Journal 4: Don't Feed the Trolls:Using Blogs to Teach Civil Discourse

Work Richardson, Karen . (2008). Don't feed the trolls. Learning and leading with technology, 35(7), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=May_No_7_&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=3972&ContentID=20817&DirectListComboInd=D

In Karen Work Richardson’s article Don’t Feed the Trolls she explains how to use blogs as a way to teach Civil Discourse. Blogs are a great way for student to be interactive with other students and teachers. Blogs allow students to use technology in the classroom and a great way to use research. Students are also able to post comments on fellow students blogs which is a great way for classroom interaction. However, many students may feel tempted to “feed the trolls” in which students post rude comments or messages on the internet. They suggest that students can learn about civil discourse by allowing students to review rules but to also put rules into action. A few suggestions they say that students can us to practice civil discourse are:

Use “I” statements to make it clear that you are speaking for yourself.
Don’t use name calling.
Avoid labeling groups of people
Discuss ideas, not people

By using these simple rules students can be sure to keep a positive learning environment on their blogs. Also, by practicing the civil discourse they will be learning life lessons on how to treat people in the real world. As we begin to move towards a more technology based classroom we will need to teach our students how to be courteous to their peers.

Why is it so important to teach students about Civil Discourse?

I believe it is so important for a number of reasons. One being that this will teach the students to live a life where they can respect others opinions and not put them down. Also, students who are being put down may become insecure about what they post on their or the class blogs and not meet their full potential. Technology is a great tool when used in the classroom and teaching students, not only for their academics but also for teaching how to respect one another in the real world.

How can teachers monitor civil discourse on students blogs?

A great way for teachers to monitor is to make sure they are checking on a daily basis or when assignments are due. When the blogs are introduced it would be beneficial to teach why it is so important to show civil discourse to the other students. And any time the teacher notices negative feed back be sure to discuss this with the students and give them the tools to respect others opinions and feelings.