Using the Discussion Boards
- What is a discussion board?
- How are the discussion boards organized?
- What types of things should I post to the discussion boards?
- Who is leading these online discussions?
- What tips do you have to help users who have never used a discussion board?
- How do I read through the messages in a topic?
- How do I keep track of the messages that have been posted since I last logged into the community?
- How do I post a message?
1. What is a discussion board?
A discussion board is an online bulletin board where messages are “posted” for others to view. Discussion boards permit users to pose and reply to topically organized questions and issues. As with e-mail, users can post and reply to each other asynchronously at their convenience.
2. How are the discussion boards organized?
Messages are organized by topic, allowing users to easily determine which discussions they’d like to join. There are fifteen discussion boards in the ERWC online community; one discussion board dedicated to each of the fourteen modules, and one board for general topics. All questions that are not directly related to one of the fourteen modules should be posted to the general topics discussion board.
3. What types of things should I post to the discussion boards?
The purpose of the discussion boards is to provide a forum for the ERWC community to share best practices, ask questions, collaborate, and socialize. Please feel free to share your teaching experiences, ask your colleagues for help, or simply post a message on the general topics board to say “hello”.
4. Who is leading these online discussions?
The discussions are neither moderated nor edited. The goal is for community members to feel free to share their wisdom with their colleagues. Task Force members will be active participants on the discussion boards, but they will not be moderating the online conversations.
5. What tips do you have to help users who have never used a discussion board?
The discussion boards have been set up to be as user-friendly as possible. With a good attitude and a little patience, you should have no trouble using this tool. Step-by-step instructions are provided below to help you gain confidence in accessing the discussion boards.
6. How do I read through the messages in a topic?
To read through the messages in a topic, click the desired topic title under the Discussion Topic heading. Topics are highlighted below:
The list of messages associated with that topic will then appear on your screen. The messages are indented to show a threaded view of the replies as seen below:
7. How do I keep track of the messages that have been posted since I last logged into the community?
When viewing the discussion topics, you’ll notice that some of the topics may be followed by the word “New” which appears in red. This alerts you that there are messages in the thread that you have not read. When you click on a new thread you will notice that some of the messages on the page are also flagged with the word "new". These messages have been posted since the last time that you viewed the discussion topic. After you view the list of new messages and click to another page, all of the messages in that discussion topic will be considered to have be read. As such, the "new" flag will disappear from these messages the next time that you view the topic’s messages.
8. How do I post a message?
To begin, click the discussion board tab at the top of the community home page. Next, you’ll need to decide where to post your message. If your message is related to one of the modules, then click on the appropriate module link. Otherwise, you should click the “General Discussion Board” link.
Next you should consider the nature of your message by asking yourself the following questions:
Directions for accomplishing these tasks are provided below.
How do I post a message that is a new discussion topic?
After selecting the proper discussion board, click the “Post New Topic” link as shown below.
Next,
enter the subject of your topic and type your message in the boxes that
are provided. The tools in grey at the bottom of the message box allow
you to use the following features: bold, italics, underline, bulleted
lists, and numbered lists.
When you are finished, click the “Post Message” button.
How do I reply to an existing message?
As you read through the messages in a given topic you may wish to reply to one of the messages. To do so, click the “Reply” link underneath the message to which you wish to respond.
Next, enter the subject of your topic and type your message in the boxes that are provided. When you are finished, click the “Post Message” button.
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