Often, a majority of students may not actively connect with the teacher and the lesson. Total Participation Teachers in St. Paul, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and a growing number of districts across the United States now use an innovative, specialized classroom network designed to allow total student participation in every opportunity for communication. The technology, called Discourse Educational Communication System, allows all students to actively present their ideas, thoughts, and reactions in ways that are immediately available to the teacher and other students. The result is a learning environment of personal human connection, where no one is left out or neglected. In using this system, each student is provided a small, low- profile notebook computer.
Software operates the network and media options.
Myriad activities are enhanced with this groupware setup. For example, in a reading lesson similar to the one presented, a St. Paul teacher working with 28 students showed segments of a video that was based on the story of Hansel and Gretel. Every student responded in writing via Discourse, paid close attention to the video, the discussion, and the presentation of views. Student responses appear on the teacher's monitor, organized by student name, in a continuous stream, keystroke by keystroke as students respond. This approach provides instantaneous, or real-time, evaluation.