Posted July 2008 Peer pressure not an issue, with eLearning
		While it is easy to see how message boards and blogs can connect students in different schools or classrooms, can these and other eLearning tools enhance learning when used with students in the same class? For Queensland Academy for Health Sciences (QAHS) teacher Rosalie Everest and her Year 10 English students, the answer is a definite yes. They found that communicating online with each other about class work breaks down peer-pressures, gives quieter students a ‘voice’ and encourages in-depth reflection and dialogue. This is a case of old meets new, with students using forums, chats and blogs in a Learning Place project room to analyse the language of Shakespeare.

Romeo and Juliet

While students gave oral presentations about Romeo and Juliet, their colleagues posted comments on their performances online. They also recorded their presentations as podcasts. Their teacher, Rosalie Everest, said the experience enhanced the students’ knowledge, understanding and appreciation of Shakespeare in real, substantive and immediate ways.

"All members of the class provided constructive and supportive feedback on the work of each student presenter," she said. "Peer feedback was instantly available online and podcasts were uploaded so that students may listen to and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of their own work."

Ms Everest used a variation on the ancient Greek Socratic Circle structure to ensure each student remained focussed and on-task. This enabled students to listen critically to and reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of each other’s work, she said. Earlier in the unit, the students overcame their initial fear of Shakespearean English by playfully rewriting the prologue to Romeo and Juliet either in the language of text-messaging or the vernacular of ‘teen-speak’."The re-written prologues were recorded and turned into some very amusing podcasts," Ms Everest said. "ICT has been integral to the development of students’ skills in closely analysing extracts from the play and in communicating their observations and insights in both written and spoken modes."

By using online communication activities, these QAHS students have showed that good communication and interactivity are central to eLearning.