Newsgroups in the Classroom?

     It seems to me that USENET and newsgroups helped pioneer the concept of free sharing of ideas and concepts on the web. I in no way claim to be an expert on this mode of sharing information with others. The idea that anyone can publish their ideas for others' viewing. Unfortunately, there now are millions (excuse my hyperbole) of other ways that we can now congregate in some sort of internet forum, in which we can share ideas. Specific to a classroom, there are many ways in which we can share ideas or in which ideas can be found. In other words, there are other vehicles we can choose to drive on the information superhighway.

 Picture taken from this Flickr account, labeled for reuse.

 
     In pondering on the uses of newsgroups in the classroom, I tried to understand what the strength of using such a medium for the benefits of a classroom. I believe that the true strength of a newsgroup is that of public file sharing within the classroom. Another benefit is that other interested parties, not of your classroom can potentially join your group in such activities.

     In my limited experience with newsgroups, for me, I found that searching for information relevant to a K-12 classroom was difficult. I do not think that this is a good source for students to search for specific information; search engines will suffice. While a classroom could set up a newsgroup and post topics in hopes that others would stumble upon it to offer their wisdom, I find this unlikely. I am not sure about varying levels of censorship within specific newsgroups, but it may not be prudent to direct students to free, uncensored sharing on the internet. If I were to use a newsgroup, it would be to a specific group.
 

Photo found on this Flickr account, labeled for reuse.

     The question right now in my mind is, "What do newsgroups provide that other services, like Facebook, Google+, or even a teacher moderated blog, do not? I am not quite sure on the answer to that question. More than likely I overlooked details that could give me a better insight to that question. As it stands right now I don't see a need for newsgroups in the classroom. Depending on the project or idea being implemented within the classroom, I believe there are other substitutes that are more familiar to our students within the classroom. Newsgroups just may be outdated in the classroom.

Link for Usenet