Journal Review 6

Turning Lurkers into Learners
By Jason Alley and Karen Greenhaus

The main focus of this article was about turning "lurkers," into active chatroom participants. A lurker is defined as a student who rarely, or never participates in online discussions. There are many reasons why a student might not want to participate, not just because of apathy, or laziness; for example if they feel the topic has already been fully addressed before they got to give their input, or if it is a topic that they have very little knowledge of and need to learn more about.

Today, more and more schools are converting online systems like Blackboard and WebCT, and not only are lectures, but entire class sessions and lectures are being conducted online. While this approach is may be effective for an avid computer user, or someone with previous onsite experience, but for someone completely out of the know, it can be quite daunting. Which is was causes more and more lurking, especially as the semester progresses.

According the article the best way appease lurking, and promote active participation is by getting children involved early on in the class. Having various introduction activities and games that make kids comfortable with the system and with the other children in their class. The more comfortable the student feels the more they will be willing to share and divulge in the discussion groups. As we try to progress technology based learning we need to continue developing innovative ways to ensure that our students are able to progress along with it.


Question 1: How will my own personal experiences with online discussions make it easier using them in my own classroom?
Answer 1: Growing up in the generation that I did will undoubtedly be a great advantage to me. I have been using computers for my everday schoolwork for just about all of my academic career. My entire college education has involved utilizing WebCT on a daily basis. So for me, understanding how the class discussions work will be of no difficulty, and I will also be able to relate to the students since I will understand it from their end as well.

Question 2: What ways could I get my students to actively participate as "learners" not "lurkers?"
Answer 2: I think the best way to get students involved is to get them jumpstarted and excited about online discussions from the very beginning. Have the introductory discussion be something that is going to intrigue them right off the bat, and motivate them to stay active throughout the semester. Have them describe themselves; maybe their favorite pasttime or hobby, or some other defining characterstic they admire about themselves that makes them unique. If the topic is something that they can't get wrong and feel comfortable enough talking about they will become familiar with the online course tools, and with the entire discussion process.