Ning+-+American+Literature

I wanted to use the Ning technology to enhance literature discussions in my American Literature course during the first semester. After getting my feet wet with the staff Ning, I decided to create talkingliterature.ning.com. Many teachers are aware that class discussions can become dominated by a select group of students. Teachers oftentimes become frustrated with the non contributors and view their behavior as passive. I created this for those "passive" contributors. During each class discussion before the Ning was created only about 40-50% of the students offered answers, ideas, or questions in regard to the previous nights' reading. Once the Ning was created every student contributed to the discussion, in fact, some of the best discussion was driven by those who did not contribute much during class discussion. The "passive" label attached to these students was immediately removed.

I used the Ning about 5 times during the semester. On each occasion I gave the students specific directions for their posts. They were told to: 2. Post a specific passage from the reading that stood out and respond to the merit of other passages selected. 3. Post objective type test questions and answer other questions.
 * 1. Ask questions about the chapters read. These questionsn can focus on literary elements, social commentary, writing style, etc...

Student Response:** Aside from the obvious increase in participation, students were very vocal with their appreciation for this type of discussion. Many said that they looked forward to these class periods.