CHAT ROOMS & LEARNING

 




A chat room might be defined as an online form of spontaneous interaction between computer users. Communication generally occurs when a participant posts a message on the communal message board for others to view. The author's names or nicknames and messages are listed in the order that they are received. If desired, participants can engage in private chat in which messages are visible only to the sender and the recipient.

The basic elements of a chat room generally include:

logging in by entering a screen name and profile

using a nickname

selecting a room name to enter and viewing the list of participants

selecting a participant's name to see profile

 The type or communication encountered can vary widely depending on the participants. Chat rooms have been actively employed by educators; in our own department, Dr. William Pichette has made them a key part of his courses since the mid-1990s.

The following sites provide access to education-related chat rooms:

CyberEducation: Your Educational IRC Center (for students). www.cybered.net

The Education Webpage Education Chat. www.a1education.com/chatroom.htm

The Eduzone Chat Rooms (for teachers). www.eduzone.com/Exchange/eduexch.htm

Mighty Media Teacher Lounge. www.mightymedia.com/ttalk

Planet English Chat. www.planetenglish.com/chat/index.html

Star Online: Special Event Chats for Education. http://scripps.yack.com/staronline/categories/Education

Teacher Chat Lounge. http://rehab.educ.ucalgary.ca/chat/teacher_chat.html

Teacher's Chat. www.realkids.com/tichat.shtml

Teachers Helping Teachers. www.pacificnet.net/~mande/ircinfo.html

Web Pals (for students). www.talkcity.com/educenter/webpals.html

Web University (link to LIVE Chat!). www.web-u.com