The pedagogical practices described below uses the medium of writing and cooperative discourse associated with computer mediated communication. The students who have experienced the strategies described below were graduate education majors pursuing Master's and Specialist's degrees in Elementary and Secondary Teacher Education, Family and Consumer Sciences, Educational Leadership, and Educational and School Psychology. The two 3 credit hour classes examined in this report were taught one evening per week throughout a 15 week semester. Classes varied in size from 20 to 21 students. The DEC technique was used in ten short essay writing experiences which were assigned throughout the semester.
Individual journals are difficult to share among one's classroom peers.
Group journals are at least shared among a small group. In this sense the entire class of students become resources for each other. Throughout a 15 week semester, each student posts 12 reflections and 12 reactions. Reflections are made to several aspects of each weekly meeting including simulations, video tapes, whole class discussions, lectures, and the DEC's. They have assigned readings from textbook chapters as well as primary author articles.