Class Discussion

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• Class Discussion
• Student Lounge
• Anonymous Discussion
• Team Discussion
• Team/Teacher Discussion

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Youll find that although there are lots of
different modules within Manhattan, they have
much in common.
Once you know how to send a Post Office message,
for example, you know how to send a message
in any of Manhattans modules.
This tour of Manhattans Discussion Modules
assumes youve already taken the Handouts/Notices
and Post Office tours.
We wont go into great detail about features that
have already been covered in those presentations.
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Lets take a moment to learnsome of the basics
of Manhattan.
A Manhattan classroom consists of up to 13
separate areas called modules.
Each module provides a different way of
communicating.
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Youve already learned about the Lectures,
Handouts/Notices, and Self-tests modules.
These modules provide a place for your teacher
to put messages and files for you to read.
As a student, you cannot post messages in these
areas.
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You should also have taken a tour of the Post
Office.
The Post Office is intended for private
messages addressed to one or more peoplewithin
your classroom.
Manhattans Post Office does notprovide for
incoming or outgoingemail to other systems.It
is a private system.
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Within Manhattan, these five modules provide
that ability, each with a slightly different
focus.
An important aspect of the online classroom is
the ability to freely exchange messages and
ideas in an open forum.
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Well concentrate on the Class Discussion module.
Later, well briefly describe the other four
Discussion modules.
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Keep in mind that a Manhattan classroom might not
have all 13 modules available.
Your teacher may choose to not use the Anonymous
Discussion, Team Discussions, or Student Lounge,
for example.
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The Class Discussion is an example of
a discussion forum. Anyone, student or teacher,
can post a message here that is seen by everyone
in the class.
As always, a red star on a modules button
means there is one or more unread messages posted.
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Click!
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Class Discussion messages are organized into
topics.
This discussion currently has five topics.
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There are two types of messages in
Manhattans discussion groups...
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there are topics...
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and there are messages that people have added to
the original topics, replies.
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Use this New Topic button only when you want to
start a new topic for discussion.
Youll get a standard screen for composing a new
message.
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Click!
Avoid using the New Topic button when you just
want to reply to an existing topic.
To reply to an existing topic, start by reading a
message in the topic.
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Click
Either of these commands will add a message to
the topicproviding you with a standardcompositio
n window.
Heres the topic were reading.
You will learn the difference betweenthese two
options shortly. For nowlets return to the
topics listing.
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This topic has four repliesplus the original
postingfor a total of five (5) messages.
The numbers in this column refer to the number
of replies posted to each topic,with one (1)
being theoriginal topic posted.
Continuing with Manhattan basics
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The red star next to the 5 indicates that you
have not read at least one of the four replies to
this message.
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Click!
If you click on the sign next to a topic, the
topic is expanded to show all of
the messages/replies associated with that topic.
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After expanding the topic, we can see the
subjects of all four replies to the topic.
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Click!
Note that the is now a - symbol.
Clicking on a - symbol collapses the topic
again.
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Click!
All topics are collapsed.Lets expand all the
topics!
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Click!
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Click!
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These topics dont have or -
symbols because they each have only one
message...the original topic.
All the topics areexpanded once again.
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You can use these buttons to quickly expand or
collapse all of the topics at once.
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Click!
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Click!
All topics arecollapsed.
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All topics are expanded once again.
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Notice that unread is the default choice in the
Gather list.
The Gather command works as it does elsewhere
in Manhattan.
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Click!
In order to gather all of your unread messages.
You can tell from the red stars that most of
these messages are unread.
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All of the unread messages are displayed on one
page.
Use your web browsers scrollbar to move around.
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Click to Return!
This view provides much of the samefunctionality
as the default module view. You can read and
reply to any ofthe gathered messages.
In a gathered viewdifferent topics are
separated byan alternate colored
background. This makes is it easier to
distinguishdifferent topic headings.
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Notice that the red stars are gone! We just
opened all of the unread messages!
By gathering messages, even if you may not have
read them, all are essentially marked as opened.
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Click on the drop-down arrow.
You also can use the gather feature to view
all of the messages posted by any one person on
the same page.
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Select the name from the drop-down list to gather
messages from that person.
Then click the Gather button.
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Click!
The green Gis also for Gather...but not
bythe person who posted.
Click on the G to gather messages for a
specific Topic.
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Click toreturn.
Now weve gathered all of the messages for this
one topic.
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Remember,by gathering messages, all red stars
are removed, meaning messages are marked
ashaving been opened, whetheryou actually read
them or not.
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Click!
Lets take a look at howto respond to a topic.
First, open the topic which you wish to
respond.Lets start with the first topic.
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Add New Message andReply
You have two choiceswhen responding to a
message.
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Click!
Lets try them both to see how they differ...
Well look at Add New Message first.
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Using Add New Message brings up a blank
message form.
