom.

How a student message board works A quick overview

Message Boards are divided into forums, topics, & threads. Each topic corresponds to the student’s class. Students can log into the board to check their course homework and rubrics.

Homework Topics In the homework thread, students can check their homework when away from class to ensure their understanding of assignment objectives. This ensures that students will be able to correct misunderstandings and better achieve the goals of an assignment. In this topic, a student can see an essay assignment on The Merchant Of Venice

All students will be able to see assignment instructions online at any time. Now let’s go back to the main forum page and check the individual class topics.

Message Boards are divided into forums, topics, & threads. Each topic corresponds to the student’s class. Students can log into the board to check their course homework and rubrics.

Here a student in 1st period has posted a question for both the instructor and the class to see.

As you can see, not only can the instructor correct misunderstandings, but other students are able to question those clarifications, leading to a greater understanding of the assignment and/or content for the entire class.

Additional advantages of student message boards Mass s can be sent to specific classes and specific courses by the instructor. Students and instructors can send individual messages within the board concerning issues that may not be appropriate for group viewing (ie: project specific questions and/or assistance.)

Issues and their solutions concerning student message boards Q: Does this approach increase the digital divide between students of different SES? A: Due to the availability of free internet access both at school an public libraries, students without home access will still be able to utilize this technology. Q: What are the safety issues involved with an online forum? A: Forums are controlled by the instructor so that only students can access using passwords that are assigned by the instructor.

Using PHPbb Technology in the English classroom Kevin Deweese Thank you for your time The examples used in this presentation can be viewed online should you have any remaining questions and/or concerns.