Sharing Photos in Discussions

Students post photographs along with their written responses to the discussion board.

Posting photos with written responses engages and motivates students and is a great way to connect online. It can also draw attention to real-life examples of course concepts.

In the discussion prompt, students are asked to post photos along with their written responses.

Screenshot of the Photograph your Environment discussion prompt — The “Photograph Your Environment” discussion prompt

It is important to remind students about privacy concerns. For example, if they are taking photos at work and sharing them, it would be a good idea to have them get permission first.
Consider beginning the course with an activity like this to pique interest, then doing it again about halfway through the course to add some momentum.

Testimonial

Adding photographs to a discussion not only feels different for the students, but it is also a different type of activity which will stand out for them. It leverages a different technology, and photos are a great visual tool to solidify class insights. It requires students to explore class topics through a very personal lens (no pun intended).

Erin Balliet Ratelis, MBC, Instructor, UW-La Crosse

This activity does double duty: it serves as an introduction to the health environment and it’s a social connector. By sharing their living environments in the context of the course, students are bridging the social gap that often comes with asynchronous online learning. This builds momentum by starting the course off with an activity that is exciting to students and inspires them to learn more in the weeks to come.

Kristin Kowal, Instructional Designer

Overview

Why Use This?

How Does It Work?

Keep In Mind

Testimonial