Reply to "I'm a fan of forums"

Although the idea of a forum in classroom is very interesting, I am not sure that it can always work in a classroom environment. It was mentioned in Mark Miller's blog that a long-term project can be introduced to the students, bringing them to communicate to each other and get help from each other. Even though this is a very interesting idea that could bring a lot to the class over time, I am not sure that the students will actually participate actively to the project. It seems that students often participate only if they get points for participating or if there is a penalty for not participating. A good example of this is the blog, forum and wiki sites done in this class. I would be interested to see what percentage of the class would actually participate in a forum if it was for personal interest only.
However, forums can become a great tool for the students if we, as teachers, manage to communicate the value of such a tool and help them become responsible for their own learning. I think students don't need us to teach them how to use forums, blogs, and wikis as much as they need us to give them our passion for learning and to help them become responsible for their own progression in school. If we are able to show them the importance and value of learning strategies and technology, it is possible that forums such as the one described by Mark Miller might actually work without the teachers having to penalize students for not participating.