I know I've linked to it previously, but you really should check out the comments (74 as of this writing) on this post on the Learning and Laptops blog. Our students continue to have an amazing discussion with thoughtful and impassioned insights into their views on laptops and education in general.
But what I think I like the most is how they are listening and responding to each other. Here's just one example of many. First, Ayla posts a comment where she uses the word 'insinuating." Later on Joanne disagrees with Ayla, but also indicates she thinks Ayla used 'insinuating' incorrectly. Ben then chimes in with some definitions of insinuate that seem to support the way Ayla used it. Joanne comes back with other definitions of insinuate that support her view. But then Joanne comes back one more time and says she spent some more time thinking about the word "insinuating" and agrees that Ayla used it correctly and apologizes to Ayla. Note that she still disagrees with what Ayla said, but she is taking the time to both revise her thinking on one aspect of her argument and to be civil and respectful.
As election season approaches, I only wish our political candidates would conduct themselves in a similar manner.
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