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The Subject (required)
The Message(optional)
The technique for composing a discussion
message is the same as that for a Post Office
message.
Attachments (optional)
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?
Unlike in the Post Office, there is no list of
names to which you can send messages.
Thats because Class Discussion messages are sent
to everyone in your class automatically.
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Click!
Lets go back without sending a message.
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Click!
Now lets see how the Reply button is
different...
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When you click Reply, the original Subject
field and the original Messageare included in
your reply.
Youre free to delete anything (or everything)
as you compose your message.
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Click!
Lets not bother sending a message right now.
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Click!
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Lets add a new message to this topic.
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Click!
Start by readingthe topic...
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Click!
Now that were in the correct topic, we can add a
new message.
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Click!
Type the message and send it.
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Click!
The message is sent, and were back to the
message we were reading.
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Theres our new message, added to the end of the
topic!
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Click!
Now lets start a completely new topic.
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Remember,the subjectfield mustnot be blank.
Click!
Type it, and send it!
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Theres our new topic!
Lets take a few minutes to learnabout some
other icons that are usedin the Manhattan
Virtual Classroom.
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Paperclips mark messages that have one or more
files attached.
Clicking on a question mark gives
moreinformation about the message.If you are
the author of the message,you can click here to
find whenothers have read your message.
Throughout Manhattan, Red Stars are used to mark
messages you havent yet read.
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Click to expand the topic.
As you can see from the Red Stars this topic has
been read but some of the replies to the
topic have not been read.
A Red Star in this columnsignifies that the
postingis a new or unread Topic.
A Red Star in this columnsignifies that
thereare unread replies tothe Topic posting.
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Click the reply to read it.
Here is the particular reply that is new or
unreadwithin this topic.
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Once you have read the message, click the return
button.
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This little guy haschanged too!
Notice that the red stars aregone from this
posting both fromthe Topic and the Replies.
What are these things?
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The concept of sleepy topicsallows you to hide
topics thatcontain no unread replies.This
feature is especially useful in a busyDiscussion
module where yourwindow can easily become
congestedwith many postings.
These little faces can mean different
things,depending on their appearance.They work
in conjunction with Red Stars (new or unread
messages) and sleepy topics.
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This expression shows that the messageis wide
awake and that they are eitheran unread Topic or
contain unread replies.
This expression shows that the Topic isawake and
there are no unread messages.
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Lets click these two little faces.
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Try to click on the wide awake faces.Nothing
happens! You cannot make an active Topicgo to
sleep. All replies must beread before bedtime!
As you can see the expression has changed.The
Topics are now sleepy!
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Click hereto hide them.
Now we can choose to hideour sleepy Topics.
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Click hereto unhide it.
Notice the new message. Its a reminder that
you havesleepy topics that are not
listed.They are hidden.
As you can see the topicsare no longer visible.
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Click Here
Lets hide them again to learnwhat happens when
someonereplies to a sleeping, hidden, Topic.
The topics are once again visiblealthough they
are still asleep.
You can wake them up againby clicking the
sleeping icons.But you cannot hide them when
they are awake.
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Click Here
The sleepy Topics areonce again hidden.
Lets exit the module and wait for a new message.
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Click Here
There is a new message asindicated by the Red
Star!
Wow! That was fast!
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Click Here
Lets exit tothe Main Menu.
This Topic is wide awake again!Sleeping, hidden
Topics willwake up automatically whensomeone
replies to them.
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One final note about sleepy and hidden
Topics Nearly all modules within Manhattan
support the Sleepy Topics functionality. But
dont bealarmed if you do not see the feature
within your classrooms. Your instructor has the
ability to disable this function in any of the
Manhattan modules that support it.
Now well go on to theother discussion
moduleswithin Manhattan.
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The Student Lounge is exactly the same as the
Class Discussion.
Some online teachers will make this area
available to give students a place to talk about
things not related to the class.
Its a place for distance learning students to
socialize.
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The Anonymous Discussion module is similar to the
Class Discussion.
The difference is that it is impossible for
anyone, including your teacher, to tell who in
the class posted the messages.
An online teacher may make this available to
encourage students to speak freely about
the course, or about a particular subject.
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Your teacher might divide the class into teams.
Each team might be expected to work together to
complete acommon project.
The Team Discussion behaves just like the Class
Discussion.
The difference is that the messages are seen only
by members of your team.
Its a place for you and your teammates
to collaborate privately.
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The teacher normally is not a member of any team,
and generally will not participate in the Team
Discussion module.
However, in the Team/Teacher module the teacher
is a member of each team, and can monitor and
contribute to your teams discussions.
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Remember...
A message can either be a Topic, or a
contribution to a Topic.
Your class probably will NOT use all of
Manhattans discussion modules.
Sending a discussion message is just like sending
a Post Office message, except theres no need to
select the recipients.
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End of Module PresentationEducational
Technology Center_at_ Western New England College