Using the online audience to motivate students

In “Unleashing Potential with Emerging Technologies,” Sara Kajder recounts her experience of creating a reader’s guide wikibook with her 11th grade English students. Upon realizing that the book The Stranger had an infamous reputation among her students, Sara decided to challenge her class to create their own guide to understanding the book. As a class, they compiled and posted pictures, charts, summaries, explanatory notes, and character lists alongside an online copy of the book. Not only did the 11th graders enjoy the fast-paced yet casual nature of wikibook, but they were also very motivated by the knowledge that others outside of their class were frequently viewing their work. Kajder noticed a remarkable upsurge in participation and online activity after she told her class about an English class is Seattle that was using the site to aid their own reading of The Stranger. “Within three days,” she writes, “content was explodingon the site. Students had added videos that offered enactments of scenes. Some were podcasting their literature group discussions. Others were linking to every bit of relevant content that they could find.” (223) Students were motivated by the knowledge that other people were following and appreciating their work. This seemed to give the project added value, as if the wikibook was a community service rather than a regular class project. I think this observation speaks to the effects of responsibility. When students realize that their work is helping others, it suddenly becomes more important. They invest time and energy into their work in order to make the project as legitimate as possible. Online technology is an easy and effective way for teachers to provide an audience for students. Perhaps giving students an audience that depends upon and benefits from the students’ work is one strategy for instigating motivation in classroom activities and projects.

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