“Hi, and sorry for the delay in getting back to you. What I meant was merely that you’ll all have slightly different agendas, and want to use the blackboard environment in different ways. It’s important to use it in a way that suits you — very banal, I’m afraid! Jackie’s point is really what I meant, namely that the users have to drive the environment. Moreover, I think that peripheral participation is legitimate. Jackie sounds like a good source.”

Thanks, Anne

…. I’m interested in Ewan’s notion that ‘special events’ should be provided to motivate pupils to return to the ‘online environment’ – I’d thought of taking a ‘back seat’ now that the class have their own spaces and just watch to see what happens?

Here’s a recent post of mine on Blackboard addressed to my Tutor :

“Hi Anne …….Jackie replied to my email. She wrote:

………….. I like the way you are letting the children drive the use of the blogs, that is so important if they are going to be successful…………

Is this what you meant in your feedback when you said that, “..an online environment can’t be successful if it imposes a work pattern…”? ” ……..

It appears that we both took a different meaning from Anne’s reference to ‘work patterns’? I’ll get in touch and ask for more info … after tomorrow’s very late Parent Night evening is over!

Meanwhile, if you have any relevant research links, please share