Holding Your Class Discussion Online

Low-Tech

Post discussion prompts on LMS/Google/Digication or allow students to have discussions in online chat spaces of their choosing. They can then submit the transcript of the discussion as evidence of the conversation.

Note: Be sure to set objectives for these conversations that track to your class content/topic.

Mid-Tech

Using an editable document posted on the LMS/Digication/Google, have students “annotate” one continuous document of discussion questions you have posed in black text. Be sure to set guidelines for their interactions.

Note:  Have each student pick a color text to use for the “conversation”. Set expectations for posing a new question/thought and set expectations for responding to a peer’s questions or thoughts.

High-Tech

Using small, pre-assigned small group breakouts, have students get together to have a small discussion through Zoom, Google Meet or other video conferencing tools to talk over some predetermined content (questions, a specific task—be as explicit as possible here) before the whole class then joins together so the small groups can “report back”. For a more complex version, reorder this as a “jigsaw”. Think about recording and posting this content for students to interact with later, if need be.