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Virtual Brainstorming

Contribution to the learning process

to support creative thinking / learning
to construct knowledge (without re-/deconstruktion).

As to the integration in the FyR-context see "Online cooperation in your river project".

Targets

to find ideas, related to a topic, together. Planning.

IT-tool

Chat:

Book of the River > My Book (Login) > our partnerships > Work spaces with partner schools > (select your work space) > Chat

The Chatroom is not open to the public, only the members of the common work space have access. So you and your partner group have a private atmosphere.

For preparation or aftertreatment (communication between the project leaders from the partner schools) you can use E-Mail or the Forum.

Expenditure of time for preparation and realization

small

Time needed

30 min – 2 hours

Target group

3-30 participants, not at the same place (optimal 5-15).

If there are more students, it is possible to divide them into working groups (you have up to 6 chat rooms available) and to make a synthesis of their ideas after the brainstorming.

Requirements and preparation

Topics, method, time expenditure and “rules of the game” are to be clarified with all participants (in the local learning group ore via E-mail).

The Tutor

looks for the time table (when to start / to finish a step of the discussion…)
looks for netiquette and rules (we do not criticize other statements)
Focuses at the topics (e.g. to ask questions, to sum up, to stopp discussions which are far from the topic)

Realization

Start

The tutor opens up the chatroom andactivates the recording ("Click here to open the chat in a new window" - type in your Nickname, activate "Show the buttons for recording the chat?" - click at Login - use the button "Start recording the chat" and "Stop and save chat log". The chatlog will be saved automatically in the common workspace under Chat.

Any questions about the topics and the timetable?

Main phase

To make storm in the minds – to collect as much and as crazy ideas as possible. No discussion about / no critics to the ideas!

To start with topic A. When ready, the moderator sums up and the discussion about topic B starts.

Finish

To complete the work. E.g. to fix the next steps. Smalltalk, Logout.

Aftertreatment

(by the tutor or by students): To sum up the results (e.g. to make groups of ideas). To write and to distribute the minutes.

Experiences / results

Well-tried method for work-meetings, which can successful be adopted to the WWW. The IT-tool “Chat” is very useful for Brainstorming. If there are too many participants it becomes tricky, and it might be better to divide up the group.

Tips

If it should be necessary to find out “favourite ideas”, a voting can be used.

As BUSCH/MAYER (2002, P. 90) explain, the virtual brainstorming should not start before all participants have logged in. The time when waiting for participants, can be used for small talk.

Literature

APEL 2003, P. 114
BRAUNECK/URBANECK/ZIMMERMANN 1999, Nr. 009
BUSCH/MAYER 2002, P. 90