Journal 2

Speaking Math
By Janet Graham and Ted Hodgson

This article talks about the use of electronic discussion for geometry and algebra classes at Osbourn High School. The course management system (CMS) used was Moodle and basically uses chat rooms as discussion areas for the students of the math class. The teacher posts a question, and the students have computer lab time to discuss the question using the math terms given. The article posts examples of students chats/discussions, and it is actually quite interesting.

The value of CMS is that the discussions can be downloaded and analyzed by the instructor, and the instructor can see where confusions might lie or topics that need further discussion in class. They can also get insight into the student's thought process. This is valuable to the students because it gives ESL students time to think and post their thoughts, collaborate with other students with the same primary language, and gives all students fun practice using math terms.

The article also states that this system does not solely need to be used for math, but can be used for any subject. The authors state, "Whether one teaches math, science, English, or history, chats and electronic discussion boards facilitate rich discussions about course content and broad participation by our increasingly diverse learners. They add new, effective tools to the teacher's instrucional toolkit."

Can this system be used by any culture and country? Yes! For those who have internet connections, it can be modified to fit any curriculum or class.

Could the free use of chat and discussion rooms of students get out of control? Not if the teacher is constantly monitoring the chat and discussion rooms.